ALBUM REVIEW: 1349 – Memory Garden
For history buffs the year 1349 stands out significantly. It was in that fatal year that the bubonic plague spread like wildfire all over Europe. More commonly known to us as The Black Death or The Great Mortality, it was a tragic and harrowing time in Medieval history. Emerging with its first definitive appearance in the Crimea in 1347, it soon swept across Europe as millions succumbed to its deadly buboes. It is roughly approximated that 30% of Europe’s population at the time was wiped out. It was indiscriminate, claiming everyone from serfs all the way up to royalty. This traumatic period of history is the inspiration behind Sweden’s MEMORY GARDEN‘s new concept album, 1349, which explores the fact and fiction surrounding this historical pandemic. With soaring melodies, driving rhythms and sinister riffs, the band capture the paralysing fear and anxiety surrounding The Black Death.
The overall tone of the album is one of sorrow, and the lyrics make for poignant listening as Stefan Berglund‘s powerful voice echoes through the images of the empty, cobbled streets of medieval Europe conjured up in your imagination. It could be argued that the band have taken on the roles of the terrifying, long beaked plague doctors. They lament the loss of so much human life whilst walking through the dirty, diseased alleyways and buildings of medieval cities. The imagery is very vivid throughout the album; as the songs transition between each other you become immersed in this apocalyptic landscape, imbued with a sense of hopelessness and eternal torment.
Given the time period it is also impossible to ignore the religious overtones. The Flagellants is the most direct example of this – these religious zealots sought atonement for their multitude of sins by vigorously whipping themselves in public displays of brutal penance. This extreme religious fervour and self-mortification was a popular approach to achieving redemption during this period. The song mixes a marching type rhythm with sombre melodies that make you feel like you are marching beside these people in an attempt to stop The Black Death.
Throughout the album, MEMORY GARDEN utilise some OPETH–style transitions, moving between epic, powerful doom riffs and more ethereal sections. With layered vocal harmonies weaving their way through the songs to give the album a grotesquely grandiose apocalyptic vibe, the band have truly captured the harrowing and haunting nature of their subject matter. The biblical choruses of Shallow Waters make it clear that 1349 is going to take you down a grave and traumatic path as it recounts the story of how the plague came to Europe. Distrust feels like a multi-layered song, as it explores not only the religious distrust in God but also those of their neighbours. The dark choral elements give the song an intense and claustrophobic feel, to exacerbate this feeling of distrust amongst everyone. Rivers Run Black paints a bleak future for the people of Europe, with a slow trudging rhythm and deep melody that fills you with misery and gloom. The emotional piano passage accompanied by the soaring and sorrowful lead guitar melodies in Blood Moon consolidates the album in a final stirring movement as you realise that it would take 200 years for Europe’s population to recover from The Black Death.
From its initial concept to its execution, MEMORY GARDEN have crafted a heartbreaking and gut-wrenching album that sheds new light on how we perceive The Black Death. Musically, it feels more like an orchestral suite, its various movements and melodies are unique, as they work brilliantly individually but are superior as a collective piece. Either way, 1349 leaves an indelible mark on your soul. The solemn and reflective undertones are what will make this album resonate with people, as we can draw parallels with our experiences throughout the past couple of years. Reading between the lines of 1349, MEMORY GARDEN have indirectly given a contemporary account of our own confusion, frustration and fear throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. 1349 is a powerful and moving album, capturing the raw emotions perfectly, bringing them to life through powerful, graceful and elegant song-writing.
Rating: 8/10
1349 is set for release on December 17th via No Remorse Records.
Like MEMORY GARDEN on Facebook.