Garden of Souls

'I just got my Garden of Souls CD on Friday. It was perfect timing as I was just sliding into the car for a fairly long and boring drive to N.C. so I popped it in...cranked it up and let me tell ya, it impressed the pants off of me!

The first song "Wake Up" is so incredibly infectious that if by the time you hear it a second time you aren't singing right along at the top of your lungs, something isn't clicking between your ears, it's *that* good.

Ok, get ready ... they cover Jeff Buckley's "Jewel Box" !! It starts out pretty straight forward which kind of had me a bit uneasy because I didn't want to hear a carbon copy cover. It took around 20 seconds for that thought to be completely kicked out of my brain as they launched into a new direction with it. Garden of Souls grabbed up this song...embraced it...made love to it and when they let go of it, it was *theirs*. I couldn't help thinking Jeff would have probably dug the fact that they put so much of their own style into his song.

The other two songs, "Runes" and "Phantoms" are gorgeous sweeping tunes that remind you that music is indeed an art and you need the right blending of instruments and voice to create an atmospheric mental picture, just as a painter needs his tools to create a realistic landscape. GOS knows exactly where the paint goes.

- Severina Magazine

'What a gift i got today . . . not from a lover (though after hearing vocalist Luke DeWitt's voice at length, I might ask him if maybe he could call me and just sing.)'

- Carolina Gazette

Garden of Souls' "Wake Up E.P." cd arrived today and the music is really very original . . . I love the violin and (their) cover of Jeff Buckley's Jewel Box is to die for . . . beautifully haunting. I wish this band much success and hope they get out this way soon. - Jellybean Magazine

Screaming Down From Heaven- Garden of Souls

Garden of Souls prove they can completely maneuver around the sophomore slump with the best of them on their second CD release, Screaming Down From Heaven. SDFH has a slightly darker, more musically mature feel to it, piloted by vocal Renaissance Man Luke DeWitt's extraordinary and enigmatic range that shifts from intense power to graceful falsetto and everywhere in between. SDFH makes for a wholly un-boring ride in a musical scene of everyone-sounds-the-same. GoS brilliantly fuses together their songs seamlessly amid touchstone iconic phrases, inside scenarios, and just plain smart musical tidbits to assure the listener stays on an attention grabbing sonic journey through the CD itself. Straight from "Maelstrom", a witty riotous radioactive quote mash, all the way through to the hushed whispered dark carnival feel of the closer, "Tiamo Carrissima" with it's perfect off kilter phonographic jar, balanced flawlessly with soothe noir distant seductively pleading vocals that are all the more haunting having been sung in stunningly executed Italian….a last kiss goodbye if you will.

True opener, "Screaming Down From Heaven" a song written about the death of a dear friend, is lush and expansive with skillful guitar work that is brilliantly less out-right and used more as a melodically cohesive part of it's surroundings, which seems to be a true mark of any GoS song and the rule of thumb for any great artistry for that matter…to blend and blur the edges until there are none. Intelligent lyrics and passionate vocals that very much attempt understanding of the utterly human raw emotional spectrum of loss.

"Nawlins Bayou" is a well placed, exuberant track. GoS captures a Louisiana fusion flavor that dares you to just try and keep all body parts still while listening, complete with a funky driving bass line, an unexpectedly spirited Bluesy piano solo and mingled hints of full-on gospel choir that would be just as at home spilling out of a raucous club on Rue de Bourbon as a back swamp bayou party and makes you heartsick for such a place. GoS are masters of the atmospheric "moment" song, so laissez les bon temps rouler, cher!

"November Sky" has an elaborate instrumental sway and an intricate stop-start beat along with clean acrobatic vocals that leads into mid-song soaring guitar expanse, every second is gorgeously full and completely owns it's lyrics centering on the highs and lows of life itself.

"Ripcord" slows the pace thoroughly for a moment with it's heavy emotional violin that takes subtle cues from Dave Matthews..meant completely as a compliment, and strong imploring vocals that fit perfectly into the lingering poignant feel of the song.

"Southern Lights" brings a bar inspired bright upbeat party song feel with hip swaying harmonica and crowd inclusive beats, that prove again GoS has full musical mastery as it builds into a festive romp of a ride, completely sing-along able with an anthem like feel that inspires the notion that the band is having as much fun bringing it as we are listening to it, an instant fav.

'Home" has hit single written all over it. Insightful lyrics turned sonically beautiful and soothing as hopeful sunlight in a dark day, instantly optimistic and massively memorable. In true GoS style, they don't stop at what could be a "normal" 3 minute masterpiece but instead expands and explains it musically and vocally until they are satisfied that the full emotion of the song is explored and given over. Love it!



"Crossroads" is a scenic and sonic walk along life's tracks, strong and smart textural vocals amid drum beats in true airy form and southern smoky blues keys that meander in and out of lyrics that are wise, contemplative and full of self exploration.

"Torn Asunder" lyrically feels is as if working through a full-on thought process of the heart, something everyone can relate to. Insanely catchy chorus, driving drums, seriously winding guitar and saturated keys with limber vocals that run from whisper kisses to deep growls, just like the emotion itself.

"Conscious Awakening" serves to show just how diverse GoS can be, with this hard driving dynamic guitar heavy rap song reminiscent of Faith No More. Supremely clever group style vocal attack that absolutely works without being one bit nonsensical, but instead is a showcase for the band's flexibility and sets up for "Reckless Responsibility" the perfect come down from "Conscious Awakening's" mania. Thought provoking astute lyrics, that wind musically and build into a lengthy blast of an end jam that is a realization of how much enjoyment GoS gets of what they do and their glorious instrumental ownership. - Severina Magazine

I know some of you people picked up the Garden of Souls Wake Up EP when it came out with only 4 songs on it...well worth it, but if you haven't rushed on over to CD Baby and picked up the rereleased 8 song cd, you better hurry because there are less than 10 still avaliable there and you are going to hate yourself if you don't have it in your hot little hands because it rocks! GoS reworked some of the original 4 so it's not as if you are rebuying the same songs either, $10 for this Cd seems like you are stealing treasures from someone you shouldn't be. There have actually been plenty of people who have sent me CDs that I wouldn't dream of telling you you should spend your ducets on! But this ain't one of them...

Wake Up:
This is such an amazing song, raw edgy vocals and and lyrics you instantly get caught up in and will find yourself singing in your head eternally. GoS sprinkled and tweaked it a little differently from the origianal and it shines even brighter than before. Love this song!

Solar Paper Savior:
This is my favorite song of the moment from GoS. Seriously solid intrument mastery and a driving beat . . . . Careful: you are going to find yourself hurling way too fast down the road to this one! Luke sings the crap out of this song, to put it plainly. It's a full force rock song with a brilliant build up and screaming devil-boy break down that you will want to hear over and over: singable, catchy and dangerous.

Runes {Diamond Mix}:
This song is so musically tight, complex and atmospheric . . . then enter Shara Worden from My Brightest Diamond {formerly AwRY} who has this ethereal strange fey voice, that I adore already, but she adds so much to this song when blended with Luke's deep growl vocals. I wasn't sure I could like this song any more than I already did, but I was wrong. GoS squeezed the dark coal tighter and it's a gorgeous diamond indeed.

Spanish Castle Magic {Live at Memphis Smoke}:
A little ditty by a man named Jimi...Hendrix that is. GoS does this song mega-justice and there is even a little Elvis channeling at the end!

Brighter Blues:
And now for something completely different! In the middle of the CD, GoS sticks in a sweet little laid back 1950-ish doo wap song. Surprising and totally upbeat, shows how diverse and how quickly they can meld, bend and master any musical style they put their mind too.

Jewel Box {Jeff Buckley cover}:
GoS scooped up Jeff's unfinished gem, polished it up and cut their own faucets into it and it's a perfect fit. They didn't do the evil little deed of trying to copy what Jeff left laid out; but took the harder road of adding lush violin, dusky emotional vocals and an upbeat tempo and fleshed it out beautifully. It works . . . this is one of my favorite Jeff covers of all time.

Phantoms:
I have big big love for this song; it's a personal favorite of mine. Sweeping, huge, perfectly blended music that takes you somewhere else and sets you down in the wind, rain and soft sand to tell you an entrancing story. Phantoms is hypnotic, sonically seducing, and gorgeous.

Acid Reign:
ROCK SONG ALERT! This is something you would expect to hear some hot goth girl stripping to in some dark underground club . . . maybe that's just me. A very hard driving song for GoS; scorching guitars and militaristic drumbeat, breaks laced with seriously grab ya vocals and a great hook. One you will push repeat on again and again, dig? - Severina Magazine