Review by Shadowdoom9 (Andi) for Green Carnation - Acoustic Verses (2006)

So now we've gotten to Green Carnation's 5th album Acoustic Verses. And just like the title suggests, they taken a dip into soft acoustic territory, with none of the metal from their other albums. The instruments consist mainly of acoustic guitar, mellotron, percussion and strings. I guess what this album can be used for is when you're having a pleasant evening drive. But in any other situation, it's pretty much boring and not something to listen to when you're in a headbanging mood.

I'm surprised by the amount of people out there who think this is better than their other albums, particularly The Quiet Offspring. Well, you can't deny the rich production, but does the lack of variety or heaviness ring any bells? Seems like the radio music bug crawled into their a**es when listening to this sh*t...

Admittedly, "Sweet Leaf" is quite solid. NO it's not a cover of a song from Black Sabbath's Master of Reality, although they covered "Solitude" in their comeback album Leaves of Yesteryear. "The Burden Is Mine...Alone" sounds too much like a mainstream ballad, a cross between 2010s Opeth and what Ed Sheeran would write in that decade. Even if it was released as a standalone single, it's really out of place for Green Carnation. "Maybe" really lays it back. Nothing explosive, just soft disappointment.

The string-filled "Alone" has more variety than just vocals and acoustics. Short and soft but solid and sweet! The droning "9-29-045" is, at 15 minutes, way too long for an acoustic song. I don't think I can ever fully revisit this one after that first listen. I'm glad they're going back to the earlier long epics, but that's not the right one for that aspect.

"Childs Play Part III" is an instrumental piano-led continuation of a series of songs from The Quiet Offspring. I didn't like those first two tracks, but for this one... It's actually another solid track! Probably because almost every other track in this album is worse. Though it could've been expanded upon, it's probably the best part of the whole album. Final track "High Tide Waves" sounds way too modest while still closing the album decently.

Look, as much as I love Green Carnation who are one of the most underrated bands in progressive metal, they kinda f***ed up with Acoustic Verses and its sh*tty lack of variety. At least they split up for around a decade, unlike Opeth who spent the 2010s pretending Porcupine Tree was still alive despite that band's inactivity around that time. And while I would recommend 3 of the songs for anyone wanting something soft while still progressive, I don't think it would ever catch on for my fellow metalheads. And I'm glad they would return later to become heavy again....

Favorites (only tracks I like): "Sweet Leaf", "Alone", "Childs Play Part III"