When a band doesn’t put out anything for 8 years, with the exception of a 7” back in 2004, they can’t expect of holding a strong fan base. Unless they have so much faith in their abilities and they don’t worry if their work will bre appreciated or not. Who knows what’s going on with this Swedish power/doom quintet from Kumla that has managed to release just 4 albums (counting “Carnage Carnival”!), all of which are great?

So, Memory Garden’s fourth full-length release is amazing once more. The band has 2 new members (Ante Mäkelä-guitar instead of Anders Looström and Johan Fredrikson – bass guitar replacing Ken Johansson) but they keep wandering on the same paths, ignoring any trend or new style and delivers majestic mid-tempo power metal in the Swedish way! Naturally, you will listen to a lot of doom ideas in the veins of Candlemass/Memento Mori but they do it in a very personal way with their somewhat progressive diversions and Stefan Berglund’s very characteristic voice. They hang in the balance of tech power and ’90s doom metal without having one retro moment! Instead, all songs from opening title track to the epilogue “Nameless” are wonderfully fresh in their whole and combined to production skills offered gy guru Mike Wead they seem determined to take the minds of all melodic metal fans once again!

One more top album for 2008 from a band that has the gift to produce, when they decide to, efforts that take power metal off its misery. It’s unacceptable to talk about deserts in this genre after a release like this one.