Sindustries

When I was younger the track Sonic Death Monkey was one of the first 'metal' songs I ever came across. I had no idea what it meant and I didn't care, you would be hard pressed to find a catchier track in the metal genre. Go find that song and listen to it. NOW!I believe Gardenian is a strong melodic-death band and much of Sindustries will leave you wanting more. Unfortunately, there are a few songs that sound waaaay too similar to the point that they actually become a distraction. "Didn't I just listen to this? Uh, oh, I guess it is a little different." The good songs, on the other hand, are more than worth the cost of the album. Sonic Death Monkey, Courageous, Funeral, and a few others will keep you enthralled for many hours. While not perfect, I do recommend picking up Sindustries, especially if you can find a reasonably priced used copy.

Gardenian was an absolutely incredible swedish melodic death metal band. They were really onto something with this album. IMO, this disc was just as good, if not better, than what leaders like in flames, dark tranquility, and soilwork were doing at the time (and since). How or why gardenian didn't blow up like these other 3 bands, i'll never understand. probably my favorite album in the gothenburg genre, and i am a HUGE melodic death fan. Highly recommended to anybody who is into this style (or even just a metal in general).i still shake my head when i listen to this one. wondering why they didn't take off because of it. the same goes for the duskfall, and beyond the embrace. it's terrible to see so many AWESOME melodic death metal bands get lost in the shuffle. the rise of the gothenburg-influenced metalcore bands in the early 2000s completely flooded this sub genre, and raped it of it's integrity. as a result, awesomely-pure melodic death metal bands such as these get lost in a sea of mainstream, crooned-chorused, breakdown-ridden, wannabes. ehhhhhhh.

Jim changed his vocals on this one which was a disapointment to me but oh well, he still sounds menacing. This a pretty heavy and great CD. It's not Soulburner, but it's still worth you time and money.

If you are at all interested in melodic death metal, power metal or even heavy metal in general then you HAVE to get this cd. It is simply incredible, I don't know how I can describe it in words. The entire band is incredibly talented; Jim and Engel's guitars are more melodic and harmonious than any of their contemporaries but still retain an element of heaviness that makes them a pleasure to listen to; Kriss's bass playing is awesome and makes the music alot heavier; and Thim's drumwork is frenetically awesome.I also have to mention one of the things that makes this album truly great: Jim's amazing voice. Unlike some other vocalists, Jim has opted to not only growl (which he does amazingly well) but also throw some clean vocals into the mix, which really add a whole new dimension to this band that is lacking in others.The opener "Selfproclaimed Messiah" begins with acoustic guitars but quickly gets heavier, and then segues into one of my favorite bass/drum rhythms during the first verse. "Doom & Gloom" is also an awesome song which gets even better towards the end. "Long Snap To Zero"'s main riff is catchier than anything I've ever heard on the radio these days, with one heck of a chorus. "Courageous" isn't as good as the others but is still impressive."Heartless" has some meaningful lyrics and nice guitars to back them up. "The Suffering" and "Scissorfight" are both nice heavy songs. "Sonic Death Monkey" is one of my favorites, starting out with an awesome heavy bass line and continuing into the best choruses of the album. "Sindustries" is an awesome metal song with some nice growls, and the closer "Funeral", which begins with acoustics just like the first track did, has some of the best lyrics of the whole album with incredibly melodic guitars.Overall, this entire CD is a pleasure to listen to. Going beyond the typical melodic death constraints that have restrained their peers, Gardenian have crafted an album that stands on its own as a true masterpiece. If you haven't bought it you haven't heard metal.

I'd consider myself a "fan" of melodic death metal, and having liked Gardenian's previous album, I had high expectations. Am I happy with it? Yeah, but not as much as I could have been. The fact that the band has been able to incorporate well-sung clean vocals without needing a guest vocalist is definitely good, as Jim Kjell handles it just fine on his own. The songs are more or less as good as on Soulburner, despite some pretty bad titles. Unfortunately, two aspects of this album will keep Gardenian from matching their Swedish peers: technicality and song structure.Niclas Engelin is a fine guitarist, and Kjell's playing meshes well, but the lead work is unremarkable. I realize that guitar wizardry is not everyone's cup of tea, but that brings me to the song structures. There are a number of songs that are just too long and/or repetitive, where a well-placed solo could break up the monotony of hearing the same riff repeated. Where a band like In Flames generally has relatively short songs with substantial lead guitar parts throughout, Gardenian seems to have longer songs with less lead guitar. I'm not fond of the overdone guitar acrobatics by some metal bands, as it can take away from a song's flow, but Sindustries seems to be a little lacking.A good album with some great riffs and vocals, but I've never been in the mood where I just HAD to pop this disc in for a listen.

Gardenian veröffentlichten zwischen 1997 und 2000 drei Alben, "Sindustries" ist das letzte davon in der Reihe. Die Schweden spielten Melodic Death Metal, damals eben typisch für eine Band aus Göteborg. Doch im Gegensatz zu ihren Kollegen von In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, At the Gates und Soilwork gelang Gardenian der Durchbruch nicht, weshalb 2004 der Ofen aus war. Ein richtig gutes Album ist "Sindustries" nichtsdestotrotz, es fand halt nur nie besonders große Beachtung. Die Songs sind zwar nicht gerade kompakt (der Opener "Selfproclaimed Messiah" dauert über acht, das kürzeste Lied "Sonic Death Monkey" immerhin fast fünf Minuten), langweilen aber zum Glück auch nicht. Gardenian setzten auf ihrem dritten Album relativ viel Cleangesang ein, was für zusätzliche einprägsame Melodien sorgte. Von denen gibt es auf "Sindustries" nicht gerde zu wenige, ohne dass der Härtegrad wirklich darunter leiden muss - auch wenn die Vorgänger eine Ecke rabiater waren.Doch es hat halt nicht sein sollen mit Gardenian. 2013 kam es zu einer Reuinion, 2016 war dann aber bereits wieder Schicht im Schacht, ohne dass zwischendrin etwas Neues erschienen ist. Immerhin spielt Gardenian-Gitarrist Niclas Engelin heute bei In Flames. Die machen zwar schon lange keinen Melodic Death Metal mehr, sind dafür aber erfolgreich. Wie dem auch sei: "Sindustries" ist nach wie vor ein gutes Album, dessen Entdeckung sich auch heute noch lohnt.