Well hello you lovely lot! I hope you are doing ok whilst we endure another lockdown. Keeping ourselves busy is important and it does help, please allow me to distract you for a moment.
Today’s selection is band SCULPTOR and their recently released debut album ‘UNTOLD SECRETS’ via Frontiers Music SRL.
Rolling in from Brazil, these melodic death metal heroes formed in 2015 and consist of Rick Eraser on vocals, Vinnie on guitars and vocals, Fabricio Reis on guitars, Caco Ramos on bass and Mates Schran on drums.
Their influences come from bands like Soilwork, In Flames and At The Gates.
‘Untold Secrets’ was recorded in Curitiba and was produced by band members Vinnie and Rick with some help from Linus Corneliusson, also, I really ought to point out the artwork, It is rigorous and definitely reflects the bands calibre.
This album is an amazing evolution for the band, the music they play is deathly raw and their talents, experiences and creativity shines. There are plenty of variations and layers that yield it all together like butter on toast.
The moment album opener ‘Interlude’ plays you become captivated, this is the perfect way to prepare you for the album. You instantly hear the talent of the musicians and they pull you in immediately, ‘No Control’ flows perfectly after and it’s swift. I absolutely love the tone of the guitars!
Hands down, my favourite track has to be ‘Redemption’ though it was a difficult choice because tracks ‘Untouchable Truth’ and ‘No Control’ shredded my face.
There’s a slight Gorjira feel to ‘Redemption’, Sculptor are intelligent with their mixes and their tempos, when drummer Mates Schran slip switches his tempos they just slot into place, it makes me a happy Tammy.
What an absolute corker!
My only slight dislike? throughout the album you do have some vocals that sound like gargles, it is hit and miss for me personally, everything else meets entirely, the instruments do not over spill or conflict each other.
The general idea of melodic death metal as a whole can be exciting and a masterpiece of beauty if done correctly, I believe patience is key for this genre in particular. You shouldn’t rush or cram the creativity into one, if it’s evenly spaced out, then you can create a sharp rigid projection, and Sculptor definitely delivered.
If you admire melodic death metal then you definitely will appreciate ‘Untold Secrets’, Sculptor have balanced this album well, it’s not overly extreme and definitely deserves a listen.
Tracklist:
- Interlude
- No Control
- Redemption
- Beyond Madness
- Born To Be Slave
- Embrace Yourself
- Empty Space
- Requiem
- Untouchable Truth
- Wake Me Up When The Pain Goes Away
- Watch Rope
Line-up:
Rick Eraser – Vocals
Vinne – Guitars, Vocals
Caco Ramos – Bass
Fabricio Reis – Guitars
Mateus Schran – Drums
Review by Tammy Lomax for MPM
