Hanging Garden – I Was a Soldier (2013)

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Originally started as a Death/Doom outfit, Hanging Garden has been slowly drifting apart from this category into more Melodic Death/Doom territories like their fellow countrymen Swallow the Sun and Insomnium. After the release of “At Every Door” earlier this year, the band gives us a little taste of what is to come in the future with their EP “I Was a Soldier”. Featuring three tracks (with the digital bonus song), this release continues were their previous full-length left off with a good dose of crushing melancholic music.

Starting on a high note, “Winter to Summer Adverse” delivers punishing riffs, demoralizing vocals and a very cool atmospheric keyboard highlights. While this track sounds a lot like Swallow the Sun, the band does a great job in keeping their style evolving and creating a bleak atmosphere. The clean vocals certainly add an extra layer of awesomeness to this track. The EP’s title track continues the flow with more atmospheric passages and engaging vocals.

Closing this release we have the strangest track of all, “Will you Share this Ending with Me?”, a digital bonus track only. In here we have the typical atmospheric elements that Hanging Garden is known for, but the song has some Dark Wave elements similar to what LowCityRain is doing, mixed with the traditional growls and powerful riffs. A very interesting combination in our opinion, and hopefully the band keeps this particular style in the future.

Overall, this short but sweet EP is a very good release by this excellent band. The songs are very satisfying and they show how the band has progressed over the years. If you are a fan of the band, do not miss this excellent EP.

Band: Hanging Garden Album: I Was a Soldier

Label: LifeForce Records

Release: September 27th, 2013

Oficial Site Social Media

Genre: Melodic Death/Doom Metal

Country: Finland

Rating: 90/100
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