Reviews list for Green Carnation - A Dark Poem, Pt. I: The Shores of Melancholia (2025)

The one thing that will always be Green Carnation's calling card is their songwriting. The Nordic giants of Gothic Progressive Metal blew me away with Light of Day, Day of Darkness over twenty years ago and I was pleasantly surprised when they returned in 2020 with Leaves of Yesteryear. Progressive songwriting has always struggled when it came to towing the line of being overtly technical for its own sake, and writing tighter, more concise tunes to be more easily digestible. Green Carnation are the band that prove to me that you don't have to pick one or the other.

When I saw that The Shore of Melancholia was a multi-part release from the band, I became very excited. I was even more excited when I saw the track listing to part 1 or A Dark Poem and saw shorter runtimes. And that excitement came to a climax when the final notes of "Too Close to the Flame" reverberated out as that final reminder that my expectations had been met and then some! I love how this album starts with "As Silence Took You" and "In Your Paradise"; clearly harkening back to a gothic doom style of My Dying Bride, with the vocals from Kjetil Nordhus feeling like an absolute gut punch. I really enjoyed the pacing for the first half of the record, feeling progressive at times, but not overwhelming to the listener with endless solo breaks and uncommon time signature technicality.

"The Slave That You Are" will take some getting used to. Starting off with blast beat percussion, open guitar chords and Enslaved's Grutle Kjellso providing guest vocals, the stylistic flip is jarring to put it lightly. However, the first three tracks on the record are not just status quo gothic doom metal; there is something brewing underneath the surface and when it explodes on "The Slave That You Are" it feels so good! The title track, "The Shores of Melancholia" comes up next and even though the intensity has been pulled back, it still does not sound like the first handful of songs. The final track, "Too Close to the Flame" is the closest thing to a modern progressive power metal song. The instrumental sounds phenomenal even if the mixing does feel a little too overwhelming in the final minutes. Even then, the buildup to that finale is sweet and leaves the record feeling like a near perfect story with a buildup, climax and resolution. 

The way in which Green Carnation continues to impress this many years after their magnum opus is remarkable and the way they continue to develop their sound throughout the years remains one of progressive music's most surprising mysteries, in a genre where the main faces would rather repeat the same mistakes of their contemporaries.

Best Songs: As Silence Took You, Me, My Enemy, The Slave That You Are, The Shore of Melancholia

It seems like bands who have reformed end up taking another long-but-not-as-long gap before their next album since their comeback. We should be grateful though, they're already starting a new album trilogy with A Dark Poem, Pt. I: The Shores Of Melancholia. 42 more minutes of gothic progressive metal greatness!

The band continues to put their influences together, adding new aspects while never letting go of what they usually have. The instruments shine in the rifftastic guitars, audible bass, and expansive keys. As for the vocals, I'm still enjoying the baritone singing that should be easy for me to cover sometime, fitting well for both the softer sections and the heavier parts. More often than not, catchiness is in great balance with drama.

"As Silence Took You" already shows that the band is in fact returning to their doomy gothic side prominent in their debut, particularly in the riffing. "In Your Paradise" continues that direction in a more upbeat fashion.

"Me, My Enemy" is a more ballad-ish track that's still OK. "The Slave That You Are" is probably the heaviest track Green Carnation has ever made by far. It brings things closer to the progressive black metal of In the Woods and Enslaved, with the latter band's vocalist Grutle Kjellson guest appearing in the verses that contrast with the clean chorus.

The title track follows as their doomiest track since their debut. It's as doomy as Swallow the Sun while having some uplifting moments. It's not the best track of the album though, but I still like it. Finally, we have the upbeat closing track, "Too Close to the Flame". I think we can easily consider it progressive gothic metal, a bridge between The Infinite and The Fallen. Not quite doomy, yet really having that gothic vibe.

All in all, Green Carnation have made a promising start of a new saga. It's great hearing the motivation they have for ambition despite already reaching their peak in the early 2000s. The music and lyrics are all in excellent shape. A potentially strong era of gothic progressive metal power and grace is up ahead!

Favorites: "As Silence Took You", "The Slave That You Are", "Too Close to the Flame"