Asphodelus – Sculpting From Time
Asphodelus – Sculpting From Time
Hammerheart Records
Release Date: 25/08/23
Running Time: 43:36
Review by Oli Gonzalez
7/10
“Prepare to be submerged in a profound music experience like no other!”, is what I’m greeted with in the opening sentence to this particular promo package. My curiosity is peaked. A bold statement. I’m a huge fan of doom metal, in particular those who lean over to the more atmospheric side – much like today’s band in review, Asphodelus, hailing from Finland. Greek mythology nerds – like yours truly – will get the reference in the band’s name. I’m curious to see how the lyrical content will lean towards the great myths from this great nation’s lore. Let’s get straight into it.
The album – “Sculpting From Time” – kicks off with ‘Waterside’. I particularly enjoyed the fantasy/power metal vibe here, attributable to the guitar tone and riff. It’s a brave opening. I can sense a raw and gritty feel to the production, almost like something from the 80s or 90s. I’m not sure if this is a good quality or not. Deliberately retrograde, or low budget? I can’t tell. However, for me the vocals sit too low in the mix and it is a bit of a strain to hear. Which is a shame, because that mid range growl is fierce. With that being said, the song shifts direction into a combined piano and harp medley to close out the final 2 minutes of the song. This is delightfully complex and hints at some major compositional skills. A solid finish to the song.
‘Fallen Dreamer’ is up next. This featured a much cleaner and calmer vocal style, much in the vein of Aggaloch, as well as the harsher vocals. I’m loving this aesthetic. I can sense a much stronger rhythmic component too, with the instruments locking in much sharper. Much in the style of Candlemass, but the guitars are more thin and less distorted. That guitar solo towards the end, again, signals some high-level song writing skills and musicianship.
One of the heavier songs on the album is ‘Life Painted Vermilion’, especially with the crunchier guitar tone, sharp and distorted. I’m starting to become a fan of those soaring guitar leads. We also see evidence of this in ‘Monuments of Deception’. More of that please! In addition, it’s almost as if I’m adapting to the lower-end production and retrograde feel. I think it’s a lot more detailed and deceptively difficult to achieve than perhaps I was assuming. It totally works for this band who are staying true to their own vision of what music should be.
I had been drawn to Jari’s versatility on the vocals up until now. Yet he took me by surprise with perhaps his strongest performance in ‘World of Hollow’. In particular with his bass heavy gothic voice, similar to that of the late great Peter Steele (Type O Negative). He sounds mourning and anguished. It’s dark yet aesthetically pleasing.
‘The Moon in Pisces’ is the shortest and most unique song, featuring ethereal and spine-chilling female vocals. Perhaps an incantation, an ancient spell?
‘Sculpting the Time’ is the album’s title track and rounds off the album. It features all of Asphodelus’ unique selling points; soaring guitar leads, effortlessly switching between harsh or soothing vocal lines, and an aesthetic epic fantasy undertone.
Overall, this is a brave effort from a band who are committed to writing music in their own vision and avoid restricting genre conventions that their key inspirations might dictate. Although I may be on the fence about some aspects of the presentation, there’s certainly enough here to admire.
TRACKLISTING:
01. Waterside
02. Fallen Dreamer
03. Life Painted Vermilion
04. Monuments of Deception
05. World of Hollow
06. Where Sirens Wept
07. The Moon in Pisces
08. Sculpting the Time
LINE-UP:
Jari Filppu – Vocals, Bass, Guitars (2016-present)
V. Kettunen – Drums (2016-present)
J. Väyrynen – Guitars (2016-present)
LINKS:
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