Style: Ambient, neofolk (Mixed vocals, mostly clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Bohren & der Club of Gore, Chelsea Wolfe, ROME
Country: United States (California)
Release date: 17 April 2026

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I’ve got good news and bad news: The bad news is that you are stuck in ancient Mesopotamia with no chance at finding good copper to fix your time machine; the good news is that your GPS functions and can direct you towards the Eanna Temple in the city of Uruk. Leila Abdul-Rauf, multi-instrumentalist from San Francisco death metal outfit Vastum, will greet you at the peak of the holy steps and guide you towards the underworld of Kur with her latest full-length solo release, Andros Insidium. Abdul-Rauf, who has claimed an experimental lane in ambient music, returns with a mythological, “ceremonial descent” into the “dark vastness of the psyche of a woman”. Foreshadowed to be “confrontational”, and brimming with guest musicians, the album pledges a sharpened and mature transition away from a collection of tracks into an unsettling narrative rooted in the persistent ills of human existence.

Andros Insidium manifests as a perpetual, spiritual stew set against low-tone vibration, sustaining intrigue through crafty instrumental inflections and moody, dissonant vocal harmonies. “Descent into Kur”, the opening movement, represents the narrative ambition on the album through its composition: percussive bells signal a ritualistic trance, subtle synths fills the empty void underneath, and metallic guitars and drums enter to deliver an impactful climax before bells reverberate again—alone in a dark underworld. “A Requiem for Ishtar”, the penultimate track, follows a similar path in constructing a reflective, mournful mood through distant baritone horns and liturgic soprano vocals that melt away into frantic, percussive synth pads channeling the urgency of the divine feminine in the wake of patriarchal domination. Each track, transitioning into the next, serves its purpose as a standalone track whilst contributing to the greater whole of Andros Insidium, although the use of horns would border on monotonous if not for their varied deployment from regal (“Eros Anima”) to anxiously sharp (“Fractured Body”) tonality. The injection of metal elements, like ravenous harsh vocals (“Andros Insidium”), further diversifies Andros Insidium’s soundscape and brings alive the story’s mythological characters.

The pacing that Abdul-Rauf showcases across the runtime bleeds intent and contrasts purely ambient, stream-of-consciousness droning that one would find on “Music to Focus to” playlists—Devin Townsend’s machine-chattering The Hummer comes to mind. Andros Insidium, whilst lyrically dark and pessimistic, affectionately leans into the cinematic to worldbuild Kur and the domain of Inanna-Ishtar, particularly on “Eros Anima”. Translating to “love is the soul”, “Eros Anima” introduces two lustful goddesses through a marching, processional backdrop, complete with horn fanfare and steady articulate drumming producing anticipation reminiscent of Cleopatra’s entrance in the eponymous 1963 movie to greet Marc Antony. Where the subject matter descends into its most personal and raw forms, such as on “Andros Insidium”, Abdul-Rauf meticulously capitalises on established tension. Where a narrative voice summons Ishtar through incantation to exact revenge on an abuser, blackened vocals shatter the unassumingly calm facade of pianos and synths which uphold the song’s foundation. Over-reliance on droning passages do, however, undercut the momentum of Andros Insidium in the aftermath of intense movements: A not insignificant amount of time on “Stripped Before the Eye of Death” and “A Requiem for Ishtar” consist of modulating synths with scant instrumental depth. Usually, these passages are relatively short-lived and develop into meaningful concepts that pay off, but the time spent holding on could have been spent with fuller, more distinct layers. 

In regards to production, carefully spaced mixing breathes into Andros Insidium a vibrant vitality that would otherwise be muddied by a “wall of sound” approach. The full use of stereo is on display from the first few seconds in which reverbed percussion airily stretches from the right channel to the left channel and the bass guitar tone feels like the string attack is tickling the folds of my brain. Even digital synth patches take on an undeniably organic form resembling the real deal, be it cellos or contrabassoons. This finesse enhances sentimental sequences, such as where distorted leads and microtonal vocals suddenly swell into a gorgeous lute suite by Kienan Hamilton (Cartilage, False Figure) supported by an emotive, harmonic string accompaniment eulogizing the death of a Ishtar and Inanna’s emergence from the underworld (“Return to Anu”). The impact of this passage, enabled by how tangible the arrangement feels, will keep it burrowed in my mind as an immovable earworm. 

In an inauthentic world, Abdul-Rauf remains steadfast in delivering a raw, unfiltered meta-commentary on a society devoid of empathy and creatively countering real-world trauma through ritualistic reclamation of agency. For a journey to Kur to be pulled off musically, the ambient genre—pushed forward by folksy eeriness and metallic gravity—is the proper medium. Whilst the space granted to the artist in ambient risks falling into the pitfall of droning on and on with the same idea, Andros Insidium largely avoids this and challenges itself to synthesize instrumentation into traceable hooks and song structures. As a newcomer to the ambient genre, Abdul-Rauf’s immersive effort dispelled any apprehension with its valuing substance over aesthetic and activism over neutrality. Ishtar has seen me, atomized me, and rebuilt me in her divine and courageous image.

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Recommended Tracks: “Eros Anima”, “Andros Insidium”, “Return to Anu”
You may also like: Galya Bisengalieva, Murcof, The Lovecraft Sextet, Pan Daijing, Karl Sanders
Final verdict: 7/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram

Label: 20 Buck Spin

Leila Abdul-Rauf is:
– Leila Abdul-Rauf (almost everything)
With guests:
– Samuel Foster (hand percussion and synths, tracks 1 and 3)
– Kienan Hamilton (lute, tracks 3 and 8)
– Gregory C. Hagan (vocals, track 4)
– Drew Zercoe (vocals, track 5)