Metalcatto
When I think of 20 Buck Spin—kind of an expensive spin, honestly—I think of old school, rancid, and dirty Death Metal dragged up from the sewers. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that Leila Abdul-Rauf has been part of this label forever. Andros Insidium is not the kind of stuff we tend to review around here, but hey, we can always try to break free from our own preconceptions, right? So, forget all the distortion and the edgy riffing for once, because today we’re diving into Dark Ambience.
From the very beginning, the songwriting on Andros Insidium is evidently its biggest strength. Regardless of what you might feel about the aesthetic decisions made here, the songs possess a genuinely captivating dimension. It’s almost a more Gothic take on what Wardruna or Myrkur have offered us before. There’s that ancestral, ancient vibe running through everything—the kind that usually becomes a gimmick in lesser hands. But one must admit that here, it feels authentic, more like the soundtrack to a medieval film than a calculated aesthetic choice. Yet the atmosphere also carries a touch of Chelsea Wolfe‘s haunted elegance. However, don’t expect a ton of blasting. There is none.
The album oozes minimalism. This is only Metal in spirit after all, not in execution. The instruments are kept to a bare minimum. Not that there aren’t any, but things move at a deliberate, slow pace where less truly means more and there’s no fear of silence. It’s pretty interesting to see something marketed to us, the noise-junky masses, that has no problem building things up methodically and hauntingly over long stretches. There’s no explosion waiting at the end, no huge dramatic payoff. Only an intense, sustained wait that may or may not resolve.
And yet, I can’t get fully on board. I’m just too invested in my brutal music, I guess. There’s too much silence here, too much atmosphere for someone with my particular appetites. I’m left wanting more in terms of weight and impact. The tracks don’t abuse their length like most Dark Folk albums do—otherwise I would have really disliked this—but it’s still alienating for a Metalhead at heart. Interesting indeed, but a genuine challenge for those with short patience or limited attention spans. Like yours truly.
So, I sense that some of you could genuinely enjoy this, which is why I decided to write about it in the end. If you want to take a melancholic but gentle trip into strange rituals lost in time, then Leila Abdul-Rauf has exactly what you need. Just keep your needs for heavy blasting and blood realistic—as in, save those cravings for another album entirely. Cheers.
Label: 20 Buck Spin
Release date: 17 April, 2026
Website: https://www.facebook.com/leilaabdulrauf
Country: USA
Score: 3.2/5.0 (I’m just not the target audience!)
Metal Eclipse Reviews 