Hanging Garden - Isle of Bliss

Hanging Garden is a melodic death/doom/Gothic metal band from Finland, who formed in 2004. I discovered them with their “Into The Good Night,” album when I reviewed it during my tenure at Metal Temple—and I’m very excited to be able to review their latest, and ninth overall, full-length album, “Isle of Bliss,” on this blog. 

“Isle of Bliss,” sounds amazing, both in terms of songwriting and production. The album’s overall sound is loud and full, packing quite the punch during the heavier moments and providing a bottomless depth during the melodic ones. The vocals are particularly well produced—the growls and screams are visceral and the cleans shine through with emotional clarity. 

"Isle of Bliss,” continues the trend of what any Hanging Garden fan knows: the band does what they want and each album sounds a little different than before. Although rooted in doom and Gothic metal, this album isn’t afraid to explore faster tempos or more nuanced soundscapes. Across the album’s 9 songs and 46 minute runtime, the band mixes the dynamics up without ever forgetting their base sound. It is both convincing and engaging, with not a dull second to be found from beginning to end. 

I like the immediacy of the opening song “To Outlive the Nine Ravens,” with its blackened fury. The scream and the drums create such chaos while the riffs remain heavy but atmospheric—quite the combination. The clean vocals are icing on the cake, the varying vocal styles interplaying with each other as a catchy melody runs through it all. A couple of atmospheric passages break up the tension while also serving to make the more intense moments that come afterwards all the more potent. 

The title track is catchy as hell–the opening riff and melody is an earworm. The duet is beautiful and moving, flowing right alongside the clean guitars and keys for a striking melancholic moment. The arrival of the crunchy rhythm and extreme vocals pushes the song to another level while keeping the emotions running high. And the chorus? Total fucking banger.  

The album remains consistent throughout its runtime, with some of the deep cuts being among their best songs. “The Blights Nine,” is the heaviest the band has been in awhile but still colored with their trademark brand of Gothic melancholy. The extreme vocals are magnificent, as are the riffs that help hammer them. The burst of speed in the second half is brutal and I love the cymbal work that bolsters it. 

When I looked at the track list I thought the song “Her Waning Light,” said “Her Warning Light,” and was very confused. Hanging Garden writing songs about car trouble? Well, ok. Turns out I’m just blind and dumb and the song isn’t about that at all (as far as I know). But it’s a banger with really great drums and catchy vocal cadences. I like the halfway point, a darkly cinematic piece that ups the drama—it has such a cool, nighttime feeling to it.  

The fall song, “Beneath the Fallen Sky,” is an epic way to finish the album. The opening moments are a bit hazy, dripping Gothic notes like a cold rain falling from stormy skies. The slow grind of the riffs and growls flow well, and the cleans compliment with an added layer of textures This is definitely one of their best songs because of the little details, such as around the 4:30 mark with the atmo passages and the liminal spaces that live in between the notes. 

I can’t say this is their best album yet because all of their albums are so good that it is hard to pick a favorite but I will say that “Isle of Bliss,” further establishes Hanging Garden as a band with one of the most consistent discographies in metal. “Isle of Bliss,” is a welcomed addition to any fan and also the perfect place to start for new ones.  

Rating: Excellent