VASTUM
VASTUM “Inward to Gethsemane”
By Dr. Abner Mality
I wonder if you turn “Inward To Gethsemane” before or after you go “Onward to Golgotha”. Just wondering…
VASTUM have been doing the dark death metal thing way before it became a big deal again, so kudos to them for that. This band is the very definition of “solid”, as they always manage to produce a powerful, listenable album. Just as they have done here. They owe a lot to the “cavernous” style of death metal, as they have that echoey, crypt-born darkness. But they are a bit faster and more complex than the majority of bands working that side of the street. They find that sweet spot just between primitive and technical and that’s a great place to be. They also don’t overdo things, as the album is a brisk seven songs, only one of which could be called longer than usual.
As to the songs themselves, “In Bed With Death” gets things off to a pulverizing, speedy start, but the album hits its apex with the flowing “Priapic Chasms”, a great example of mixing riffs, solos and speeds. There’s no really bad track, but album ending “Corpus Fractum” tries for something almost liturgical, with spoken word narration and choir-like chants. It’s different, but just not as crushing as the rest of the material. Needless to say, we get the canyon-like roars throughout.
Very much recommended to those who like it as dark and miasmic as midnight in Cthulhu’s tomb,..