At the end of the liner notes for Inward to Gethsemane, the fifth album from death metal stalwarts Vastum, the band thank “everyone who’s endured our Gethsemane nights…”. For those unfamiliar with Christian theology, Gethsemane is the garden where Christ prays after the Last Supper and prior to his capture by the Romans. Christ knows that betrayals and his eventual death are in his near future. He prays to his Father to release him from his destiny. Of course, His prayers go unheeded, and these things come to pass. It’s certainly a unique metaphor, hinting at nights where one may ask for a release from darkness but know it won’t come. With every release, Vastum surpass themselves and Inward to Gethsemane is no exception. This brutal document of inner darkness once again proves Vastum remain one of the best bands playing death metal today.

There’s an overwhelming sense of doom on Inward to Gethsemane. This isn’t just one of the most brutal death metal albums of the year. It’s also one of the bleakest. Vastum have never been a cheerful band by any stretch of the imagination. On this album lyricists Leila Abdul-Rauf and Daniel Butler fill these songs with words of poetic violence and religious iconography. Brutal imagery and words describing the inevitable decay coming with death infect these seven tracks. Abdul-Rauf and Butler entwine personal suffering caused by depression, personal trauma, the decay of society, etc. with the last days of Christ. Their words recognize that we become martyrs at our lowest. We might beg to a higher power, the universe, or whoever to release us from the suffering to come. 

Thankfully, as bleak lyrically as Inward to Gethsemane gets, the band is in top form here. This is thrillingly brutal death metal. Greg Wilkinson’s production adds sonic punch to the band’s already heavy sound. Vastum have never sounded as furious as they do on here. The vocals of Butler and Abdul-Rauf become even more monstrous sounding. The two do death metal bellows with the best of them, but here those screams turn into roars, especially on the opening track “In Bed With Death”. When Butler shouts “VIOLATED”, you feel that in your bones. As on previous releases, the dynamics between guitarists Abdul-Rauf and Shelby Lermo continue to make surprising turns. The two continue to know how to work together and against each other on songs like “Stillborn Eternity” and “Indwelling Archon”. That tension already adds to the album’s doom filled atmosphere, aided by drummer Chad Galley and new bassist Colin Tarvin’s ability to change rhythms and speed on a dime. It all comes to a head on the closing track. It opens with queasy guitar playing and thundering drums. Butler recites a spoken word piece before letting out a bloodcurdling scream. As the song chugs along, the band members play off one another. The guitars speed up and slow down. Eventually, Abdul-Rauf starts chanting in a haunting manner. Galley’s drums consist of fills and minimal beats. Then the band gets back to pummeling death metal. It’s a not a cathartic ending but it’s a fitting atmospheric finale to the album. 

It took four years for a follow up to the excellent Orificial Purge, but it was worth the wait. Inward to Gethsemane is one of the best death metal albums of the year. This is a band at the top of their powers. In the end, it’s a nasty and brutal death metal. What else could you want out of the genre?  

-d. morris

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Inward to Gethsemane is available now on 20 Buck Spin. For more information on Vastum, check out their Facebook page.