Asphodelus - Sculpting from Time (2023)

Bringing back the days of mid to late 1990’s Death/Doom Metal, today we have Finland's Asphodelus and their sophomore release “Sculpting from Time”. With a very retro and yet engaging sound, at least for oldtimers like us, we are transported to the time when bands like (early) The Gathering, Yearning, Anathema, Castle, Katatonia, etc. started adding atmospheric elements to Doomy music.

Opening with the moody guitars of “Waterside”, we are magically transported to the past with a very direct and old-school production and a style we haven't heard in quite a while. Led by Jari Filppu, the band perfectly captures that gloomy vibe and delivers tracks like “Fallen Dreamer”, “Life Painted Vermillion”, and “World of Hollow”. There are also some hints of old-school Finnish Death Metal, and even some 90’s Greek Metal hints from bands like The Elysian Fields.

We are suckers for the subtle atmospherics and weeping guitars of that era and songs like “Where Sirens Wept” are just the icing on the cake in this release. For the uninitiated, we can imagine this release being weird and probably just ignored, but for those that lived through those years in the 90’s, this is a magical time capsule.

Closing with the melancholic “Sculpting the Time”, we are left dusting off our old-school CD’s and tapes thanks to this release. The band’s take on a particular moment in time is highly precise, well inspired, and does not feel like a cheap copy, but rather an extension of that era. We hope that Asphodelus continues the path and keeps releasing music filled with melancholy, gloominess, and nostalgia.

Label: Hammerheart Records

Release: August 25th, 2023

Genre: Death/Doom Metal

Country: Finland