Vastum: Patricidal Lust (2013)

VVVVV

Leigh Ledare is a New York-based photographer who has recently taken on an . . . unusual subject matter. Noting the public’s desensitization to everything shocking, he decided to take a bunch of pictures of men having sex. With Ledare’s own mom.

If he had then brutally murdered his mother, then he would have been able to top the title to Vastum’s proper full-length debut, Patricidal Lust. I wasn’t especially impressed by the band’s demo—well, for a demo, it served its purpose, but it was, after all, a demo. I am extremely impressed with the album. The band have fully lived up to the promise that anyone saw in them.


This is some doomy, old-school death metal. It’s raw and heavy, with sickening solos, lurching, crawling riffs, and some exceptionally brutal vocals from none other than Leila Abdul-Rauf. Name-check whoever you want, but Vastum have taken up the vanguard of old-school death metal alongside Vasaeleth and Vorum. Hey, maybe they can pick up Vallenfyre to headline and Vulgaari to open.

Also, it’s good. Really damn good. Did I mention that?

The Verdict: 4.5 out of 5 stars

I can't embed anything from this yet, but you can hear it here.