(We’re pleased to present Todd Manning‘s review of the latest album by a band who’s a favorite among all the old-timers around here — and should become one of your favorites if they’re not already. The full album stream debuted today, and you’ll find that below as well.)
California-based Vastum is becoming a death metal institution. Their latest, Inward to Gethsemane, is due out on November 10th and is their fifth full-length on 20 Buck Spin.
Vastum has always looked to legendary acts like Autopsy, Incantation, and Cianide for inspiration. Yet, they create an atmosphere that’s equal parts haunting and nasty that sets them apart from the rest of the old-school death metal crowd.
photo by Chris Johnson
The opener, “In Bed with Death” shows Vastum knows how to play to their strengths. They oscillate between an oppressive mid-paced riff and a flesh-ripping grind section, all while assaulting the listener with the dual vocal attack of Daniel Butler and Leila Abdul-Rauf. The leads that pepper the track bring to mind the dual-guitar perfection of Hannamen and King on South of Heaven. The song ends by sinking into an abyss of chanted vocals and cavernous sonics.
The second piece, “Priapic Chasms” is where things really get interesting. Starting with the opening riff of this song, Vastum begins to utilize strange rhythms to create hooks for their songs. The beat here sounds like a zombie trying to waltz and the effect is completely unsettling. Such an unexpected move doesn’t derail the song but instead strengthens the more straightforward riffs, a perfect complement to their relentless pummelling.
“Stillborn Eternity” brings the same rhythmic nimbleness to its opening riff, an agile, mid-paced thrash riff. The atmosphere is deepened with the haunting chants of the chorus. Meanwhile, “Indwelling Archon” conjures Slayer, Bolt Thrower, and Dismember all in its five-minute runtime.
The album closes with the one-two punch of “Vomitous” and “Corpus Fractum”. The former once again pulls Bolt Thrower influences into Vastum’s filth-ridden orbit, but quickly sidesteps predictability with a less conventional riff that features a repetitive vocal screech over the top. Once again, moaned and chanted vocals creep in to create a sense of true horror. The song winds down with a crushing doom riff that fits naturally into Vastum’s overall sound.
The aforementioned doom riff flows into the ominous squall that kicks off “Corpus Fractum”. The mid-paced riffing and spoken-word samples underneath sound utterly evil, then the dual vocals kick in and truly brutalize the listener. Short guitar harmonies interrupt the pummeling with discordant melodies giving a sense of a truly maddening atmosphere. The middle of the song then disintegrates into funeral madness. Abdul-Rauf sings a clean but haunting vocal line punctuated by Butler’s vicious growls. They find their way out into a blast riff with another Kerry King-ish lead screaming out above the riffing. They settle back in for one more round of mid-paced riffing, bringing to mind a funeral procession in hell. A perfect ending to a fantastic death metal album.
If you only read this review, Vastum may not sound like they are doing anything overly radical. Yet, their take on death metal feels vital and fresh, executing their craft as well as anyone out there. Anyone who loves death metal and wants to see it thrive should make ample room for Vastum in their collection.
https://20buckspin.bandcamp.com/album/inward-to-gethsemane
https://www.20buckspin.com/collections/vastum
https://www.facebook.com/vastumofficial