Gardenian

Two Foot Stand (Listenable)
by Paul Lee

Yes, Gardenian are Swedish. Sure, they play melodic death metal. No, they don’t rehash what’s already been done. And, just when you thought you were going to be decapitated, they launch into one of those great sweeping, melodic passages. Singer Jim Kjell does sound a tad like Phil Anselmo, but that’s as far as that similarity goes. With awesome Swedish producer Fredrick Nordstrom, Gardenian’s sound is nearly flawless. Two Foot Stand is a supremely powerful debut, and if you’re addicted to that Swedish genre like myself, you owe it yourself to get ahold of this disc (I think you can get it through mail order or from the Listenable website, www.listenable.com).