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░ ██ ██ Artist: Garden of Grief ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Denied Sanctuary X █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2011 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2016-04-23 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Black Metal ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: self-released ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ This impressive discography could remind some of █
█ you of bands like Vinterriket which never seem to █
█ run out of ideas. Boronian Sturmfels, the man █
█ behind Garden Of Grief, has published one record █
█ in 2009, two records and one split in 2010 and █
█ finally two splits and one record in 2011. Nearly █
█ as impressive as Vinterriket, but does he focus on █
█ quality records or does he publish everything that █
█ comes up to his mind? █
█ The record starts with Sanctuary Denied Forever █
█ which is a pure ambient track and has really █
█ nothing in common with black metal, but it does █
█ not need to. It uses calm piano sounds which █
█ introduce the record and start to set a glum █
█ atmosphere. The first flaw of the record are the █
█ synthie-sounds that are used here, as they are █
█ quite artificial and disturbing. There are only █
█ two ambient tracks on the record though, so it █
█ does not really matter. █
█ The rest of the tracks are quite black metal and █
█ pending between mid- and high-tempo, what depends █
█ on the atmosphere the song/passage shall create. █
█ The transitions between the several parts are well █
█ done and Baronian processed many ideas per track. █
█ The songs are a mix of traditional black metal █
█ elements and melancholic parts, without becoming █
█ depressive at all. █
█ The climax of the record is the 20 minutes long █
█ track The Horizon Of My Dreams which combines █
█ those melancholic passages with raging ones, █
█ without becoming boring. Sadly, as always, all █
█ that glistens is not gold and so there are some █
█ problems as well. The songwriting in general is █
█ well done, but sometimes there are some melodies █
█ that are working against each other. Besides this █
█ contentual flaw, there is a structural as well: █
█ Baronian has the skill to play all those █
█ instruments in general, but there are some █
█ passages in which his skills lack consistency. █
█ There are some passages in which the guitar sounds █
█ ailed and in other ones the ôatmosphericö synthies █
█ are simply disturbing. The last point to mention █
█ is the production: Everything seems fine, but it █
█ could have been a bit clearer and the snare drum █
█ should be louder. █
█ █
█ Conclusion: █
█ I did not have any background knowledge of the █
█ band before, but I want to guess that Denied █
█ Sanctuary X is the best record of the band. The █
█ ambient passages that defined the last records █
█ were replaced with pure black metal which was well █
█ staged. There are some flaws as well though and █
█ the first half of the record is a bit uninspired. █
█ The last songs are quite brilliant though, so the █
█ record seems to be worth listening. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Sanctuary Denied Forever 5:22 ░
░ 2. Into the Vale of Dreams 4:50 ░
░ 3. The Nebulous Entity of Love 8:08 ░
░ 4. Reaching for the Stars 4:30 ░
░ 5. The Horizon of My Dreams 20:37 ░
░ 6. Volunteer (For Euthanasia) 13:01 ░
░ 7. The Final Ascension 3:28 ░
░ 59:56 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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