Sculptured - Embodiment

(The End Records, 5 Tracks, Total Playing Time 39:19 - Reviewed by Adam McAuley)

Embodiment shows that this outfit is finely tuning their style into a progressive powerhouse of shifting metal effectively going through its various tempos. There is a rigidness to their sounds that nicely coincides with a jazzy sense to create a unique overall progressive flavour. The ideal of a heavy metal type of jazz structure can be taken from this album and it makes the band well suited for fans of that particular genre because it has a stop and start nature that can be relegated towards the styles of the genre.

Passages verge towards well-placed interludes to create an open-ended approach. They slow down their speedy tempos at times towards a nicely gelled frequency. The approach is further elevated by solid musical performances, especially that of drummer Dave Murray, some strong guitar playing, and an enjoyable singing talent. These form the background for an innovative and stirringly complicated approach.

The track listing is relatively short with only five songs and not a huge differential between them, as the last song is definitely the longest and most intense. It shows a varied approach for the band’s thought waves, as they are able to recapture your attention with each new song. The songs gel together well to form a conceptual type of work. The beginning and end form the more epic structures of the cohesiveness of the album as they feature twists and turns to shape Sculptured views against.

In terms of comparing Sculptured sound, they are similar to the jazzy-laden style of the Still Life era (Opeth) and the complexly-laden structures of Cynic, in particular. Even though Sculptured show a great deal of promise, they are not completely up to the streamlined nature of those bands, but with more refining they might approach them.

In conclusion, Sculptured bring an unique approach to the table with a beating music that brings out the open-ended nature of jazz songwriting and enough hooks to develop an addiction to their sounds. For anyone seeking an interesting stance to the progressive metal genre, Sculptured definitely deserves consideration.