Album Review: Aspherium – The Embers of Eternity (Self Released)

Aspherium is a progressive death metal band from Norway. Blending death and thrash metal with modern elements, black metal riffs and melodic and mellow passages.

The third Aspherium album “The Embers of Eternity” moves away from the sci fi themes of the last album, and dives deeper into our real world. Taking place in a future where humanity has ultimately destroyed the planet, this concept album deals with the struggles that we face as a species. There’s a lot wrong with the world, but are we really doing anything about it? Racism, hatred, school shootings, fear, war, hunger, disease, greed, global warming, pollution, natural disasters and overpopulation are just some of the things that humanity needs to deal with.

The Embers of Eternity was released on September 23rd 2019.

Kicking off with a more melodic style of death metal, Aspherium get their lengthy and expansive effort started strongly with the title track. It’s a nearly 9-minute start that never feels like it thanks to vicious riffs, heavy rolling drum beats, gore-drenched vocals and a progressive edge that keeps things very tight.

The death metal is strong in the following As We Walk Through the Ashes. At least in regards to the crunchiness of the beat. Although flashes of clean singing and sharper riffing keeps things more grounded when the lively heaviness threatens to get too much. It’s what can certifiably be called a heavy epic.

After two exhausting yet thrilling tracks, The Fallen Monument and A Voice for the Silenced go for shorter and more intense blasts. The former with a filthy fast tempo and the latter, a bit more drawling but equally as ferocious. At this stage, it’s almost unreal that we’re not even at the halfway point and truth be told, Aspherium are really only getting started.

Look no further than the feral attack of the guitars on The Shadows of Creation. Nipping and biting away, initially nothing more than an annoyance until the pain begins to set in and you realise blood is seeping out. The guitar solo is the sound of consciousness being lost.

Those hoping for a bit more of the melodic edge that was present at the start will be pleased to hear it back with a vengeance on Echoes of A Lost World. A thorough effort that blends the worlds of melody and crushing heaviness to perfection.

They’re still going though and so will you be. The Beckoning Spire being the first track to really open the gates of black metal hell. The gravitas of this side of Aspherium is utterly maddening. Try and stop yourself from head-banging…it’s just not possible.

Like the first two tracks, the final two tracks are huge and lengthy numbers. The first, Beneath the Shattered Sky, just over 9 minutes long and still packing in an incredible amount of breath-taking noise. Aspherium just get what a death metal epic should and could sound like. This is arguably the most impressive effort on the album, the ultimate journey track where the guitars lead us hand in hand down a path of darkness where the true nature of mankind is shown to nothing but abject horror.

The second, Until the Embers Fade is the longest at nearly 11 minutes but as has been the case with every track so far, it doesn’t feel it. The echoing guitars signalling not just the end of the album but the end of all things. Will the last sign of life on the planet please turn off the lights on your way out.

Aspherium have a lot to say on this album and man, do they express it well. Up there as one of the best melodic death metal releases this year. You can tell the band were meticulous about what made the cut for this record and every second feels as necessary as the last.

Aspherium – The Embers of Eternity Full Track Listing:

1. The Embers of Eternity
2. As We Walk Through the Ashes
3. The Fallen Monument
4. A Voice for the Silenced
5. The Shadows of Creation
6. Echoes of a Lost World
7. The Beckoning Spire
8. Beneath the Shattered Sky
9. Until the Embers Fade

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