“The New Victorian,” being released June 23, 2014, is the debut full-length album from Denmark’s Wintergarden. Much like the band’s previous EP, 2011’s “Steampunk Deluxe,” this impressive 12-track album is a very mainstream, radio friendly offering from international singer, songwriter, and performer/session vocalist, Miriam Gardner.
But don’t let words like “mainstream” and “radio friendly” frighten you away. Yes, these are considered dirty words in the metal Universe, just like a horror movie that does not have at least an R rating is considered to be missing something, mainstream metal is considered not: (pick one) -Cool enough -Tough enough -Angry enough -Badass enough, or All the above.
With the first couple songs into the album, the listener is introduced to a familiar mixture of melodic pop/nu metal, reminiscent of the kind of sound that dominated the genre in the early 2000’s. Groups like Drowning Pool, Evanessance, Sevendust, Saliva, Papa Roach, are all bands that waved the flag for metal and introduced it to a younger crowd, while Metallica struggled with some of their darker days, and Pantera sadly fell apart (RIP Dimebag). Personally there are some real gems in the early 2000’s scene and though they may not carry the same speed, vulgarity or musical chops as metal’s classics, they are still not meant to be ignored and neither is Wintergarden. Then, as you get further into the album, you realize that it is not a generic mainstream offering, but a solid debut of metal music.
One of the most interesting aspects of “The New Victorian,” is how Gardner created the songs. They are collaborated efforts through file sharing. Artists from China, Australia and the USA, just to name a few, are all part of the “song writing across the globe” process that made this album what it is. One such collaboration is with Sevendust guitarist Clint Lowery, who contributed to two songs on the album. After hearing the band’s EP they spent three months sending files back and forth and created these songs.
Is this a gimmick? No of course not, it is just one of the many ways technology opens up new opportunities for the creative process. And yes, this album is clearly worth a listen, or two.
Album highlights include: Breathe, Take It and American Pop.
Ryan Andrews, HMS
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