History & Biography Memory Garden was planted in 1992 in Kumla, Sweden. A Trouble song inspired the name. Several demos emerged next beginning in 1993 including a Christmas Carol release with Swedish lyrics called Ta Nag on Hart I Hand, As Ger Vi Ross Av Till Tom Eland!
The band issued a debut album through heathendom before moving to Metal Blade for two albums. Memory Garden appeared at 2000’s 2000 Decibel, the festival dedicated to Swedish metal, which was held at Bengtsfors. The band was recording a follow-up to Mirage as early as 2002 with Dan Swanö. The debut was re-issued by Vic Records in 2009 with several bonus demo tracks. The band’s 2008 album was indeed on Vic Records. Anders Looström departed in late 2008. Andreas Mäkelä soon joined on guitar. 1349, which referencedthe bubonic plague, was a concept album.
After some twelve years Metal Blade Records once again signed Memory Garden featuring current Wolf guitarist Simon Johansson. The group had completed recordings its next album for an early 2013 release. Jolly Roger Records issued the act’s albums Forever and Tides as licensee from Vic Records. Guitarist Johansson became a concert guitarist for Soilwork beginning 2019.
Memory Garden has appeared on cover albums for Black Sabbath, Mercyful Fate and Queensrÿche. The band’s monicker was taken from a song released by American doom band Trouble.
Reviews MEMORY GARDEN - VERDICT OF POSTERITY - METAL BLADE
What is the rationale behind signing a little-known newcomer band and then marketing it as an analogy to another band? Case in point being Metal Blade's new signing, Sweden's Memory Garden which the label explicitly (and to be fair accurately) describes as being akin to early Candlemass. Has a follower ever been as or more popular than its original trailblazer? Still, one should probably commend Metal Blade's conviction and less than business-oriented signing decisions. For as most people know, for all its stature, Candlemass never sold millions for the label in America.
Regardless, Memory Garden is an excellent doom metal band. By doom, one is not referring to every come-lately weakling whose labels tags it as 'doom' in the hopes of somehow garnering its new hapless chaps with a following, but rather true epic doom metal whose majesty is derived from more credible sources. Indeed, as songs like Carved In Stone, The Sum Of All Fear and Split Image demonstrate MG possesses many good qualities. Cleanly polished, the nihilists lay down tracks with all the emotional impact of a Candlemass or Solitude Aeturnus. The vocals are still a little fresh, and the drum sound way too clear for the genre, but the Swedes who incidentally employ Kristian Wahlin as an artist and Mike Wead (he of King Diamond and Hexenhaus) as both producer and guest musician nicely fill a large gap that this here fan is happy to see addressed. Favourite track: Wasteland Foretold ("We enter this graceful place/Our memory garden foretold") with all its Sorcerer's Pledge glory! - Ali "The Metallian"
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