Formed in 2004, Finnish melodic doom/gothic outfit Hanging Garden released their eighth studio album, ‘The Garden’, in 2023 and have now followed that with a mini album containing five rearranged songs from that set. Recorded during an intimate live performance at the contemporary gallery space of the design company Paja & Bureau, they have stripped away the normal style of gothic doom metal and instead have moved in a very different directions with ethereal guitar soundscapes and drum machines to create something which is far more intimate.
It is certainly an interesting experiment as they have maintained the dark overtones yet there is a lightness within as different genres combine. The lead vocals of Toni Hatakka and Riikka Hatakka are allowed to stand on their own, not masked by crushing instrumentation but instead are beautiful against a sonic landscape which is somehow beautiful and bleak at the same time. The rest of the band is Jussi Hämäläinen (guitars, vocals), Mikko Kolari (guitars), Kimmo Tukiainen (guitars), Nino Hynninen (keyboards), Jussi Kirves (bass) and Antti Ruokola (drums) and it never sounds as if there are three guitars being played so they must be working through plenty of effects boards. I understand what they are doing with the use of drum machines, but while that does create a certain sound and style, I have never been a fan and this takes me back into the Eighties, but not in a good way.
However, there are times when the music switches and shifts in a way which is both inspiring, and the overall result is something which is interesting if not essential. 6/10 Kev Rowland
