I also have to mention one of the things that makes this album truly great: Jim's amazing voice. Unlike some other vocalists, Jim has opted to not only growl (which he does amazingly well) but also throw some clean vocals into the mix, which really add a whole new dimension to this band that is lacking in others.

The opener "Selfproclaimed Messiah" begins with acoustic guitars but quickly gets heavier, and then segues into one of my favorite bass/drum rhythms during the first verse. "Doom & Gloom" is also an awesome song which gets even better towards the end. "Long Snap To Zero"'s main riff is catchier than anything I've ever heard on the radio these days, with one heck of a chorus. "Courageous" isn't as good as the others but is still impressive.

"Heartless" has some meaningful lyrics and nice guitars to back them up. "The Suffering" and "Scissorfight" are both nice heavy songs. "Sonic Death Monkey" is one of my favorites, starting out with an awesome heavy bass line and continuing into the best choruses of the album. "Sindustries" is an awesome metal song with some nice growls, and the closer "Funeral", which begins with acoustics just like the first track did, has some of the best lyrics of the whole album with incredibly melodic guitars.

Overall, this entire CD is a pleasure to listen to. Going beyond the typical melodic death constraints that have restrained their peers, Gardenian have crafted an album that stands on its own as a true masterpiece. If you haven't bought it you haven't heard metal.


A Death Metal Hall-of-Famer   December 8, 2001
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

This album gets put in my top 3 albums of all time. If you are a fan of In Flames, Soilwork, Dark Tranquility and other so-called Gothenberg bands, you haven't heard anything until you've listened to this album. Sindustries is the fruition from Gothenberg into the next genre of heavier, intricate deathmetal. The guitar work is very melodic, tight and precise; the base lines are bruising; the drums are spectacular... not only at keeping a great beat, but the hits blend in perfectly with the emotions of the songs; and the singer is the best I've heard in death metal so far. The singer has 4 totally different voices (maybe more than that, but he's so good I probably haven't picked up all of his different sounds). The melodic guitar work is also less convoluted as some of the aformentioned bands that tend to sound like a death version of Iron Maiden or Helloween. I agree ...about "Sonic Death Monkey." That song just kicks where it counts (it will fall out of the sky and ... on your forehead!!). Everything just fits on this album. If you were looking for a solution to a death metal puzzle, this is the finishing piece.


The best of 2000!   February 28, 2001
K. McGinn (Upstate NY, USA)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful

Wow, amazing what clean vocals can do for a band! This time around, they didn't bring in an outside vocalist for the clean vocals and the result is one of the best albums of 2000! Basically, the melodies show some progression from Soulburner and some of the songs are more epic sounding. I can't get over how good this album is...it seems that Gardenian has really found the sound they were looking for and perfected it. The melodies are truly great, especially "The Heartless" which could go down as one of my fave songs of all time, the chorus is just amazing! Pay no attention to the somewhat simple-minded song titles, Gardenian definately haven't lightened up in the aggressive respect either. Hopefully this album will turn some heads and give them some much deserved respect. Highly recommended!


Great Snag!   September 17, 2008
C. Wicke (Houston, Texas)
This was a great purchase. It was a good stress reliever after Hurricane Ike came through my house!!


Solid Swedish melodic death metal album   August 30, 2008
Justin Gaines (Atlanta, GA)
Released in 2000, Sindustries is the third album from Swedish melodic death metal band Gardenian, one of the "second tier" bands from the Gothenburg scene that followed in the footsteps of In Flames, Soilwork, and Dark Tranquillity.

While the band's previous album (1999's Soulburner) turned some fans off with its emphasis on clean vocals and power metal elements, Sindustries was a pure melodic death metal album. There are some clean vocal parts and some keyboard action, but by and large experimentation took a back seat to an all-out ferocious assault of riffs and screams (with a careful attention to melody).

Sindustries is a totally decent death metal album, though not one that is truly memorable in the way that most Dark Tranquillity or Hypocrisy albums are. It's very heavy, very melodic, and very much in the mold of the Gothenburg scene, but as solid as it is, it never really makes the leap from workmanlike to exceptional.

Despite getting Gardenian back to their melodic death metal roots, Sindustries proved to be the band's final album. The band members went their separate ways, but remain active in the Swedish metal scene.

NOTE: Sindustries and Soulburner were recently remastered and reissued as a 2-disc set. Given how readily available both albums are, I really don't see the logic in reissuing them. I'd much rather see a reissue of the hard to find debut album Two Feet Stand, which is (at present) only available as a pricey Japanese import.