Sculptured play an experimental brand of atmospheric and melodic progressive death metal -- at least to the extent that they can be categorized. Their thoughtful lyrics, as well as their use of brass and string instruments, unusual guitar dissonances, and compositional matrices, are just a few of the elements that set them apart from their peers, stylistically speaking. Formed as a side project for Agalloch's Don Anderson, the group debuted in 1998 with The Spear of the Lily Is Aureoled. Subsequent efforts Apollo Ends (2000), Embodiment (2008), and The Liminal Phase (2021) continued to explore the deepest regions of modern progressive and post-metal.