Green Carnation. A band stating that they – and I quote “…are returning to long-form storytelling…” with their first installment of a trilogy, clunkily called A Dark Poem, Part I: The Shores of Melancholia. Wow. That’s quite a statement. But then, the Norwegians here pulled exactly that stunt before to quite some critical acclaim, we are told. And the band surely doesn’t take the easy road this time, stating that “…the ambitions are sky high musically.” Well, hell’s bells, that’s not something we really could resist. Right?
Storytelling ain’t no easy feat, though. A band needs to be in stellar shape with outstanding songsmithing skills on stark display to be successful. And more often than not, these epic opuses end with limited allure embedded in a sprawling mess of meandering turns and unfinished loops. There are exceptions, of course. One of the most prominent bands surely is the prog act Ayreon. One of Arjen Lucassen’s many projects that excels in thorny and often scientific subjects. Talk about adding complexity to an already complex endeavor. And, in truth, the RMR crew never attempted a review on any of them. The ride is way too wild for not ending up in an equally long-form type of booklet masquerading as a review.
So, why then did we hit upon Green Carnation‘s A Dark Poem? Their record is similar in complexity to one of Lucassen’s endeavors. And it is indeed a sprawling complex, too. But, the moment you start up As Silence Took You, the record draws you into its warm embrace. Famous last words straight from Doom Metal central greet you to the point of expecting Nick Holmes1 leading off into one of his tear-drenched rants. That doesn’t happen, of course. Instead, you’re treated to a first barrage of Kjetil Nordhus‘ melancholically tainted clear vocals. And after that, your brain is cooked and you’re hooked to the proceedings as they unfold.
Green Carnation serve a pretty sturdy fusion of Doom, Gothic, and Progressive Metal. All of that comes garnished with some extras, such as a touch of groove here and there and the incursion into Black Metal on the excellent track The Slave That You Are. An astoundingly tasty blackened specimen featuring Enslaved vocalist Grutle Kjellson for the heavy lifting. A Dark Poem serves as a great example of how storytelling should sound like. And after a while, you get the feeling of being embedded in a tale that somehow effortlessly flows forth. With you inside it on that proverbial rubber boat that rushes downriver without ever touching the shore. Only, you have no paddles to check your course.
The first two tracks – As the Silence Took You and In Your Paradise – already point you to the essence of the record. Both meander from proficient doom, fueled by fumes straight from Paradise Lost, to truly Gothic vibes à la Amorphis. Add to that a pinch of Nevermore without Loumis’ thrash guitar, and you about get the picture. The RMR crew also appreciated the prog vibes on A Dark Poem. These days, you often find a somewhat pig-headed prog style from bands wanting to be the next Leprous or something. Yet, Green Carnation here offer a more subdued and – I daresay – more varied brand. Said differently, the prog vibes oscillate somewhere between the aforementioned Ayreon and the sins early Genesis committed eons ago.
That said, A Dark Poem ain’t without its negatives. Me My Enemy, for instance, is an arduous and boring affair. The track endlessly strings itself along around a soundscape without bite, whining about yourself being your worst enemy. And this sucked some of the oxygen out of a pretty lustily-paced tracklist. And why, oh why, did Green Carnation drown Ingrid Ose‘s outstanding flute contribution in the mix by letting the harsh vox of the electric guitar and drum kit continue unabashed on In Your Paradise? That’s an opportunity lost to create a moment of wonder and pure magic in a sea of heavy chugging and melancholic musings.
Ultimately, though, A Dark Poem, Part I: The Shores of Melancholia delivered a neatly structured tale full of different moods, styles, and colors. An expertly crafted storyline that will not let you escape again once you immerse yourself in its wondrous world. The band opined that this time, they didn’t just create one big giant song, but went for something different. But that’s only partly correct. While the tracklist contains distinct tracks, the whole album still offers a level of amalgamation that will turn each of the different songs into those proverbial cogs in a wheel. A record best consumed in one listening session, a few times over.
Record Rating: 7/10 | Label: Season of Mist | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 5 September 2025
- The guy from Paradise Lost.-↩