Exclusive Album Stream: Clayshaper Spread Their Inky Wings on Vampiric

There’s no easy word for what Sweden’s Clayshaper does. Applying any specific metal genre to the Swedish one-man act automatically makes one worry they’re leaving out at least one important adjective. Progressive stygian death metal? Creeping blackened guitar worship? The band bring together emotional and atmospheric aspects from each of metal’s shadowy grottoes and fuse them over a backbone of far-out leads and steamroller drumming. The result is compelling, making the listener involved before they even know it.

While the band’s previous output can feel like them reaching for something huge and extreme, Clayshaper’s full-length debut album Vampiric sees the project settling into its sonic obsidian throne. The album tackles the topic of its title, spinning a morbid tale of the unholy undead spreading their shadow and sickness across the land. While most bands seek to fill their vampire stories with a burden of flourishes, this album understand’s the creature’s languid, ancient misery and the eternal horror of existing only for blood and plague. While fans of all metal subgenres can find something savory here, it’s fans of that foggy combination of prog, black metal, and classic fantasy who’ll be most easily convinced to invite this one in It’s an album that’ll suck you in quickly and have you in its eerie, unexpected thrall in no time.

Says the band’s sole member Shaper:

“One hundred years ago the iconic vampire film Nosferatu was released [Editor’s note: Read Emperor Rhombus’ tribute to the film]. This dark and gritty depiction of beings beyond death is as relevant as it’s ever been and certainly a big inspiration for Vampiric. This is very apparent in the music video for the title track on the album.”

Check out our exclusive stream of Clayshaper Vampiric below. The album comes out tomorrow, May 27th, and is available for preorder.