Poles Vader put the release of their new album back to the (Northern) Winter for some reason or other, resulting in this stopgap release being shoehorned into the Nuclear Blast release schedule to keep the (doubtless thousands in number) ravening hordes satiated for Polish death metal until the great day that new album, The Empire, arrives on November 4…

So what we have here is ostensibly an EP, although it’s only four tracks in length and clocks in at just under fifteen minutes in duration. Side A carries two Vader newies, Parabellum and Prey to the Gods of War, whilst the other side features a couple of covers, namely Piesc I Stal and Motörhead’s Overkill. That first track was recorded originally by Vader offshoot Panzer X, and it’s not half bad – probably the best of the four tracks on offer – being a pleasant mix of melodic power and the band’s more straightforward deathly assault. The Motörhead cover is respectful and well executed, nothing more nothing less, and the whole thing comes housed in a very Motörheadesque cover designed by none other than Joe Petagno, who clearly had a few sketches earmarked for Lemmy that will now see the light of day on releases such as this…

Surely this will only appeal to Vader diehards, but it’s none the worse for that – none the worse at all.

Iron Times will be released by Nuclear Blast on August 12.