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| Artwork by Laina Terpstra. |
When I wrote about Vastum's 2015 effort, Hole Below I name-dropped Bolt Thrower, Atheist, and Death. Don't ask me why because I don't really listen to those bands. I should but... whatever the case the death metal created by these Bay Area bashers fills the void created by my lack of OSDM listening with new album Orificial Purge.
That title sounds like the prep for a colonoscopy. Pain, suffering, enslaved to the agony and in the end, there's no shit left. There was nothing shitty about Vastum to begin with and these six tracks should silence any doubt about the matter.
The other thing lacking here is light. Listening only brings an aura of darkness. Whether it's their “spooky” intros or ghastly atmosphere, or everything in between, Orificial Purge plunges the listener below the surface into a hellish existence where the sinister reigns in hues of black and red.
Black metal may inform the beastly death Vastum is so good at but their right-hand demon is doom. Thrashy cadence and twisted screaming solos mold the album into various tortured and twisted shapes but the heaviness and their slowing down to a lurching place brings the whole world down upon you. No matter the pace – ripping speed, lurching doom, or mid-paced pummelling – Vastum leave nothing on the table. Full-spectrum death metal.
As if the sonics weren't enough, the coal-breathing vocals grab hold and turn your spine to ash. What's left of it anyway. This is the kind of death metal for which furious headbanging will not be denied. It's a primal instinct activated by primal terror. The lyrics are themselves tortured and twisted but also uttered in an equal foul way. Discerning ears are required.
Orificial Purge has it all. A varied pace, cavernous atmosphere, commanding vocals, and serious chops. The most notable change from previous albums, to these ears, is an uptick in production value. Yeah, death metal isn't supposed to sound clean but this does. The nastiness just sounds better. That's really saying something. What are you waiting for? Let the Purge begin!