American romanticist author Ralph Waldo Emersonclaimed that "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds". Well, throughout their 25 year career few have exemplified these Poles' consistency and they know a thing or two about hobgoblins too (even scarier creations of man and mind). Following a 49 second symphonic intro, VADER launched into the title track, the familiar swirl of guitars accented by a hint of left over classical instrumentation, but with one belched bellow, the Polish pulverizing begins. Short in duration (nothing over five minutes and several cuts under three), but that doesn't mean there's no room for exploration. Try the wildly diving guitars on "The Black Eye", a paean to MORBID ANGEL, down to the vocal delivery. Conversely, the speedy "Come And See My Sacrifice" is built upon infectious riffing.

There are also slower, grinding passages throughout and it's the masterful jigsaw puzzle assembly of these seemingly diverse elements that makes VADER special. An otherworld spacey introduces "I Am Who Feats Upon Your Soul", the lengthiest option, at a mere 4:50. "I Had A Dream" mixes spoken word and sung vocals. Want your meat and potatoes raw? "Decapitated Saints" is relentless, start to finish, whereas "They Are Coming" is nothing more than an atmospheric intro to the concluding chugger, "Black Velvet And Skulls Of Steel", a title seemingly lifted from a MANOWAR album. No musical similarities though. An extra pair of songs ("Troops Of Tomorrow" and "Raping The Earth") can be found on the two-disc version.