Gardenian

Sindustries (Nuclear Blast)
by Scott Hefflon

This ‘un’s got elements of a lot of what’s so good about metal, and while some might criticize the band cuz their influences are right upfront where you can get a good, strong whiff, those same some should quit their bitching and just revel in great metal like this. Gardenian are melodic death metal from Sweden, buds with In Flames (think their nü rock style as well as their early acoustic interluding technical death), produced by Hypocrisy’s Peter Tägtgren, and fancy that “clean voice” thing, yet enjoy running it through effects to give it a spooky, processed, digital feel.

Most of the songs are mid-tempo, unlike what many’d think of as “death metal,” and there’s a superb job on the arranging of the songs, alternating loud’n’soft, raging drums with eerie harmonies and little else, shredding riff assaults suddenly giving way to breakdowns followed by rolling feedback and then the rage kicks back in again… Very tasteful, memorable, constantly shifting melodies and with plenty of production candy to keep you interested.