Green Carnation is something of a legendary band, primarily because of their classic 2001 album Light of Day, Day of Darkness. They were inactive for almost fifteen years before returning with 2020’s Leaves of Yesteryear. Now they are back with the first of a new trilogy called A Dark Poem Part 1: The Shores of Melancholia. It comes out tomorrow, September 5th.
The band hails from Norway and includes Kjetil Nordhus on vocals, Stein Roger Sordal on bass, guitars, and keys, Bjørn Harstad on guitars, Endre Kirkesola on keys, and Jonathan Alejandro Perez on drums. You will also hear Ingrid Ose on flute, Grutle Kjellson of Enslaved on harsh vox, and Henning Seldal on percussion.
The band plays progressive metal with a blend of black metal on one track, and some songs leaning more towards prog rock at times. There is a certain dark atmosphere that pervades their music, and the instrumentation is top notch. I would point to their rhythm section as a major strength, full of blast beats and powerful grooves. The guitar work is also meaty and fantastic.
Look, I’ll be straight with you. This album has six tracks and it has strengths and weaknesses. For strengths, I think the band has composed some fiery instrumentals; almost every track has a spiraling, majestic instrumental full of razor-sharp guitarwork. Combine that with the oiled machine of their rhythm section and throw in a dash of black metal on “The Slave That You Are”, and the album is a relatively short, exciting experience with some variety.
For weaknesses, I would point to the vocals as a mixed bag. On some tracks, they are fine. Other tracks, they are noticeably below average, full of off-key notes, vocal lines that don’t work very well, and this sense that the vocalist is straining to stay afloat. I would also point to a major lull in the album called “Me My Enemy”, which just doesn’t work for me. It’s one of those songs that sounds awkward, like it needed more development, and I find the lyrics to be strangely more repetitive and frankly annoying than the rest of the album.
The five other tracks are strong enough, though. My favorites are the one-two punch of “As Silence Took You” and “In Your Paradise”. The former has a leering, atmospheric sound that I really like, and the guitars are especially crunchy and satisfying. The latter is my favorite song on the album; it is catchy and rock solid, but it’s the amazing instrumentation in the second half that I find especially compelling.
The final three tracks on the album are good to great. “The Slave That You Are” has the black metal vox and tempo, and I really like how they blend it with the progressive trappings. It’s a great track. “The Shores of Melancholia” is a good song that leans into its central hook, and I find it nostalgic for some reason. The closer “Too Close to the Flame” is a longer piece with lots of great drumming and rhythms, plus yet another electric instrumental that hits pretty hard. It does end somewhat abruptly, but that really isn’t a problem.
If you are a fan of Green Carnation, you will love this. It has character and terrific instrumentals that are quite frankly spellbinding. I think the album has its weaknesses, though, and I don’t personally find myself wanting to revisit it much. Take that as you will.
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The PROG Mind 
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