|
Varied between groove and merciless, but still a good start.-
|
| Vastum: Carnal Law |
Death Metal, Doom Metal
20 Buck Spin Records
May 31st, 2011
- Primal Seduction - 5:14
- Re-Member - 5:05
- Devoir - 6:09
- Umbra Interna - 5:08
- Carnal Law - 4:22
- Spirit Abused - 7:36
|
| Links |
| Review Information |
Release length: 33:33
Review posted on May 27th, 2011
- |
|
| | Overall Score: 7/10 |
 |
|
|
| Discography |
Discography covers all information available up to day of review and is updated if future albums are reviewed. |
| Demo(s): |
Carnal Law (2011)
|
|
| - |
| Review |
Vastum formed back in 2009, and hails from San Francisco, California. Their debut full-length recording Carnal Law was initially released as a song demo at the start of 2011, but eventually was picked up by the underground independent label 20 Buck Shot but better distribution. It becomes clear upon listening to the raw, old-school Death and Doom Metal sound on this recording as to why the label picked this release up for distribution, and with lyrical themes dealing with sexuality and "psychic disfigurement" (that comes from the press release though makes no sense how it relates to sexuality in any way), the strong lyrical content seems to suit the strong musical approach of Carnal Law. And while this release proves the band has a very tight grasp on the music they want to make, it leaves one to wonder if this release would be enough to make them stand out with the many other bands out there working with this style as of late.
The sound of the album is quite heavy considering how clear the music really tends to be. The more digital production is taken with an air of echo-covered sandpaper-like gutterals in the vein of early Death Metal with heavy distortions and a loud bass to create a burdening vibe to the dark and muddied music that works against the pollish and stylished sound, but in a good way. It creates a very black atmosphere that works with the slower Doom Metal sound and music to create an album that simply sounds crushing, though not afraid to move a little faster thanks to that additional groove that can sometimes come off as more traditional Swedish Death Metal influenced. However, when the band really goes overboard with that more groove-based Death Metal sound, it can kind of interfere with the overall atmosphere of the recording. "Re-Member" is a good song, but just doesn't ultimately seem to stick with the soul crushing vibe that other songs give off, leaving it to sound like an entity from a whole other band all together.
What really shines through are the deeper, slower Doom Metal tracks. While that style never really seems to be the foundation for the material, and more of an added influence to the atmosphere of the Death Metal being played, some songs, like "Devoid" really benefit from it by simply hammering away at the listener like a blunt instrument. The song itself is strong enough moving at it's slower pace, but the band manages to incorporate some faster moments, as well as some heavier groove influence Death Metal passages, but they are used sparingly and at key moments to really bring out a little more intensity to the music and still retain that heavy atmosphere that was established at the start with the burdening "Primal Seduction" which blasts right into the stronger Doom Metal influences of the band's Death Metal material in a manner that feels as if it truly wants to leave no survivors.
And with that being said, that's the general flow of the recording. The material seems to swap out between heavily Doom Metal influenced songs, and tracks that are more groove influenced Death Metal, which both seem to swap out with the next song. "Primal Seduction", "Devoid", and "Carnal Law" feel more Doom influenced, are heavier and definitely more satisfying in the long run thanks to that muddier sound working with the blacker pollished atmosphere and distorted guitars. However, "Re-Member" and "Umbra Interna" are more typical of Swedish Death Metal, don't quite have that heavier edge, but the first track doesn't seem to bring much to the table whereas "Umbra Interna" actually still utilizes the heavier atmosphere of the recording a mid-tempo to still make the song sound more brutal, but not as it could be given the more stylish sound to the distortion and loud bass-driven music. You can really tell the difference between the two approaches in each, as the groove heavy tracks seem to just feel lighter, as if a great weight is lifted off the listener, which is not bad thanks to the songs still being enjoyable, but the heavier songs are just where the band shines through thanks to the uncompromising feeling you get from them. "Spirit Abused" is the exception to this rule, as it's clearly a more groove heavy track like "Re-Member" and "Umbra Interna", but the song still feels as uncompromising as "Carnal Law" and "Primal Seduction", and seems to vary between the two styles and atmospheres of this recording nicely within itself.
Vastum definitely proves themselves to be a strong band with this recording, but you can't help but feel a little let down with it. The music is often quite heavy, and the songs that aren't just don't have the same satisfying impact as the others. At the end though, the album just doesn't feel heavy enough. Given the reat vocal performance and the heavy music, a strong focus came from the bass to set the proper atmosphere, and the distortion on the guitars seemed a bit too light in comparison. Had the music been a little deeper, this release would have been downright ruthless and completely brutalized the listener a lot more. But, for what it is, it's still a great start for the band, and shows they have the potential to go and play out with the big boys. All in all, Vastum's debut release Carnal Law is a bit of a mixed bag, and could have been a little better, but it's still a very fine and attention grabbing start for this new entry into the Death/Doom Metal realm.
|
| - |
|
|
Digital review copy of this release provided by:
20 Buck Spin
via Earsplit PR.
| Submit to Social Networks |
|
|
|
