Denizens ov death’s deepest darkest dungeons Vastum are the longest serving acolytes on 20 Buck Spin’s formidable roster. The Bay Area quintet contain within their ranks members of many other acts among them Cardinal Wyrm, Ulthar, Acephalix, Necrot and Human Corpse Abuse, a fact that should leave you in no doubt that we are going to traverse the murkiest crags of the genre’s kingdom. It’s been several years since they last purged an album from their orifices but those looking for evolvement within their sound will not find it here. The seven tracks of horror contained within are of the filthiest, grime-coated slabs of granite one could wish to find themselves buried beneath.
No snug duvet to crawl under as we prepare to find ourselves ‘In Bed With Death’ and we are quickly thrust into a hellish and harrowing dense and claustrophobic blanket of malaise. Drums pummel, growls contort and slew in sickening fashion and some great morbid guitar solos snake away. Daniel Butler’s growls take centre stage vocally but if one peels back the layers and gets beneath the instrumental tumult they will find these backed up by guitarist Leila Abdul-Rauf’s equally fearsome snarls. There’s little light amidst the rough tumbling discourse which propels the listener on a downward plummet to the lower depths of hell itself. Screaming all the way down via the squealing guitar tones of ‘Priapic Chasms’ the jaunty and convulsing strains jerk you around and leave you heaving with motion sickness as this elevator to hades obtusely descends. Easy listening this is not but we never really expected it to be. Still that doesn’t stop stomping along in appreciation to the trollish horror within ‘Stillborn Eternity’ a track with rumbling groove among its disgust laden gravitas.
Like a kiss in the very garden of the album title ‘Judas’ is on hand at the midway point but beware false prophets even when they take the form of a surprise short instrumental piece. The guitar here is obviously illustrating the fact there is a snake in the midst and it’s going to get its fangs into things on the second half. Suitably cavernous in the production and brutally churned out you are left hanging on for the next of the sinuous guitar solos, these are where Vastum excel and life is breathed into their otherwise decimating art. After purging themselves with the sickening sounds of ‘Vomitous’ longest track and closer ‘Corpus Fractum’ shows a bit of experimentation with eerie atmospheres conjured from a spoken word sample and an almost mystic melody oozing out the pores like tentacles. Rest assured despite the loosening of the layered approach its suitably ominous and leaves you very uncomfortable up until the final notes. Enter death’s domains at the following links.
(7.5/10 Pete Woods)
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