Gardenian is far from the first band to experiment with the combining clean and growled vocals, but the effort here sounds fresh. The standout tracks really benefit from their use. Of course, the rest of the album is solid, and if you like the blend of melody and brutality, and you don't know of Gardenian, you will definitely wish to become acquainted.
As for those songs to keep an eye on? You can start with the second track, "Powertool." There is a great epic feel to the song. Featuring strong riffs, nice melodies, and fantastic interplay between Jim Kjell and Sabrina Khilstrand, providing the female vocals on the album. Next up is track five, "If Tomorrow's Gone," which dials down the brutality a bit and injects a much more emotional feel. Next may be the best song on the disk, "Small Electric Space." It continues the emotion-laden vocals, but brings more melodic brutality to the fore. Finally, be sure to give "Tell the World I'm Sorry" some play, it is a strong song featuring more clean vocals.
As for the rest of the album? "Ecstasy of Life" and the title track are pretty good cuts.
Bottomline. For a band with such a short lifespan, Gardenian has a lot of good tunes on here. They display strong songwriting ability as well as technical skill. Metal fans should take note of what appears here. You will not be disappointed.
This album has been reissued as a set packaged with their final album, Sindustries, by Metal Mind Productions.
Recommended.
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