Green Carnation – A Dark Poem, Pt. I: The Shores of Melancholia
Green Carnation – A Dark Poem, Pt. I: The Shores of Melancholia
Season of Mist
Release Date: 05/09/2025
Review by Rory Bentley
8/10
Despite spending over a decade fronting a Prog Metal band, I very rarely reach for Prog albums these days. Not just because I’ve become a cliche Hardcore grunt on here, but because I have increasingly less patience for indulgence in music. I value tight, fat-free songwriting above almost everything else when I’m putting my critic hat on top of my big bald noggin, and often the noodly cape-wearing end of Metal does not excel at this.
However, I’ll always check out a new record from Norwegian veterans Green Carnation. Partly because you never know exactly what you’re going to get, but mostly because the one guarantee is meticulous, efficient songcraft with a real touch of class. This is luxury Prog Metal, the kind that feels like you should be getting a ‘canapés and bubbly’ reception and someone taking your jacket when you press play. The kind of stuff that Beth normally goes ham for, but you’re stuck with me today.
Five years since their well-regarded comeback album, the band have dropped the first of a trilogy of records with some concept or other that I skim read and immediately forgot about because I like Kublai Khan. Despite this Prog red-flag, I finished the album very happy to get two more instalments of this project, as the songs here are fantastic.
‘As Silence Took You’ has big chunky riffs, ethereal keys, and a soaring and soulful vocal performance from Kjetil Nordhus, whose tone has only grown richer and more commanding over the years. There’s tons of melody and a sublime chorus, yet the song still maintains a Progressive focus, shifting between sections with ease.
Meanwhile, ‘In Your Paradise’ has an incredibly satisfying stomper of a riff anchoring everything, as Nordhus leans into the more theatrical end of his style. Despite being adorned with all the Prog trimming, including sweeping strings and some Gilmore-isms on the lead work, the majority of the song is propelled by a four on the floor pounding of the kit by Jonathan Pérez. Evidence that Prog Metal and the creation of a banger are not mutually exclusive concepts.
The biggest surprise here (and a really pleasant one) is the reintroduction of Black Metal to the band’s sound on ‘The Slave That You Are’, something which most thought we’d never see again. Enlisting the help of Enslaved legend Grutle Kjellson to provide the savage shrieks and growls required, the song flips impressively between the scabrous blasting of old and the modern, sophisticated style we’ve come to know. It’s really cool hearing this sound utilised again, and the band are smart enough to use it sparingly; it could have run the risk of sounding like old geezers trying to forcibly recapture their younger days, but as it stands, the balance is perfect.
At a delightfully lean 43 minutes, there’s not an ounce of fat on this record, and it gets so much done in its runtime that it makes you wonder why so many modern Prog bands have to deliver albums that require you to book annual leave to get to the end of. Production wise, things sound crisp without being sterile, and there is enough variety to encourage some serious replay value. If an attention-deficient skinhead like me, who mainly just listens to Rancid all day, can get multiple spins out of this, you chin-stroked Prog lovers should be arse over toy for this! Excellent classy Metal that has something for everyone.
‘The Shores of Melancholia’ Official Video
TRACKLISTING:
01. As Silence Took You
02. In Your Paradise
03. Me, My Enemy
04. The Slave That You Are
05. The Shores of Melancholia
06. Too Close to the Flame
LINKS:
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