Reign Forever World

by Ed Rivadavia

2001's Reign Forever World is a collection of outtakes and leftovers exhumed from the vaults of Polish death metal kings Vader. Kicked off by the memorable title track, the excellent opening trio of original compositions were recorded in late 2000, and later saw action as bonus tracks on the band's 2002 album Revelations. Similarly, the closing tandem of "Red Dunes" (a short instrumental mood piece) and "Lord of Desert" had previously only been available on the Japanese version of their 2001 L.P., Litany. Sandwiched in between, we have two tremendously visceral live performances of fan favorites: "Creatures of Light and Darkness" and "Carnal"; as well as three typically intense cover versions, namely: Destruction's "Total Disaster," Mayhem's "Freezing Moon," and, best of all, Judas Priest's classic "Rapid Fire." The latter comes off especially transformed after being subjected to Vader's inimitable thrash/death treatment, so that, where once it raced like liquid steel, it now flows like crude oil. Most refreshing of all, Reign Forever World doesn't feel like your typical selection of odds & sods, but stands up under scrutiny as a very worthy release in its own right. [Reign Forever World was later reissued by Metal Blade, and coupled with 2003's Blood E.P.]