Black to the Blind
| Black to the Blind | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Cover art by Jacek Wiśniewski | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 13 October 1997 | |||
| Recorded | July – August 1997 | |||
| Studio | Selani Studio, Olsztyn, Poland | |||
| Genre | Death metal | |||
| Length | 28:47 | |||
| Label | Koch, System Shock/SPV | |||
| Producer | Piotr "Peter" Wiwczarek, Andrzej Bomba | |||
| Vader chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Alternative cover | ||||
studio cover of 2012 re-release | ||||
| Singles from Black to the Blind | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | [1] |
| Chronicles of Chaos | 9/10[2] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 7/10[3] |
| Rock Hard | 8.0/10[4] |
| Teraz Rock | favorable[5] |
Black to the Blind is the third studio album by the Polish death metal band Vader. It was released on 13 October 1997 in Europe and Poland by System Shock/SPV and Koch International Poland, respectively. Japanese edition with one bonus track was released by Avalon/Marquee. In 2025, Joe DiVita of Loudwire named the album as the best death metal album of 1997.[6]
The album was nominated for a Fryderyk Award in the category 'Hard & Heavy Album of the Year (Album roku - hard & heavy)'.[7]
Background and release history
Black to the Blind was recorded between July and August 1997 at Selani Studio in Olsztyn, Poland, and was produced by Piotr "Peter" Wiwczarek and Andrzej Bomba. The album was mastered by Julita Emanuiłow. The album features cover art by Jacek Wiśniewski. The song "Carnal" taken from this album was used in the Polish action movie Gniew (Anger) from 1998, directed by Marcin Ziębiński. It was also released by Koch International as part of the movie soundtrack.
In 2012, Witching Hour Productions released a remastered edition of Black to the Blind with new cover art, and layout by Zbigniew Bielak. Remastering was made by Wiesławscy Brothers, and it took place at Hertz Studio, Białystok in Poland.[8]
Music
Joe DiVita of Loudwire described the album's music, saying: "With just one song cracking four minutes, Vader’s mechanized riffs were a devastating blur and a resounding statement that competition was still fierce regarding pure speed."[6]
Track listing
All music is composed by Piotr Wiwczarek.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Heading for Internal Darkness" | Paweł Frelik | 3:46 |
| 2. | "The Innermost Ambience" | Paweł Wasilewski | 1:32 |
| 3. | "Carnal" | Frelik | 2:09 |
| 4. | "Fractal Light" | Frelik | 2:42 |
| 5. | "True Names" | Frelik | 3:36 |
| 6. | "Beast Raping" | Wasilewski | 2:42 |
| 7. | "Foetus God" | Wasilewski | 2:43 |
| 8. | "The Red Passage" | Wasilewski | 3:01 |
| 9. | "Distant Dream" | Tomasz Krajewski | 2:25 |
| 10. | "Black to the Blind" | Wasilewski | 4:08 |
| Total length: | 28:47 | ||
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Anamnesis" | Wasilewski | 3:08 |
| Total length: | 31:55 | ||
Personnel
Production and performance credits are adapted from the album liner notes.
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Charts
| Chart (2025) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Polish Albums (ZPAV)[12] | 86 |
Carnal / Black to the Blind
Carnal / Black to the Blind is the second single by the Polish death metal band Vader. It was released only in Poland in 1997 with special edition of Thrash'em All magazine entitled Super Poster" #1. Apart from promo single insert includes interview with Piotr "Peter" Wiwczarek, Polish translation of lyrics from Black to the Blind, and additional information about the band.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Carnal" | 2:09 |
| 2. | "Black to the Blind" | 4:08 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Europe, Poland | 13 October 1997[13] | System Shock/Impact Records, Koch International Poland |
| USA | 21 April 1998 | Pavement Music |
| Japan | 23 March 2000[14] | Avalon Marquee |
| Poland | 27 November 2012[15] | Witching Hour Productions |
References
- ^ "Vader - "Black to the Blind" review". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
- ^ Schwarz, Paul (1 January 1998). "Vader - Black to the Blind". Chronicles of Chaos. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
- ^ Popoff, Martin (1 August 2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 473. ISBN 978-1-894959-62-9.
- ^ "Review Album: Vader - Black to the Blind". Rock Hard (in German). No. 127. 19 November 1997. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ Celiński, Krzysztof (March 2014). "Recenzja - Vader: Black to the Blind" (in Polish). Teraz Rock. Archived from the original on 5 March 2014. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
- ^ a b "What Is the Best Death Metal Album of Each Year of the 1990s?". Loudwire. 16 August 2025. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
- ^ "Fryderyki 1997: nominowani i laureaci" (in Polish). www.zpav.pl. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
- ^ a b c "DWA LEGENDARNE ALBUMY VADER SĄ JUŻ DOSTĘPNE!!!" (in Polish). www.hertzrecording.com. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ a b Walewski, Jacek. "Piotr Peter Wiwczarek (Vader)" (in Polish). www.magazyngitarzysta.pl. Archived from the original on 22 October 2011. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
- ^ a b "Vader - "Black to the Blind"". www.vader.pl. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
- ^ "Jacek Wiśniewski works". www.artworks.isg.pl. Archived from the original on 22 February 2008. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
- ^ "OLiS - oficjalna lista sprzedaży - albumy" (in Polish). OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Note: Change the date to 18.04.2025–24.04.2025 under "zmień zakres od–do:". Retrieved 1 May 2025.
- ^ "Vader - "Black to the Blind"". rateyourmusic.com. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
- ^ "Vader - "Black to the Blind"" (in Japanese). www.marquee.co.jp. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
- ^ "Vader - "Black to the Blind"". www.witchinghour.pl. Archived from the original on 12 March 2013. Retrieved 16 February 2014.