Norwegian progressives Green Carnation are back with the second part of their much-trumpeted Shakespearian Trilogy; Sanguis is it’s name, but it’s a very far from bloody listening experience…
In many places, in fact, this is as close as extreme metal – the scene from which this band emerged, let’s not forget – gets to easy listening; Not in a lift music, inoffensive slop kinda way, obviously, but in the way where you actually don’t have to expend too much energy to get something out of the transfer of emotion between artist and listener. Green Carnation have boiled their essence down to it’s constituent parts here to such a degree that all the work is done for you.
Consequently, this is by some way the most easy-on-the-ear GC album yet committed to wax. I Am Time‘s burbling keys remind the listener of early Marillion, but the song morphs midway into something Evergrey might be quite proud of putting out – and whilst Green Carnation do still maintain links the darkness that made them so irresistible in the first place – the title track is sorrowful in the extreme – that lightness of touch adds an extra dimension to the songs that’s as welcome as it is surprising. Lightness of touch needn’t mean throwaway of course – this is still meaty, substantial stuff we’re talking about- but it’s a point worth making in the context of what the band is looking to achieve with this and it’s accompanying albums.
The performances are all straight from the top drawer, of course, with keyboard-playing producer Endre Kirkesola demonstrating again what a valuable addition he’s been to the team, and the band’s songwriting nous means that this is an enjoyable album even if you’re not invested in ‘the project’ as such. It’s always a delight to listen to the best in the business going about that business, and Sanguis is a very exciting exercise in just that.
A Dark Poem, Part II: Sanguis releases on April 3rd