GREEN CARNATION: LIGHT OF DAY, DAY OF
DARKNESS
- Psychedelic Orchestrated Metal -
This CD is one dark
flower. To start, the album is one track running 5 seconds past one hour. No
surprise here since their debut album ran a non-stop 72 minutes. Better make time
footnotes if you want to find a specific section on this CD.
I classify this release as a
progressive candidate because of its long running time, frequent soft to loud to
soft changes and use of instruments and choir vocals not generally known by the
genre. Other than that, it falls into the death/doom/black metal category.
And let me
elaborate a little on the choir part. An opera choir of eight was used, but a
children’s choir of eleven voices was incorporated as well.
The first opening
minutes will perk up your interests, but then falls into characteristic, gloomy
guitar grind, and machine gun double bass drums. The assaults are brief and the
fills in between are skillfully arranged with acoustic guitars, synthesis and
strings. This is a roller coaster ride of dark soft and loud with no moments of
happiness or consolation. This composition is darker than the subway tunnels under
any great city. When Kjetil Nordhus is not filling the role as vocalist, we hear a
Gregorian chant style of vocals more common to the band Therion. At the 33
minute mark, we get a short break from the grind as it drops into a quiet synth and
saxophone lament, only spoiled by the feeble vocal attempts from guest female singer
Synne Soprana.
The subject theme
seems to wrestle with the life after death question and the existence of a divine
entity, but is confusing to figure out exactly what a seemingly frustrated Tchort is
trying to say.
Lyric example:
I left my body
Come meet me in my dreams
It’s been so long
Would you know me?
Time stands still, but I wonder
Who’s watching over you?
Who’s watching over me?
Although the
vocals sound satanic at times, there is nothing in the lyrics that would put an
ear-to-ear grin on Lucifer’s face, except for maybe the occasional use of the word
insane/insanity.
If you like the
death metal genre of music, recently lost your life savings in Enron, your house was
foreclosed, your wife left you, your dog died, or you ran out of Zoloft, then this
album is definitely for you. All in all, this CD was given much thought and effort
in structure was well performed (except of a brief passage that hinted of a slightly
out of tune guitar) and well produced. The recording/mixing effort was acceptable.
Rating: 7 out of
10 keyboards.
Reviewer: Dana Holmes
Green Carnation: Light Of Day, Day Of Darkness has been released Visit
Green Carnation official website.
GREEN
CARNATION
(NORWAY)
- Psychedelic Orchestrated Metal -
You can purchase Green Carnation at
The End Records
556 S. Fair Oaks Ave #101-111
Pasadena, CA 91105 USA
Fax: (626) 403-2848
E-Mail: theend@theendrecords.com
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