Asphodelus - Scultping From Time

You know what's wrong with Asphodelus' new album, 'Sculpting From Time?' Absolutely nothing. I was a fan of their full length debut 'Stygian Dreams' but this improves upon the formula in every way. The way the band manages to combine classic doom sorrow with stark melodies that are also catchy and vibrant is mind bending. 

 They use a lot of clean instrumentation among their doom metal and it adds a certain sophisticated ambience to their funeral tone of finality. The album opens with 'Waterside' and their penchant for catchy melodic guitar licks is in full bloom. The bass absolutely slaps as well and the drums provide an always interesting foundation. Over halfway into the song, a quiet part gently adds another layer of depth but builds up dark enough to keep the sorrow flowing.

 Another stand put is 'Life Painted Vermilion' and its more riff based approwch. The band is at their best when their riffs and melodies/harmonies entertwine in such a way their sound becomes huge and life like. 

 The band is very adept at working within a wall of sound, dense and full like the instrumentation each member brings. 

 'World of Hollow' is one of my favorite songs on the album—--it is dynamic, multi-layered and has such a smooth flow that make the minutes tick by. The deep clean vocals are really effective here and make the heavier parts even better because of the contrasting styles. 

 The tile track closes the album with a bang as one of the more aggressive songs on the album. The vocals and bass are particularly adventurous. 

 After waiting (not so) patiently for the new Aspholdelus album ‘Sculpting From Time’, I have been rewarded with an album that ups the band to the next level and will surely solidify their presence for years to come in the doom metal scene. The frighteningly depraved and desperate vocals work amazingly well with the music that combines stark depressed nightmares with Gothic textured melancholy. The songs flow extremely well, like a masterful poem reading right off the page. Their literature is music and it thrives in darkness—-being enveloped by the void never sounded so good.