Review Summary: "I am become death"
“Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.”
Mistaken by reviewers for a grammatical error, the famous Hindu sacred text – made infamous by Opperheimer’s quote, as he witnessed the first detonation of a nuclear warhead in 1945 – is the inspiration for 2017’s fifth full studio release of Finland’s Hanging Garden. Reinterpreted and reformulated,
I Am become deals with the loss of those dearest to us and the overall phenomenon of sorrow and yearning: the vast abyss of emotions many of us would like to avoid, but ultimately cannot.
Hailing from Helsinki, Hanging Garden has been around for over ten years delivering Finland’s #1 export product: musically embodied gloom. Unfortunately (and perhaps unrightfully so), Hanging Garden persistently flew under the radar of many, where fellow countrymen of Swallow the Sun and Insomnium garnered far more recognition for their trade. Therefore, an introduction is in place.
Hanging Garden initiated their career with
Inheret the Eden and
TEOTWAWKI, two slams of melodic death/doom metal, very much in line with the traditional approach sported by the likes of Shape of Despair and November’s Doom. Quality work, yet hardly distinguishing. Four years, this entire period most likely blasting the discography of The Cure on repeat at their homes, resulted in the highly inspired 2013’s
At Every Door, a record that introduced clean vocals, progressive tendencies and an overall more nuanced sense of drama in their sound. Probably feeling like they’ve created a sound truly their own, Hanging Garden set out to produce an impressive amount of material: the perfect marriage of their traditional doom and more recent progressive approach
I Was A Soldier (EP), the shockingly soft and melancholic
Blackout Whiteout and the experimental
Hereafter (EP). Hanging Garden’s latest full-length release
Blackout Whiteout received a very mixed response from the metallic community, likely caused by the fact that this record shed their the doom/death skin too abruptly – much like Alcest received flak for 2014’s
Shelter.
I am Become comes out of the gates running with the guitar-driven
As Above, So Below. The album opener sports longing, sorrowful vocals initially, then plunges quickly into even heavier territories with excellent snarls that were so sparse on their latest full-length.
Hearthfire – with Amorphis’ Tomi Joutsen delivering his trademark growls – and
Our Dark Design – with an industrially produced bass groove on the foreground – continue the design of a heavier undertone, with more focus on guitar harmonies, as compared to their earlier releases. The infectiously catchy
Elysium breaks the stark opening tracks and would not fall out of place on 2015’s
Blackout Whiteout, despite its quite depressing theme concerning the acceptance of mortality. The two album halves are split by the fully Finnish
Kouta that reveals more industrial tendencies.
The latter half of the album is even more effective than the former.
From Iron Shores kicks off with one of the most grasping opening riffs ever put on sonic paper by this band, that electronically fades in and out, urging the listener to warm up the neck muscles.
From Iron Shores,
One Hundred Years and
Forty One Breaths consecutively represent the best elements Hanging Garden has to offer – moody acoustic plucking, highly melodic leads, ethereal vocals and fist-pumping choruses. On a personal note, these were the type tracks yours faithfully was hoping for ever since
I Was A Soldier, sporting a similar sound of one my own favorites in their catalog. However, as the album closes it reveals its most engaging number -
Ennen (English: before) has the grandeur sense of a final track that is very difficult to craft. Hanging Garden does this masterfully – with the help of the gorgeous delivery of the female guest artist that, with her haunting vocals, ends this album with goosebumps and shivers down the spine.
Ultimately, Hanging Garden succeeded in bundling their by now impressive experience in the melodic death/doom genre with the best elements of their recent, more divisive experimentation and produce their best album to date.
I Am become is a true grower – initial listens left me interested, yet hardly as appreciative of its subtleties and amazing atmosphere as I am now. Hanging Garden achieved with
I Am become to put music to emotions that cannot be put in words.
