### Psychotic Gardening: Black fever

#### 26/04/11 || cadenz

What is up with the absolutely idiotic band names that seem to pop up left, right, front and center nowadays? Psychotic fucken Gardening? Is that like, raking leaves in your backyard and screaming maniacally with your eyes bulging out of their sockets? Or is your backyard covered with rotting corpses, and you’re raking their intestines into neat piles to be barbecued later? Or an invasion of these guys? Sigh.

This Canadian outfit, formed in 1995, has done two albums and this is a self-released three-track EP, an appetizer before their third full-length is released in the near future. The first track is brutal death metal with two-beats, blasting and nice meaty growling. About half of the riffs are stale as fuck, while the other half shows promise. The next song starts off with a Type O Negativish groove with synths chiming in the background. What the fuck. Ah, the growling is still intact, this is still the same band. Two-part doomy guitar harmonies, reminds me a bit of early Paradise Lost. Not too bad, this; clearly listenable. Some arrangements could’ve been done with a little more finesse though, and I don’t approve of the constant vocal layering.

“Highest of the High” continues in the doomier vein, and this is clearly what the Insane Garden Hoses should focus on in the future. Cool atmosphere and mostly really enjoyable keyboard work. On a full-length album I could understand the desire to alternate between faster and slower songs, but with a three-track release the impression I get is quite schizophrenic. Kudos for holding the track lengths in tight reins, many doom bands get carried away with Teh Infernal Epicness of their riffage and have no songs shorter than 15 minutes, so it’s refreshing to get more compressed compositions.

Despite the occasionally amateurish arrangements and apparent lack of a producer, I look forward to the full-length release and hope that the Rakes ov Crazyhood have polished their marbles into brilliant gems. Until then, keep an eye out – he’s coming for you!

- Information
- Released: 2011
- Label: Self-released
- Website: Psychotic Gardening MySpace
- Band
- Gillishammer: vocals
- Chuck Labossiere: vocals, rhythm guitars
- Andrew Wiens: lead & rhythm guitars
- Mike Janssen: bass
- Matt Penner: drums
- Will Janssen: keyboards

- Tracklist
- 01. Black Fever
- 02. Psychotic Gardening
- 03. Highest of the High