SCULPTURE “Like A Dead Flower” /MCD/

The debut and only mini-album by Portuguese Gothic Doom Metal band.
The "Crestfallen" EP and "Serenades" saw the bleak sunlight during the years of 1992 and 1993, respectively, and were among the main reasons why many people started to listening Doom Metal. Since then, much has happened with their creators, Anathema, and with the Doom Metal scene. Those were the years of Katatonia's "Dance of December Souls" and My Dying Bride's "As the Flower Withers" and "Turn Loose the Swans". But things did change for all these bands. Sculpture have produced an MCD of which the few parts that don't sound either like the "Crestfallen" EP or "Serenades" tend to sound like Anathema's "Pentecost III" EP. This Portuguese band harvested the ideas found in Anathema's debut and, with a lot of merit and very good production, managed to create an impressive MCD that we can only see as a tribute to Anathema, such is the extent of the similarities. Every instrumental component is similar to early Anathema; so are the vocals and the song structures and style.
All three of the 'main' tracks on this MCD are indeed very good from start to finish, but we have to mention the excellent faster part in "Autumn Serenades", which reminded of "Under a Veil (of Black Lace)" from Anathema's "Serenades" - a proof of how enhanced the impact of a fast(er) section can be when surrounded by much slower music.
In fact, "Like A Dead Flower" is the best Portuguese Doom Metal album, slightly better than even Desire's "Infinity", even though much less original. Then again, if they had been more original then most likely this MCD wouldn't have been so good. Originality is hardly a problem when quality is so high and the sound Sculpture explore still has much more to give!
ART, 1997 (ART97011CD). Made in Portugal. Pressed in Austria. First press.


Tracklist:
1. Arid Life 0:57
2. At The Gates Of Shadows World 6:46
3. Autumn Serenades 5:45
4. The Remains Of The Day 3:24
5. Our Crying Earth 4:45
Total playing time: 21:37