Green Carnation - The Quiet Offspring


Year of Release: 2005
Label: The End Records
Catalog Number: n/a
Format: CD
Total Time: 00:00:00

Evaluation:

What is it?

Not having heard any of Green Carnation's previous offerings, nor being familiar with their past sound, I was determined to listen to this disc with unbiased ears. The cover art and libretto made me feel like I was lying on my back in a forest towards the beginning of autumn? still warm, yet only a breeze away from chill? I imagined I was looking up at the canopy, transfixed by the slivers of light as they winked their way to the ground. In utter silence I lay, and then,, suddenly, the light ceased and I was left in the cold and the dark?

Analysis:

What it is:

I'm still scratching my head on this one. I find elements of some early 80s bands (Tears For Fears springs to mind in the chorus of "Purple Door Pitch Black"), and strange comparisons to heavier bands like Non-Fiction and Alice in Chains ("Dead But Dreaming")... "Pile Of Doubt" has a Peter Gabriel vibe to it? remember "Last Crack"? Not really metal, not exactly progressive, this is the measure of the absorption of one's influences into a seamless whole ? can you walk away from it and name influences or just feel like you've heard it before without being able to pin it down conclusively?

I like it. It isn't heavy but it's weighty. It isn't progressive but it is mutable. The music isn't about instrumental prowess but it's superbly played. The lyrics cast a pall but they don't overshadow the uplift inherent in much of the disc. This is a musical paradox ? no, a musical paradigm?

Kudos to GC for using clean vocals throughout. Kjetil Nordhus has a powerful baritone, and delivers an emotive performance. Guitars are subdued but omnipresent ? not a wasted note, and, with the exception of the beautifully phrased lead-work in "When I Was You," solos are virtually non-existent. Every part is subservient to the big picture, and there is not one self-aggrandizing moment on the entire disc.

Rating: 9-/10 (The minus is for the drumming. My only complaint is the almost sedentary feel imparted by the adherence to overly familiar rock/metal phrasing ? a little less backbeat and more manipulation of the bar-lines would have raised the excitement level without sacrificing the flow) [4.5/5]>

Summary:

Superb in concept and execution, lyrically thoughtful and atmospherically powerful, this is an engaging listen if you have an open mind. Can you name the influences?


Tracklisting:
The Quiet Offspring / Between The Gentlesmall And The Standing Tall / Just When You Think It's Safe / A Place For Me / The Everlasting Moment / Purple Door, Pitch Black / Child's Play - Part I / Dead But Dreaming / Pile Of Doubt / When I Was You / Child's Play - Part II /

Musicians:
Tchort - guitar
Kjetil Nordhus - vocals
Stein Roger Sordal - bass, guitars, harp
Anders Kobro - drums
Bernt A Moen - keyboards, piano
Bjørn Harstad - lead guitar, effects


Discography:
A Journey To The End Of Night (2000)
Light Of Day, Day Of Darkness (2001)
A Blessing In Disguise (2003)
The Trilogy (box set) (2004)
The Quiet Offspring (2005)
The Burden Is Mine ... Alone (ep) (2005)
The Acoustic Verses (2006)
Last Day Of Darkness (DL) (2018)

Alive And Well...In Krakow (DVD) (2004)
A Night Under The Dam (DVD) (2007)
Last Day Of Darkness (DVD) (2018)

Genre: Other

Origin NO

Added: June 20th 2005
Reviewer: Jan-Mikael Erakare
Score:
Artist website: www.facebook.com/GreenCarnationNorway/
Hits: 2831
Language: english

  

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