Sculpting Through Time
Asphodelus
From their EPK, "The core of the band's sound is primarily Death/Doom Metal with a small hint of ancient Greek Black Metal piping in on a few moments. There is a jagged early 90's feeling
to the work and none of it is performed with any gloss or need for perfect takes, this absolutely helps crack the 'code' of what made the earliest work from their 90's inspirations feel special and earnest. If you are a fan of this type of music no doubt you are already swimming to this new utopian island to brood and droop under its majesty, it is a niche so rarely fed with a tasteful entry. "Sculpting from Time" is an album lovingly crafted and passionately executed. "Sculpting from Time" is attended with a sense of unfathomable, philosophical sorrow; spaciously melodic guitars." The album has eight songs.
"Waterside" is the first. There are some minor phasing issues in the beginning, but the harsh vocals cut into your flesh, along with the gloomy sound, augmented by a repeated lead guitar pattern. "Fallen Dreamer" is a faster song with more layers of sound. The harmonized clean vocals also bring another element to the music, and a welcomed one at that. The harsh vocals are gut-wrenching, and you can feel their bite, and their pain. The clean guitar tones towards the end are also quite charming. "Life Painted Vermilion" has a slow, and depressive groove, and the guitar work is intricate. The harsh vocals reflect an agonizing existence, and they are very emotive.
"World of Hollow" has some very nice leads in the opener, and you can feel them singing with lamenting tones. The harsh vocals are again gut-wrenching, and are part depressive and part angry. "Where Sirens Wept" has plenty of guts, and those opening lead guitars set the sad tone once again. The harsh vocals will tear into your soul as well. "The Moon is Pisces" is a short instrumental, featuring clean guitars and female vocals. The sound is very pretty, albeit sad. The title track closes the album. Dial up the agony to 10, and that is what you get out of this song. If you can't feel or empathize with their pain, you might have a black heart, or may in fact be dead. Overall, this music is timeless Doom, with plenty of hard driving emotions and heart-felt pain. The contrast from harsh to clean vocals kept things interesting, as did the changes in sound, from heavy blasts, to light and airy tones. Any fan of Doom would surely find this album to their liking.
7 / 10
Good
Songwriting
Musicianship
Memorability
Production
"Sculpting Through Time" Track-listing:
1. Waterside
2. Fallen Dreamer
3. Life Painted Vermilion
4. Monuments of Deception
5. World of Hollow
6. Where Sirens Wept
7. The Moon in Pisces
8. Sculpting the Time
Asphodelus Lineup:
J. Filppu - Bass, Guitars, Vocals
V. Kettunen - Drums
J. Väyrynen - Guitars
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