Hanging Garden – The Garden
Release Date: 24th March 2023
Label: Agonia Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Doom, Goth, Melodic Death Metal.
FFO: Swallow the Sun, Insomnium, Ghost Brigade, Katatonia.
Review By: Rick Farley
If you are about to immerse yourself in a doom, gothic, melodic death metal album from Finland, chances are fairly good that it will be something special. If that album is from a band that’s been around for roughly two decades, churning out album after album of dark, atmospheric, emotional soundscapes, you’re definitely getting something remarkable. Such is the case with Finland’s very own Hanging Garden who are dropping album number eight, The Garden on Agonia records. Following 2021’s Skeleton Lake, The Garden has huge shoes to fill and believe me it does with a more hopeful, revitalized sound. The bleakness and despair are absolutely present, but the band has put some energetic essence into this album as a way to contrast their melancholy. 2022 saw the band release an EP NeitherMoth Nor Rust in which the band were freer to spread their wings outward much further into a more experimental venture, showing a positive evolution that quite possibly lead to this release.
The Garden is a continuation of the spirit of that EP, in that the band is willing to meld more flavours together, making this a shining example of how to balance both the light and darkness. The doomier parts are that much more impactful, simply from the difference in energy. The guitars are still crushingly heavy at times, but they also shimmer with a metallic bliss that brings more than just grey colour. Brightened melodies amongst the darkness, beautifully sung female vocals with hopeful yearning and gothic male passages with restrained deep tones go hand in hand with the comfortable gloom. Structurally the songs are mostly guitar driven, showing their gnarly teeth one minute only to be led into softer synths, sweeping cleans with uplifting choruses. Drawing inspiration from other styles of music and art to establish devilishness mixed with serene textures, that deeply dive into a spiritual journey from fragility to harsh extremes. Thumping basslines, pianos, vibrant drumbeats all accentuate the feel of the album towards an undeniable lively catchiness not typical of this genre.
Artistically, The Garden is a story of how humanity would still thrive, still find meaning after the world, as we know it, has finally met its end. A strong theme of dreams also runs through with a fantasy world feel of stagnation, colossal constructs of rust, the act of journeying to the unknown and lush nature surrounding it all. This signifies the music perfectly as walls of distortion are followed by mournful synth harmonies only to show bursts of musical light flourishing throughout. Bellowing growls show the anger, while layers of warm vocal tones calmly bring thoughtful emotions to sooth the agony. Heavy chugging guitars amidst upbeat goth tendencies shows a progressive side of the band on several songs that shows a little less doom and a lot more playfulness. The album dances between ethereal, despondent, inspiring and aggression, showing lush, masterful strokes of each.
One of the major highlights here, besides the song writing itself, is the vocals. The juxtaposition between powerful gutturals, sensual female vocals and lower toned male vocals brings more than the Beauty and the Beast effect. Each style brings levels of intense emotion, that enhances each track with significant dynamics. Often layered upon each other, the vocals all represent multiple feelings, making them feel otherworldly at times. The depth in the vocals is an alluring ongoing discovery with each new listen.
All of this makes The Garden a rewarding album that will transfer you to a different world of haunting yet beautiful consciousness, you’ll likely get lost in the soundscape not knowing fully where you are or how you got there. That’s a powerful effect in some music, the ability to transfer you to another place without you even realizing it at. Let’s hope this release will no longer leave Hanging Garden as Finland’s best kept secret. 
(4.5 / 5)
