The Rock Blogger

Sculptured. Embodiment. 2008. 4 stars.

Sculptured’s latest offering is a solid prog-metal release that features intricate compositions and clear production, integrating complicated guitar riffs, symphonic keyboards and frantic drumming into a cohesive and dense package. While Sculptured’s impressive lineup features Don Anderson and Jason Walton from Agalloch, their sound is completely different, with labyrinthine song structures that dart from guttural metal to progressive passages in an instant, switching between time signatures and moods with surprising transitions.

The band also alternates between two vocal styles, one being the conventional death metal growl and the other being the clean alternative signing that may remind some of Mike Patton’s Faith No More days. The combination of the two is refreshing and consistently interesting, providing a emotional anchor for the spiraling keyboard melodies and cyclical drumming. The complexity of this album is not nearly as overwhelming as other efforts in the prog-metal genre, as the melodies are easily distinguishable amid the madness, making Embodiment an album that is actually fun to listen to rather than being an inaccessible maze of musical layers. The band truly sound like they are enjoying themselves.

Embodiment as a whole is an exciting and well produced effort that remains accessible despite its complexity. I would recommend this to both fans of prog metal (like Kayo Dot, Maudlin of the Well, Mars Volta) as well as rock fans more accustomed to alternative styles.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 20th, 2008 at 8:51 am and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.