Perhaps you know Leila Abdul-Rauf from her work with Vastum.  Perhaps you know her from her multi-instrumental and experimental solo work.  Perhaps you’re only just now hearing about her from our profile on her from earlier in the week.  Either way, she’s been a mainstay in the metal and metal-adjacent world for quite a long time, and Andros Insidium marks both her sixth solo release and her solo work’s 20 Buck Spin debut.  Perhaps it might be surprising to see something non-metal on the label known for knowing death metal, but I promise you, it fits together like peanut butter and jelly.

It seems like every time Leila Abdul-Rauf releases a solo album, it’s hyped as her darkest and most aggressive yet, and each time it is absolutely true.  Andros Insidium carries that torch gracefully; it’s a hugely affecting romp of the dark ambient, electronic and folk influences that make up the majority of the DNA of Abdul-Rauf’s solo work, but with an extra layer of eerie, unsettling ambience draped over it.  Ritualistic programmed percussion and hand drums undercut minimalistic synths and Abdul-Rauf’s sparse vocals, and while there are plenty of featured performances of other instruments, like lutes and Abdul-Rauf’s signature trumpet, that’s pretty much it as far as instrumentation goes.  The mood and vibes are the stars of the show and Andros Insidium has them in spades.  It is a manifestation of the rage that all who suffer under the crushing weight of a patriarchal society feel, made manifest in desperate howls, plaintive wails and somber harmony; it’s a deep, long stare into the abyss of modern society and a treatise on the psyche of women and the divine feminine, which always guides but is not always a benevolent and kind force.

“Conceptually, the title track is a revenge fantasy of a survivor against their abuser…It speaks to the rage-filled fantasy the individual has against an attacker as well as the collective rage caused by systemic abuse through sexual, political, relational, emotional control,” says Abdul-Rauf of the evocative thematic centerpiece of Andros Insidium.  It pretty perfectly encapsulates what the entire album is about as well as the soundscapes on display.  To quote perhaps one of the finest movies ever made: “it’s just tones, dark and ominous tones.”  All the small parts and pieces of the track don’t seem like much on their own, but they work so well to support Abdul-Rauf’s enthralling vocals and the gory and gruesome story she tells.  When the song hits its fever pitch and she busts out the death growls, it’s a spine-tingling moment that serves as an emotional catharsis in an album that is filled to the brim with tension (also, if you didn’t read our profile, you missed the story about how she wasn’t happy with the way the growls sounded until she got her friend to actually punch her as hard as she could before she recorded another take).  Similarly, Abdul-Rauf’s trumpet adds some melodic gravitas to tracks like “Senex Rule” and “Fractured,” further showcasing her talents across the musical spectrum.  And speaking of talents, we are treated to a shower of guest features on Andros Insidium, like the aforementioned lute from Kienan Hamilton and Gregory C. Hagan of Common Eider, King Eider providing throat singing on “Senex Rule.”

Say what you will about Andros Insidium, but you cannot say it doesn’t move you.  One thing that Abdul-Rauf and I are both loving about the heavy music scene these days is how diverse it is getting, both in terms of the people who are being highlighted and how the music is breaking free of the strict trappings of genre and form.  I’ll always be thankful that there are people out there like Leila Abdul-Rauf who create the art they want, the way they want, with no compromises in an attempt to speak truth to power.  Andros Insidium is another solid notch in Abdul-Rauf’s belt, and a perfect fit into the 20 Buck Spin Musical Universe.

— Ian

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Andros Insidium is available now on 20 Buck Spin.  For more information on Leila Abdul-Rauf, visit her Facebook page.