Graphic depiction aside, Impressions in Blood features few surprises to the Vader faithful. Blast beats and killer drum fills abound, blistering riffs boil over a thick bass tone, piercing solos suitably punctuate musical phrases, and Piotr's vocals are damn near unchanged after all these years. One surprise that does appear is the last minute of "Field of Heads" -- a rather tribal and almost industrial sounding drum outro which might not be out of place on a Morbid Angel record, though this is nowhere near as misplaced as any of Pete Sandoval's wankery. A similar curiosity appears in the final minute of the album where strange almost electronica drum sounds appear. This is brief but a bit curious, as noted before.

Yes, Poland's answer to Slayer pack a heavy punch and if you liked the band before, there is no reason you wouldn't like them now. If The Beast was a little, say, ponderous to you, this could be considered a slight return to form. Some of the slow (relatively speaking) groove found on the previous few records (think "Revelation of Black Moses" and "Out of the Deep") is here, too, and I find such an atypical sound (again, relatively speaking) to really make a positive impression. In blood, no less. Rush out and get this smoldering slab before it burns down the store and definitely catch Poland's favorite sons on tour if you can. The live experience will leave you gasping for air.

written by Tony Belcher

Playing time: 37.11