Garden of Shadows - "Oracle Moon" (Wicked World)

Before I lose myself in writing this review of the new Garden of Shadows album, I would like to take a moment to share a few things that I hate to hear in metal. While this list is by no means exhaustive, it does provide a fitting overview of my major metal pet peeves:

• An overindulgence of keyboards and lush orchestration.
• Operatic, female vocals.
• Spoken word interludes.
• Songs proclaiming the majesty of the forest, whether or not it pays lip service to trolls or any other woodland creatures.

If you know anything about Garden of Shadows, then you have probably deduced by this point that I have no business reviewing this album. It is almost as if the band got together and said, "Hey, guys, let's create an album that combines everything Shawn hates to hear in metal." From the sound of things, each member thought it to be a good idea. And I must admit that they have done it rather well.

Not that I was caught off guard the first time I hit play and listened to "Oracle Moon." This is one of those cases in which it is quite impossible not to judge a book by its cover - a swollen full moon surrounded by swirling clouds run through by two rugged peaks that rise above the tree tops relegated to the bottom two corners, done up in about 18 shades of purple. In short, it looks like something you would find airbrushed on an Oklahoma license plate made at the state fair. An ideal compliment to the song titles scrawled across the back cover amidst similar tapestry in a fancy, cursive font: "Citadel of Dreams"; "Into Infinity"; "Desert Shadows"; "Twilight Odyssey" - you get the idea.

What may come as a shock to many is that instead of hailing from the icy tundra of Scandinavia, Garden of Shadows forged its fantasy novel metal in the American East - Maryland to be exact. Not exactly a hotbed for teenagers honing their chops to the complete Opeth discography I would imagine. Yet despite my disdain for "death metal" of this ilk and an overabundance of sarcasm, I must admit that for what Garden of Shadows does, it does it very capably, each member of the band technically adept enough to pull off the challenging intricacies that have evolved into earmarks of this particular branch of death metal.

Yet in adapting to the style with such dramatic flair, Garden of Shadows has inherited the music's familiar trappings which simultaneously define and stifle it. Take, for example, the length of the songs, each tune, with the exception of the 25 second instrumental "Into Infinity," extending over the eight minute mark. The result - a great deal of what can only be dubbed background music. Another dramatic flourish that Garden of Shadows revels in that I find annoying is the juxtaposition of various vocal deliveries, from the death like roll most prominent to the clean, female vocals that cut into the mix occasionally. They usually come out of left field, so to speak, which is where they should probably stay.

But the fact remains. I probably shouldn't be reviewing this album, although I must admit that I have had a good time doing it. So if you are a fan of this sort of thing, take what I have written with a grain of salt. As for the rest of you, I hope you got a good laugh without spending your hard earned money on the purple pretense of "Oracle Moon."

Reviewed by: Shawn Wedel