Album Review: Ivy Gardens -  Death of Don Valley

Ivy Gardens' sophomore album,  Death of Don Valley,  is a bold and dark turn for the Niagara Falls trio. Released on August 29, 2025, this record moves decisively away from the more positive, high-energy Stoner Rock of their 2024 debut, Goon, and plunges into heavier, more experimental territory.

The album is a concept piece focuses on themes of decay and death, using the pollution and degradation of Toronto's Don River as a powerful metaphor . This bleak inspiration fuels the music, which masterfully blends Sludge Metal, Stoner Rock, and sharp Prog/Math-Rock twists. The band themselves describe their sound as the lovechild of Rush and Kyuss, and that complexity meets raw power is on full display here.

Death of Don Valley is a journey of dynamic contrasts. It kicks off with the aggressive, punk fueled energy of short, blistering tracks like Burn For Murder and Burden . As the album unfolds, it expands into sprawling, epic compositions such as  Guiding Hand  and the nearly nine-minute Bliss, which takes the listener through sludgy riffs, eerie keyboards, and clean, sobering passages . A standout track,  Frozen Limbs,  is noted for its dissonant guitar and keyboard harmony, building to what is reportedly the heaviest moment the band has ever recorded.

My personal favorite part of this album is its  live off the floor recording process, which gives it a raw, immediate, and powerful feel, as if capturing the band's intense live energy directly onto the record .

Death of Don Valley  is a challenging but rewarding listen. It’s a darker, more complex, and more ambitious album that proves Ivy Gardens is not afraid to evolve and confront heavier themes through their potent, sludge-soaked sound.

- Alternativejustin