Have you ever listened to an album that reminds you so much of another that you dropped everything and went looking for this other album? From its inception, the genre known as death-doom has been what I would consider to be relatively stable – it does as it says on the tin. However, the kind of death-doom I enjoy was heavily cemented by Katatonia’s Tonight’s Decision, an album that is (historically) not death-doom. Imagine me finally getting my hands on Asphodelus’s new album, Sculpting Through Time, and coming to the conclusion I mentioned in the first sentence yet, strangely enjoying it… more than I should.

Before I begin the review, I wanted to focus on the album’s production and how dated it sounds. Unlike modern death-doom, where the music has been mixed and mastered cleanly, the music here sounds as if mistakes were made on purpose. The music deliberately sounds hazy, like one of the many bootleg or old records from the 80s and the 90s that you can find at the local record shop, beat up and scratched. For example, the instruments are slightly off, peaking in places where they shouldn’t, and have this almost cold and bleak sound to them that makes me think of looming castles in a moonless road. There is also this large power metal presence to it – I expected the album to immediately veer into this genre whenever the tempo changed or the melody shifted. This presence also infers a sense of majesty, as if Asphodelus created this album to pay homage to the bands that paved the current road of death-doom.

Now, despite its main influence, Sculpting Through Time does have additional musical flourishes that makes them stand out. For example, “Fallen Dreamer” has these distinct melodic influences that fringes on melodeath, but remains heavily rooted in doom metal. This is also the first time where clean male vocals are used, which adds this sense of gravitas and importance, indicating a shift into other death-doom-related territory. Think of the contrast between this and first track “Waterslide;” while “Wasterslide” is deeply rooted in death-doom, complete with chanting, haunting vocals during the bridge, “Fallen Dreamer” uses more melody, picks up tempo, and employs clean vocals, which reminds me of modern Paradise Lost. Speaking of Paradise Lost, there is this distinct gothic metal tone that comes in with “When Sirens Wept.” “When Sirens Wept” sounds more akin to what a “traditional” gothic metal song sounds like: a bleak atmosphere, contrasting tones that give the music some texture, and harsh vocals that seem pained, as if asking questions that have no answers. Then, “The Moon in Pisces” shifts into another form of gothic metal, where female vocals are used. Although the track is short, it serves as a palate cleanser from music that has been traditionally male, before those female vocals are used on closer “Sculpting The Time.” That final track allows the band to close on a triumphant note, emitting this sense of nostalgia for music that has since evolved into what we know today. In a sense, Asphodelus posits the idea that Sculpting Through Time showcases the multitudes of what death-doom has to offer in an age where we now have bands like October Tide and Hanging Garden giving us a modern spin to it. It’s a lingua franca, a common starting point if you are looking to relive the early happenings of a modern genre.

In lieu of this praise, however, I have to say that there is a risk of it all being seen as a great pastiche, especially now that Majesties’ Vast Reaches Unclaimed exists. While listening to this album, I couldn’t help but think about Majesties and the discussion it brought up when it comes to melodeath and its evolution since its inception. We, too, have also moved past death-doom’s early beginnings – there are bands out there who continue to play death-doom, but in a modern manner. Why do we seek that old sound when we still have those old records we can listen to? What is the line between pastiche and an extension of genre? I think this album lands on the extension side of the genre, where they wear their influences on their sleeve and incorporate it into their music, creating something new and fresh. It also helps that Asphodelus has released a previous album, which laid a foundation for their potential, future albums, and didn’t seem to just come out of the void. Perhaps this is something to think about now that we are living in a post-Vast Reaches Unclaimed world.

All in all, Sculpting Through Time is an enjoyable album, one that can potentially be used as a starting point to get into death-doom. It’s captivating and bleak, but it’s also incredibly majestic. I found myself enjoying it the more I spent time with it and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to experience death-doom at its most original form.

— Hera

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Sculpting Through Time will be available August 25 on Hammerheart Records. For more information on Asphodelus, visit their official Facebook page.