Shadowgarden - Ashen

Release Date: August 27, 2010
Label: Napalm Records

TRACK LISTING

1.  Shadowplay
2.  Last Summer
3.  With Love and a Bullet
4.  The Withering of Mine
5.  Sorrow`s Kitchen
6.  1:40 AM
7.  Murky Waters
8.  Way Down Low
9.  Empty Days
10.  Slowmotion Apocalypse

Total playing time: 41:27

July 20, 2010

Reviewer: Chris

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*Comments:

From this gothic rock scene there has been very little that resonates or stands out simply because that particular medium is so wrought with phonies and trend-jumpers. It’s amazing that back in the day every band aspired to Black Sabbath or Metallica and now Evanescence or Dimmu Borgir are the desired templates, as disturbing as that is. One of the bands honing the gothic metal sound out of Sweden is Draconian who, while decent, fall into the same pigeon holes as the rest of these sullenly-somber bands. Shadowgarden is the side project of two of its members and puts forth its first full-length titled Ashen. 

While I find Draconian much more listenable than their insipid counterparts, I admit to listening to the band with trepidation with each new release. They always have fine music and good patterns and arrangements, but it’s all the same after two tracks. I also admit to being intrigued by this offshoot of that band, and I must say this offering isn’t that bad. There are Draconian elements all over it, sure, but still I find this release from Shadowgarden a bit more tolerable in the long run, albeit as predictable as the main band.

Draconian vocalist Lisa Johansson appears on the album, as does drummer Jerry Torstensson, but the project is the baby of Draconian guitarists Andreas Hindenas and Johan Ericson. Certainly gothic and definitively steeped in that romantic shroud, Ashen is very radio-friendly in its whole package, yet here in the States we won’t be afforded the luxury of such listenable music on the airwaves. We’re stuck with Amy Lee’s incessant whining to impress the mall kids with limited range and attention spans. There are some very strong songs that, while not overly dynamic, do shun the cut-and-paste efforts of the aforementioned boring peers. However, it’s just not enough to pull the ocean liner for the long haul.

Tracks like “Sorrow’s Kitchen” and “With Love and a Bullet” most definitely have that hard rocking edge while retaining the dark romanticism that the genre is both famous for and frowned upon. I would be remiss if I said this was a masterpiece of goth metal, but it is average metal for the fan of Draconian (obviously), Elis or even To/Die/For; the elemental commerciality is certainly present, but certainly not enough to warrant the total sell-out label. After all, how much can the gothic metal, a trend of total manufacturing, really sell out?

That said, the problem I have here with Ashen is that all of the songs seem to sound the same, complete with the well-worn keyboard “do-dee-do-dee-do” pattern that quickly gets old. The guitars make up for such distractions, but the music does seem to run into and over itself with each song. There are moments of head bobbing and foot tapping, but don’t expect a full-on Griefshire experience. The vocals are okay, nothing special, but nothing you’d also immensely hate either. In short, the album is a decent, if obligatory experience.       

Draconian fans will rejoice; other fans of the genre might not be so welcoming. All in all, it could be worse, but also could be more in the big picture. The decision to engulf Ashen lies in your penchant for this particular scene and sound, and from what I gather it’s seemingly for just about anyone.