Sindustries

First of all I think I have to set clear that I don't hate Gothenburg melodeath, it may not be my favourite death metal style but I enjoy it anyway. Secondly I don't have any problem with the band itself, if you want to know, I listened to this album because I had a good time with many tracks of their previous work Soulburner (which is a decent Gothenburg melodeath album but nothing outstanding) and I was curious about knowing if the band had improved with their third (and fortunately last) effort.

Thus I put Sindustries on my cdplayer. It was garbage, I'm listening to it again while writing this review and I still thinking the same. Gardenian isn't melodeath anymore, this album is better described as mallcore - nu metal - alternative metal (call it as you like) with some melodeath moments and elements (the least of them). In a few tracks like "Sindustries" there are also some pretty dull industrial elements, specially electronics and the drumming style.
I'm not surprised this record was released in 2000 when the mallcore-nu metal scene was becoming huge, very popular and "trendy". I think I don't need to say much more because we all know that mallcore and anything related to it, is mostly crap. This album is not an exception.

It's easier to start talking about the good things of the album which aren't many. Some nice melodic guitar leads here and there, a few interesting solos and also a few heavy slow riffs to bang your head against with.
The bass is very audible on this recording and sounds huge and thick while performing some good lines, but this doesn't matter a lot when the overall music is dull commercial stuff.
Drumming mostly follows rather simple mid tempo patterns alternating with some faster double bass sections, all correctly executed. There is no more good things to say about this album if we consider that the production is a bit dull and makes the album losing even more strength, anyway, the best of productions couldn't have saved this disaster.

Almost all along the whole album's length, guitars play those awful modern alternative-groove-mallcore style riffs that ooze commercialism with every note. I imagine that the band thought that their new-style riffs and leads sounded modern, cool and trendy, but believe me, they don't. Bland, boring, lame and sterile is a much better description, there is no strength nor aggression to be found in those riffs. "Scissorfight" is supposed to be the most intense and powerful song of the album. Well... it is a bit faster than most of the other tracks, that's true, but that's all, a bit faster, nothing more.
Perhaps it's me but I just can't stand that modern sounding, those simplified rhythms ruining everything that is good about thrash, groove and death metal to make it radio-friendly and apt for MTV standards.

Vocals are less growled and more core-shrieked than in their previous releases. But there is more concerning the vocals; besides the harsh ones, this album is plagued with lame, emo, whiny mallcore kid clean vocals especially in the choruses. This just sucks too much. Personally I hate that combination of angry core vocals with the moaning clean ones that just remind me a mallcore boy passing near a group of chicks and saying "Hey girls look at me! I'm a real badass guy who listens to really badass music, be aware!" and then switching to his crybaby voice and adding "But also I'm a very sensitive boy, so misunderstood and in need of love and care, please hold me!". A nice vision that one, isn't it?. Well, mallcore vocals are that bad, it's not my fault.

Do you need any proof? Go ahead then and listen to this abomination if you dare. Just a spin to "Long snap to zero" and you will hear what I'm talking about, stupid mallcore riffs, and the terrible bridge and chorus where you will listen to the awful clean vocals in all their splendour. Do you want more? Try the next track "Courageous", awful moaning clean vocals again and the rest of mallcore musical rubbish. If you aren't satisfied yet, don´t press the stop button and go for the emo, silly, sensitive sounding of "Heartless" and try to get to the end of it. Those three tracks should be enough stuff for you to recognize this album as bad, really bad commercial crap.

As a whole this album is a complete failure, some nice leads, solos and riffs can't make it good nor overcome all the commercial mallcore shit in it.
As I said before, if Sindustries was the example of the music that Gardenian would have released thereafter I'm very relieved this band split up before infecting the melodeath scene with more misleading mallcore rubbish.

Unless you are a masochist or a mallcorer I can't see any reason to listen to Sindustries, take my advice and avoid it. There are many good melodeath albums out there but this is not one of them. Just check the early records of At the Gates, In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, Soilwork or Arch Enemy, just to name a few of the well known bands. If you are interested in Gardenian try their two first records and forget about this one.