Review Summary: The second part of this gothic love story.
I have a love-hate relationship with progressive metal. Certain bands like Dream Theater, and more technical, djent bands like Periphery, have just never done it for me. It's either way too cheesy for my personal preference or just pure wank. With that being said, there are plenty of instances where this genre hits me right in the feels. Green Carnation is a band from Norway that has struck a chord with me in particular. Their brand of downtrodden, gothic-inspired prog metal gives off all of the cinematic feelings without seeming forced or too corny for its own good. Their newest album,
A Dark Poem, Part II: Sanguis, is the second installment of the Dark Poem trilogy and it is noticeably darker and more melancholic than its predecessor.
You'll notice that the entire album is drenched in despondency and sorrow while also giving off plenty of operatic and vivid imagery that makes you feel as if you're smack dab in the middle of some type of gothic love story. The title track starts the album off and it's a song that is over nine minutes long, giving off all of the vibes that make this album what it is. It's dark and gloomy, like a black cloud hanging over the listener, while being somewhat uplifting all at the same time. The first four minutes of the track seem like a typical prog metal affair with soaring cleans and massive, over-the-top riffs before breaking into a Pink Floyd-esque, psychedelic cavalcade of keyboards then transitioning into a romantic and death/doomy sound with much heavier riffage and some shrill screams in the background.
The next track, ‘Loneliness Untold, Loneliness Unfold’, is a macabre-sounding ballad that reminds me of the earliest, silent horror movies. The rest of the album follows the same formula, shifting between the heavier moments and the more love-inspired, narrative poem type of sound. One of the best things about this record is that it never overstays its welcome. Clocking in at only 37 minutes long, it does the job that it intends to do clearly and concisely without ever being overbearing or loaded with filler. Each and every second is imperative to the story that it is trying to tell. It's lovely and emotional while also being loaded with an overarching dejection like a man being rejected by the love of his life and then writing a musical book about that experience.
I'm super excited to see where Green Carnation go with the third part of this trilogy since the first two installments have both been fantastic, imaginative albums with tons of passion and sentiment behind them.
Sanguis is noticeably more gloomy than the first album so I'm interested to see how the last part stacks up and what direction they'll decide to go in. Either way, the fire is clearly burning for these Norwegians and whatever they decide to cook up next will probably be just as mind-blowing as the first two albums in the trilogy. Green Carnation are a prog band that doesn't need cheese or technical prowess to get their point across. They bring pure emotion mixed with theatrics and a heaviness that other bands in this genre just don't seem to measure up to, and for me, that is plenty good enough.
