And once again the winner of the best-smelling frontman for a death metal band goes to, Daniel Butler of Vastum!
It was a dark and stormy night when the Violations of the Cross Tour made its way to the Chapel of Bones in Raleigh. A small but excited audience filled the venue, eagerly awaiting the best live death metal band to perform in the state for a very long time.
Opening the evening was Raleigh’s own Nganga. An unsigned black metal band with two albums under their belt, Nganga took the stage wearing unusual and aggressive facial corpse paint and immediately kicked into a mesmerizing set. Nganga’s sound is a juxtaposition of a razorblade-filled wall of sound with delicately intricate guitar melodies floating above. The band created a soundscape that enveloped the audience in a dissonant sonic grip that flirted with the psychedelic. The interplay between rhythm and lead guitarists was impressive, showcasing their very different but equally as impressive musicianship skills. An impressive performance by a very talented group of young men to begin the evening.
In the support slot came Goetia from Washington DC. As atmospheric as Nganga was, Goetia was similar to a youthful Mike Tyson hurling fists at your face for thirty minutes. A true power trio, Goetia’s sound left no room for air in between two notes. Relentless and operating at hyper-speed, Goetia tried to slow down the pace a few times but failed miserably. Throughout the set, Goetia jumped between genres with ease. One moment they were the definition of the fastest thrash metal band on the planet, then moving into a super groovy heavy metal riff before going into a chorus suitable for hard rock or metalcore. The stylistic shifts gave the band endless room like Neo in the matrix to choose their weapon and have their way with it. Guitarist Demir Soyer constantly thrashed on stage as if receiving non-stop electric shocks to his body while bassist Matt Scott remained nearly motionless looking like Swamp Thing who just rose out of the water. Drummer Aiden Tydings-Lynch was diesel truck powerful, hammering power blasts at lightning speed with nothing but brute force and inhuman dexterity. Goetia absolutely leveled Chapel of Bones, leaving no doubt why one of the best live death metal bands chose them as support for the tour. Headliner Vastum does not tour often, making this evening’s show a special treat. They are one of those rare bands who have “it.” They have talent, showmanship, great songs, and a chemistry between members like the great bands of history. They paid attention to every detail such as taking turns engaging the audience, synchronizing their movements on stage, and even investing the effort to be clean and wear a great cologne knowing they would be in close proximity with the audience all evening long. The effort that goes into Vastum’s stage presence is why they are a must-see live band.A live Vastum performance is surround sound personified. The audience became enveloped by the band, everywhere they turned there was music, lights, and sound coming at them. On the left, bassist Colin Tarvin and guitarist Greg Brace were headbanging in unison. On the right, co-founder guitarist and vocalist Leila Abdul-Rauf was floating above the stage as she transcended her physical form and became one with the music. Co-founder and vocalist Daniel Butler was somewhere roaming the venue, constantly moving about the audience moshing, hugging, pushing, and screaming from the middle of the floor. Then suddenly, Colin would be teetering over the front of the stage, towering over the audience as he pounds on his bass. It was an inescapable performance that went light years past asking the audience to clap or sing along. Vastum enveloped the audience.
Vastum’s setlist opened with the crushing “Corpus” and moved into “Indwelling.” The vocal hand-offs between Daniel and Leila were so seamless, that it was as if they were of one mind operating within two bodies. Their voices matched perfectly, moving the lyrical focus around the stage and throughout the venue with ease. “Reveries” and “Primal” later in the set were devastatingly destructive yet seductive like a Siren calling the Chapel of Bones to crash on an unseen deadly threat. Closing the set with “Sodomitic” the venue went briefly silent and the audience refused to move, as if refusing to wake from the most wonderful nightmare. Vastum delivered more than a concert, they delivered a spiritual experience.
The Violations of the Cross Tour has now come to an end. Vastum is unquestionably one of the very best live death metal bands of all time, with the talent and “it” that any band in any genre would make a deal with the devil to get. Hopefully, Vastum will return to the stage again in the very near future.
