Casketgarden was formed in 1998 and set out to make music in the style of Carcass and At the Gates, but with their own twist to it. After some succesfull demo-cds the band played with big-name artists like Anthrax, Dew-Scented and Children of Bodom. 2003 was the year that Casketgarden signed a deal with MetalAge, and were given te chance to record a full-lenght album. "This Corroded Soul of Mine" was the result.

From the first song it is obvious that this disc will have very few "slow" moments. The guitarplaying is excellent, with both guitarists playing riffs that are very reminiscent of bands like At the Gates, The Haunted and other great swedish death bands. They manage to take the technical skill of those bands, and put it out in their own form. István Cseh's vocalstyle is a bit monotone, he has a great voice but more diversity or experimentation would be welcome. The rhytmsection is tight as hell, with alot of doublekick work and tastefull bassplaying. A good thing is that most songs have a good melodic guitarline or solo, which fortunatly adds some diversity. One of my favorite songs is "Song of Tears", which features some great riffs, a good melodic theme and some headbangable riffs.

Casketgarden show that they are "up there" with the bands they are inpired by. Altough they play a style of music that is not for everyone, it is very well executed. A bit more diversity in vocals or song structures might be welcome, because for a "new listener" songs might sound alike after a while. A great debut from a promising Hungarian band.