Green Carnation – A Dark Poem, Part II: Sanguis
Season of Mist
9,0/10,0
Brief:
No matter how long or where the journey has taken them, Green Carnation have never been afraid of a challenge. After reaching crushing new highs during the grand and gloomy opening chapter to their long-awaited album trilogy, the Norwegian prog bards are descending into deeper, darker and more personal depths with Part II of A Dark Poem.
Founded in the early ‘90s by Emperor’s original bassist Tchort, Green Carnation amassed a cult following behind critical acclaim for Light of Day, Day of Darkness, an album containing a single hour-long song that still resonates as one of the most ambitious epics in metal’s archives. Current members Bjørn Harstad (guitar), Stein Roger Sordal (bass) and Endre Kirkesola (keyboard, producer) along with Nordhus, were already in place by 2001. But whether it was the gothic crush of A Blessing in Disguise or pitch-black hard rock of The Quest Offspring, Green Carnation continued branching out through the mid-2000s. Even before going on hiatus in 2007, they still flashed a flare for the dramatic by performing their acoustic verses underneath a mountain dam.
However, there was one tale – or three, to be exact – that eluded them for more than three decades. The idea for an album trilogy penned after Shakespeare’s tragic Ophelia stems all the way back to their earliest reflections of life and death, but when the first part of A Dark Poem was unfurled in 2025, right away, it was clear that Green Carnation had completed their masterpiece. The Shores of Melancholia washed onto year-end lists at Loudwire , Angry Metal Guy and other major publications.
If Green Carnation set sail from a familiar place of melancholy on The Shores of Melancholia, then Sanguis finds the band far out at sea, fighting to stay afloat against the storm that’s raging in their minds. Whereas Part I only scratched at the surface, the epic title track that opens Part II vows to forgive and forget old bloodied wounds. Over the course of nine minutes, cresting cleans and swells of organ from long-time producer and newest member Endre Kirkesola try and wash away the familial wreckage — only for a traumatic childhood memory to come flooding back during the song’s doomy coda.
Part II introduces more peaks and valleys into the overarching narrative of A Dark Poem, but nowhere does the album’s bleeding-heart core shine through more achingly than its closing ballad. Graced by Ingrid Ose’s soothing flute, “Lunar Tale” positively sparkles, even as it casts a rather grim beacon into the future. “The end justifies the means, you’ll see”, Nordhus sings with eerily quiet confidence. As the piano seeps beneath the moonlight, Sanguis leaves fans hanging in suspense over where this trilogy will end.
[Edited Press Release]
Tracklist:
- Sanguis
- Loneliness Untold, Loneliness Unfold
- Sweet to the Point of Bitter
- I Am Time
- Fire in Ice
- Lunar Tale
Main Focus Tracks:
- Sanguis
- Sweet to the Point of Bitter
- I Am Time
Other Recommended Tracks:
- Loneliness Untold, Loneliness Unfold
- Fire in Ice
Line-Up:
Kjetil Nordhus — Vocals
Stein Roger Sordal — Bass
Tchort — Guitars
Bjørn Harstad — Guitars
Trond Breen — Guitars
Endre Kirkesola — Keyboards
Comments:
A Dark Poem, Part II: Sanguis is a showcase of emotion, technical prowess, and musicianship. A masterpiece for fans of the genre!
Contacts:
Video:
Selected Discography:
Journey to the End of the Night – 2000
Light of Day, Day of Darkness – 2001
A Blessing in Disguise – 2003
The Quiet Offspring – 2005
Acoustic Verses – 2006
Leaves of Yesteryear – 2020
A Dark Poem Part I: The Shores of Melancholia – 2025
A Dark Poem, Part II: Sanguis – 2026
Photo credit: Lars Gunnar Liestøl