Vastum – Carnal Law (2011)

Hailing from the USA, today we have Vastum and their old-school Death Metal revival sound that will evoke comparisons to Grave, Centinex, and other Swedish DM greats. The band does a great job in bringing back that old-school sound paired with modern production values, making “Carnal Law” have a dominating sound.

While there is no originality in the band’s approach, their music is good enough to make us overlook this factor. Since the opening track “Primal Seduction”, the band delivers powerful and catchy riffs, inhuman vocals, and very effective drumming. We particularly like the melodic section and solos near the end of the song.

The chugging “Re-Member” is a track that will have you head banging very quickly. In “Devoid” the band takes a more traditional and slow approach to things, but this song is equally demoralizing and crushing as the first two tracks. “Umbra Interna” gives us a very Grave-like sound and delivers another crushing blow for this release. By the time we hit the album title song, we started to get a bit bored with the linear approach to things, an issue we encounter with most Death Metal albums these days (it might be our ADD).

Filled with catchy riffs and effective song structures, “Carnal Law” is a very brutal album that will satisfy any Death Metal fans thirst for something brutal and well crafted. The songs in this release feel like direct blows to the head, and this is exactly what Death Metal should sound like. If you are a fan of the genre, be sure to check this band out.

Release: May 31st, 2011

Country: USA