Customer Reviews

Kingdom

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First of all, let me just say that the 25 minute silence at the beginning of the cd is not necessarily needed(what is with this trend, first Vader then Mayhem...who's next to blow us away with silence?) Anyway, the first 4 tracks are pure Vader! Very harsh, very fast, very heavy! Great vocals and great playing! Then comes the last two tracks. They are Vader songs remixed by a couple of DJ's who's names escape me at the moment. The first one is actually good if you're also into the industro-techno music like I am. The second one left much to be desired, not much going on, you just forget the track if you don't pay attention to it. Overall, very good EP, nice twist of having techno remixes of songs on here. I'm sure true death metal fans became very sour at listening to those.

unlike the last reviewer for this cd, i have put the cd in my computer and watched the very kick ass video, which explains the 25 minutes of silence on track 1. All these songs kick ass, especially Kingdom and Creatures of the Light and Darkness. the cd is too short though, i suggest you get Litany, which is by FAR the BEST EVER. If you're a fan of Vader, then definitly get this cd, if you're new to the band, i suggest Litany for it is THE most kickass yet.

This is a great Vader EP for those who already own the full lengths and can't get enough Vader. If that doesn't describe you, you should probably move on because you'll end up paying nearly the price of a full length for an album that only has 4 real songs. All 4 songs are fantastic though, including the rerecorded "Breath of Centuries" which is almost like a different song from the version on "The Ultimate Incantation".

There are also two remix tracks on this album. They are somewhat interesting, some will like them and some will not. If that's going to be a deciding factor on whether to buy this, you probably shouldn't.

Kingdom comes from one of Vader's best periods, coming out right after Black to the Blind, and arguably sounding even better than that album did, especially production wise.

Having this combined with another EP would make it a better value, like the band did with Reign Forever World and Blood. However, from a collector's point of view, I almost prefer having the original versions with full artwork.

Kingdom is an Excellent EP. It features a Video for their song Incarnation off of their De Profundis album. That is the 25 minutes of silence that the first reviewer was talking about. The reason it's 25 minutes is that the video is available in 4 different formats. I find this very strange that the record company put it as track one. It makes no sense at all. I have plenty of CDs with enhanced content and none of them interfere with the track list. For some reason it's this strange format that prevents this CD from playing in my CD player. It works in my car stereo and on my computer (of course it's gonna work on the computer, that's why there is a CD-Rom Video as track 1 to begin with!) But it aggravates me knowing that I can't play it whenever I want to. Anyways, that is the main reason that this EP is 4 stars and not 5. Let's move on to the songs.

The EP is divided up into three sections. The first is Kingdom. The opening track Creatures of Light and Darkness is crushing. There is no other way around it. Doc's speed on the drums and the guitar riffs are the most memorable on the album. The next song made its original appearance on The Ultimate Incantation; a redone Breath of Centuries. It doesn't top the previous track but it's awesome. The title track is known as Vader's slowest song and definitely a memorable one at that.

The next section is Black to the Blind and features one song titled Anamnesis. If you've read my review for the album Black to the Blind you'll know that this is the missing song. For some reason in my copy it said it was track 11 in the CD Booklet and even gives the lyrics for it; but alas it is not there. I'm guessing it's on an import. Anyways the missing song is here on this EP.

The third and final Section is Bonus Special Remixes. Both of them are really strange. They are both over seven minutes in length and they are both "inspired" by the songs Heading for Eternal Darkness and Carnal from Black to the Blind. I really don't know what to think of them. They aren't terrible but they aren't terrific. They are just really strange. I'm glad that they are here though because otherwise this EP would only be 4 songs. You can take them or leave them.

Well that is the Kingdom of Vader. These guys always succeed in amazing me with every CD I get from them. This EP is worth having for the first song alone. It may not be worth the full price Amazon is asking for, (I got it used for a cheaper price) but the songs here are awesome. Hoped this review hoped.