To commemorate their 25-year run as the premiere Polish death metal band, Vader has released XXV, a twin-disc set which finds the band re-recording a slew of their songs from their humble beginnings to their later works. Adorned with liner notes explaining each track straight from mainman Peter as well benefiting from the technological advances of recording in a studio in 2008, Vader put their legacy to the test and once again show why they’ve been such a dominant force in the underground metal scene for all these years. The re-recordings of such death metal staples as “Sothis,” “Blood of Kings,” and “Dark Age” showcase a sharpened brutal edge complete with the troupe’s trademark deathly growls, whammy-bar acrobatics, and pummeling rhythms coming across as powerful and enraged as ever. www.regainrecords.com –Mike SOS