Leila Abdul-Rauf & Daniel Butler (Vastum)

On the Death Metal spectrum, Vastum definitely sit on the HEAVY side of things. The band keeps old school but fresh, eschewing excessive blast beats and flashy technical prowess in favor of heavy riffs, somber atmosphere and strong, catchy (by Death Metal standards) songwriting. They also stand out in the Death Metal world for their lyrics which, while keeping in line the classic tropes of dark, depressing themes and graphic descriptions that may sometimes remind us of body horror, are also filled with sexual themes that are filtered through a psychoanalytic lens. 
At the center of the band is guitarist/vocalist/lyricist Leila Abdul-Rauf and vocalist and vocalist/lyricist Daniel Butler, who have both been in the band since its inception. Leila is a multi-instrumentalist with an impressively varied musical resume, which includes but is not limited to creating widely technial and creative Progressive Metal with Hammer of Misfortune and Ambient Music with Ionophore and her solo project. Daniel also sings for Death Metal powerhouse Acephalix, a band who released one of my favorite albums of the last couple of years, just two years ago. Listen to Vastum’s latest single below to hear the heaviest song you’ll hear this week and pre-order Vastum’s new LP, Orificial Purge, out October 25th through 20 Buck Spin Records.

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Name five songs that you consider “perfect songs” and explain why or what they mean to you.
Leila: Song to the siren by TIM BUCKLEY, and later covered by THIS MORTAL COIL: the depth of emotion that this song evokes is fathomless everytime I listen to it, particularly, TMC’s cover of it.

Diamonds and rust by JOAN BAEZ, and later brilliantly covered by JUDAS PRIEST – I love both versions equally – is so epic and with wonderfully cynical lyrics, I never tire of it.

Firebird suite by IGOR STRAVINSKY – this was a main influence on my riff writing for the Vastum Orificial Purge album, and finally seeing this suite performed live by a symphony orchestra this year sent chills down by spine.

Moonchild by FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM and A Forest by THE CURE are teen faves of mine, and sound just as fresh for me now as they did back then. 

Daniel: Songs for dead time by SWANS makes me feel like death could quite possibly be blissful.

ANATHEMA’s …And I lust epitomizes the combination of grit, someberness, and introspection that I love about some early Death Doom bands.

INTEGRITY’s Die hard blends Metal and Hardcore in a way that blew my mind in the early 90s.

MOURNFUL CONGREGATION’s The catechism of depression captures something transcendental about the experience of mourning.

KILLING JOKE’s The wait has iconic riffage and style, the influence of which spans multiple underground genres (Crust, Thrash, Industrial).

And I know this is six, but Motörhead by MOTÖRHEAD doesn’t give a fuck, which is a good way to live.

Your five favorite rappers of all time? Name one song that best exemplifies what makes them great.
L: Most of my knowledge and love of Rap / Hip Hop is trapped in the 80’s and early 90’s when I used to listen to more like A TRIBE CALLED QUEST – Check the rhime, ERIC B AND RAKIM Follow the leader, militant black empowerment rappers like PARIS (yo, Bay Area!) The devil made me do it, and more recently RUN THE JEWELS Don’t get captured. And anything by MISSY ELLIOT, but more recently Throw it back – a sick song with an even sicker video.

D: CHUCK D’s got a voice and style that carries the message and doesn’t just talk about it; ICE CUBE’s delivery captures something about the rawness of life; MOBB DEEP gave me an East Coast eeriness not unlike WUTANG; TOMMY WRIGHT III and PRINCESS LOKO because they’re underground legends.

What are some of your favorite song lyrics? Lyrics that have been important to you or that had an impact on you?
L: The lyrics of Lori Bravo (NUCLEAR DEATH) have had a huge impact on me, particularly on my lyrics for Vastum.

D: Agreed. Phil Hampson and Lori Bravo (some of Phil’s lyrics notwithstanding). I also like Daniel Corchado’s lyrics from CENOTAPH and THE CHASM. The bizarreness and perversity of Nuclear Death and the psychology and mysticism of early Cenotaph and The Chasm are probably what inspire my lyrics the most.

What are your ten favourite albums of all time (all genres)? Name a standout track on each of these albums.
L: In no particular order, below are among what I think of as perfect albums that I never tire of, and all have been life changing in some way:

1. HAROLD BUDD AND BRIAN ENO – Ambient 2 / The Plateaux of Mirror – Failing light
2. JUDAS PRIEST – Painkiller – Painkiller
3. DEATH – Symbolic – Empty words
4. COCTEAU TWINS – Victorialand – Lazy calm
5. SLUGATHOR – Circle of Death – Crypt of the dead
6. LOVE AND ROCKETS – Earth, Sun and Moon – The light
7. EINSTURZENDE NEUBAUTEN – Haus der Luege – Fiat lux
8. CARCASS – Heartwork – Buried dreams
9. BAUHAUS – The Sky’s Gone Out – Silent hedges
10. BULGARIAN STATE RADIO & TELEVISION FEMALE VOCAL CHOIR – Le Mystère des voix bulgares

D: I can’t do a top ten of all time – too many to choose from – but here are some classic albums that came to mind:

1. CHRISTIAN DEATH – Only Theater of Pain – Spiritual cramp
2. MOTÖRHEAD – Another Perfect Day – Marching off to war
3. GRAVE – Into the Grave – In love
4. DEF LEPPARD – High and Dry – Another hit and run
5. DEATH STRIKE – Fuckin’ Death – Mangled dehumanization
6. NIRVANA – Bleach – Negative creep 
7. DEMILICH – Nespithe – The sixteenth six-tooth son of fourteen four regional dimensions
8. FEAR OF GOD – Within the Veil – Drift
9. SACRILEGE – Behind the Realms of Madness – Lifeline
10. SLAYER – Hell Awaits – At dawn they sleep

Do you remember the first time you really appreciated an album or a song?
L: My earliest memory of appreciating a song was probably the sound of my mother’s singing voice as an infant; its resonance fills my unconscious, as if it were always there in my psyche and always will be. She has a great gift for singing and can be heard on the track Pull on my second solo album, Insomnia. My father, also having a lot of untapped musical talent, and my Egyptian grandmother would frequently play Arabic music around the house; the sound of the Adhan – Muslim call to prayer – which would echo throughout the house or mosque, had and still has a huge impact on my sense of musicality today. My father’s voice can be heard calling the Adhan on a PHILIP GLASS recording on the Powaqqatsi soundtrack. 

D: The first time I appreciated music… That’s hard to remember. DEF LEPPARD was the first band I ever became obsessed with. They were a real gateway for me. But before that I used to love dancing to pop that my sister would play or that would be on MTV. And even before that, I think the chaos and noise in my family predisposed me to seek out loud, violent music. Discovering KING DIAMOND’s Fatal Portrait in my oldest brother’s room also made me appreciate the left hand path of metal at an early age. 

What were you listening to in elementary school? then in high school? How much of that music is still a part of your playlists today? How have your musical tastes evolved since?
L: The first LP I ever owned was the JOHN WILLIAMS soundtrack of E.T. at age 6. My mom owned some HALL AND OATES, JOURNEY and DAVID BOWIE albums I would listen to. Other than that, I listened to what was popular on MTV at the time: THE CARS, TWISTED SISTER, QUIET RIOT, VAN HALEN, HUMAN LEAGUE, to name a few.

High school for me, like most people I know, was an explosion of music introductions: it’s when I discovered extreme music in just about every genre: Punk, Metal, Industrial, Goth, Noise, Grind, Experimental, 70’s Prog, etc. I discovered it all through mutual like-minded friends in the way that all kids from the 80’s and 90’s discovered new music – through trading mixtapes. My tastes are always growing and expanding, but I still listen to many of the records I owned back then, some of which are in my 10-album list above.

D: Having three older brothers and an older sister meant that I was exposed to a lot of music early on. In elementary school I was into AOR stuff and Glam Metal – DEF LEPPARD, DIO, OZZY, WASP – but quickly found Thrash, Crossover, Hardcore Punk, and more extreme Metal. My brother Andy exposed me to Industrial and Goth-Deathrock, but he also turned me onto early Earache and Peaceville bands. When I came out in my teens and started hanging around gay clubs that I had no business being in, I discovered obscure Dance music and underground queer culture, again through Andy. I’ve been surrounded by underground music throughout my life, but I’ve always returned to punk and especially metal, which is where I began.

What beloved music do you share with your parents? Any specifics memories?
L: My mother and I both share a deep longtime love of the COCTEAU TWINS and DAVID BOWIE. We have always been a musical family – everyone has a particular talent in some instrument or singing, and I frequently still make playlists for my mother and stepfather. 

Most memorable show you’ve ever seen? What makes it stand out? 
L: SKINNY PUPPY in 1992 at the Ritz in NYC. GODFLESH were supposed to open but unfortunately canceled due to visa issues I think. So intense and chaotic – apparently someone was stabbed at this show. And because the show went on very late (NYC shows back then would go until 3 or 4am) and I was only in high school at the time, I was grounded for the next few weeks for coming home late on a school night.

D: Two come to mind. My very first show was SICK OF IT ALL and FEAR FACTORY at the Gothic Theater in ’92 (Denver). I was 12. The pit terrified me – it seemed like it was crawling with skinheads – but I think it also made me curious about the relationship between music and violence. In ’93 I saw FACE VALUE and DEAD SILENCE at the Wild Astor (Arvada). Tony Erba smacked me in the face when Face Value were playing. I was so pissed. That moment was formative for me as a performer. I never forgot that show, not because of the music (Face Value sucked in ’93), but because getting hit woke me the fuck up.

Is there any band that you’ve always wanted to see live but never had the chance to catch them? Any classic show that you wish you could have experienced?
L: I regret never having seen DAVID BOWIE live in concert and am devastated that I will never be able to. 

D: I remember my brother seeing SEPULTURA and MINISTRY in 92 and coming home with a story about how kids were tearing up seats from the floor and throwing them into the pit. Over the years I’ve thought about how I wish I could have gone that show.

Is there any classic / universally acclaimed artist that you missed out on when they first came out and discovered way later? Any artist that you didn’t like at first and learned to appreciate over time?
L: DIAMANDA GALAS! I had known of her from a very early age but only recently listened to her work and witnessed her live. She is such an incredible singer and musician. Also, even though I’ve been a fan of the top radio HUMAN LEAGUE hits since I was a kid, I only recently discovered their earlier work from the late 70’s/1980 – in particular the Travelogue LP – which is brilliant and pioneering; and completely shaped Synthpop bands for decades to come. 

D: I wouldn’t say ‘discovered until way later,’ but there are definitely bands I always knew about but just never listened to until I got older. One is CELTIC FROST. I didn’t get into them until my early 20’s even though I’d heard of them much earlier. I listened to lots of bands rip off their riffing style, from SHEER TERROR to SAMAEL, but I’d never listened to Celtic Frost themselves, which is kind of wild to me when I think about it. 

Do you have an artist that you love in a genre that you don’t usually listen to? What makes them stand out?
L: Although I love Jazz especially being a brass player, I don’t often listen to classic Jazz records (usually just ECM type stuff), but MILES DAVIS, Bitches Brew is my favorite Jazz album; it’s one of the most sinister and twisted albums of all time in my opinion. 

D: HERCULES AND LOVE AFFAIR and Industrial artists HOARDER. I might be biased – Andy’s my brother – but I think he’s an amazing songwriter (for those interested, the next H&LA album is sounding otherworldly – a classic in the making). I get his music very deeply, which makes sense since he’s the first person I ever formed a band with. I was probably 7, which would have made him 9. Our band was called Vivid (!). 

Do you have any controversial/unpopular music related opinions that you would like to defend?
L: Most people claim to love the earliest DEATH albums the most but I much prefer the later era albums (Individual Thought Patterns, Symbolic, Sound of Perseverance).

D: I like later DEATH, but I have to disagree with Leila (I like the earlier to mid-period stuff more)! Definitely controversial! My controversial opinion: Punk and Hardcore with some Metal elements is often better than Punk and Hardcore without any metal at all.

What band or artist do you believe has achieved the most flawless sequence of 3 records in a row?
L: JUDAS PRIEST: Sad Wings of Destiny – Sin After Sin – Stained Class

D: SEPULTURA: Schizophrenia – Beneath the Remains – Arise

Which artists (2 or more), dead or alive, and from what era, would you dream to see collaborate?
L: Harold Budd and me (on trumpet) would be a dream come true for me.

D: Dawn Crosby and Stigmartyr-era Armoured Angel.

What albums have been on heavy rotation lately? 
D: RITUAL NECROMANCY Disinterred Horror, TEMPLE NIGHTSIDE Recondemnation, DRAB MAJESTY Modern Mirror

What are some up and coming artists that you would recommend?
L: Dipygus, Chthe’ilist, Silence in the Snow, Amma Ateria.

D: Excarnated Entity, Black Curse, Cthonic Deity, Mephitic Corpse, Ossuary, Grave Dust, Gutless, Disgusted Geist, Ensepulcher, Chaotian, Extraneous, Azath, Faceless Burial, Evulse, Vile Apparition

Is there a band that you’ve discovered live recently that blew you away?
L: FUNEBRARUM at Killtown Death fest in Copenhagen this year were quite incredible.

D: CORPSESSED were killer at KTDF. 

What are you listening to right now, while answering these questions?L: Silence.

D: Traffic.

Is there anything (new album, tour) you would like to promote?
L: The new Vastum album Orificial Purge will be released October 25 on 20 Buck Spin on all formats. Vastum is one of the headliners of the inaugural Shadow Frost Fest in February 2020 in Frederick, Maryland, and will tour later in the year. My solo ensemble will also perform at this fest. FYRHTU, my new synth duo with Nathan A. Verrill of CARDINAL WYRM, will be releasing our debut No More Days in the Light in November on Black Horizons. Nathan and I also have a new post-Punk/Death Rock band, TEREBELLUM, with Joe Hutton of HAMMERS OF MISFORTUNE and Sam Foster of SAROS and WEAKLING, that will be recording our debut album later this Fall.

D: ACEPHALIX is writing new material with our newest members, Colin (MORTUOUS, EVULSE, etc.) and Adam (MORTUOUS, ENSEPULCHER, etc.). I’m working on an Industrial side project (INSECTUOUS) with my brother. I’m doing vocals for Death Metal band DRAGHKAR’s next recording. Draghkar blends classic Hellenic extreme Metal (early SEPTIC FLESH, VARATHRON, HORRIFIED, etc.) with US-style Death Metal and hints of classic Heavy Metal; it’s a unique sound, which is why I’m excited to collaborate with them.

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