Green Carnation - A Dark Poem, Part I: The Shores of Melancholia (2025)

Five years after their return with “Leaves of Yesteryear” Green Carnation unveils the first installment of a trilogy titled “A Dark Poem”. With “The Shores of Melancholia”, the band returns with their lush and intricate songwriting style, filled with awesome vocal melodies and crafty instrumentation. Just as with some of their older releases, this album takes more than a few spins to fully unravel and show its intricate details and secrets, so be ready to put in some work to be properly rewarded.

Opening with the dreamy and moody “As Silence Took You”, it does not take long for Kjetil Nordhus vocals to shine, alongside Bjørn Harstad’s crafty guitar leads. The song sets a very melancholic and exciting vibe, featuring some interesting tempo changes and a wide variety of proggy elements. Exploiting their ability to craft catchy and yet intricate songs, “In Your Paradise” and “Me My Enemy”, fully explore the wide palette of sound and influences that the band has polished over the years.

Heaviness is also very present in this release with punishing onslaughts like “The Slave That You Are”, which features Grutle Kjellson (Enslaved) delivering some harsh vocals. This track nicely balances its harsh roots with the band’s more traditional melodic nature thanks to a soaring chorus section that is quite intoxicating. It’s been since their “The Quiet Offspring” days that the band has not included any songs over ten minutes long, but it also allows for pieces like “The Shores of Melancholia” and “Too Close to the Flame”, to deliver their message efficiently and progress more naturally and faster.

As a whole, ““A Dark Poem” is starting to look like a banger trilogy for this storied band, with “The Shores of Melancholia” setting a very proggy, crafty, and equally catchy and intoxicating mood that only a handful of bands can deliver. Green Carnation is at the top of their game, and sounds and feels as inspired as always. If you never heard from these guys, you are in for a treat with their expertly crafted intricate music.

Label: Season of Mist

Release: September 5th, 2025

Genre: Progressive Metal

Country: Norway