Green Carnation - Light Of Day, Day Of Darkness


Year of Release: 2002
Label: The End Records
Catalog Number: TE024
Format: CD
Total Time: 60:05:00

One of two of the most fascinating recent discoveries is this obscure Norwegian band on an even more obscure record label, whose second release is simply one, 60-plus minute opus. The title track has several movements that are blended so seemlessly together you'd think the band recorded the track all in one go.

From what I can tell, Green Carnation plays heavily in many genres of prog and prog metal. There's a definite post death metal sound (AKA the more symphonic sounds of recent Anathema) which combines doom and gloom with Pink Floyd. There are the occasional gruff vocals, though for the most part whatever vocals exists are quite clean.

Green Carnation was formed in 1990 by X-Botteri, Cristopher Botteri, Tchort and Anders Kobro.

This epic recording was done with the use of an opera choir, children's choirs, a string ensemble, and a sitar (among many other elements), and was set down for posterity using 150 tracks and almost 600 samples in the studio scope. The music travels from the depths of despair to soaring reaches of hope and spiritual defiance, blasting through morbidly dark passages of swollen, over-distorted guitars to serene, idyllic moments of acoustic and choral enchantment. There is a flow throughout the material that draws it all together into one thematic picture which has an impact upon the listener that is far greater than an album of separate songs could probably ever achieve. The arrangements and layers of keys are brilliant, and the recording is balanced nicely between edgy guitar and swooshing Hammond.

Because it's only one long track, it takes many listens to differentiate between the different passages. I do admit that around 25 minutes in, the music gets repetitive for a bit, but the last half of the CD is as equally strong as the disk's opening moments.

This is not prog metal in Dream Theater's vein. This is more like the symphonic sounds of bands like Anathema and Lacrimosa, maybe with shades of Devil Doll thrown in (though not as eccentric).

Green Carnation is a very talented band and deserves a great deal of attention with this release.


Tracklisting:
Light Of Day, Day Of Darkness (60:05)

Musicians:
Tchort - accoustic & electric guitars
Bjorn H.- lead guitar, slide and e-bow
Stein R.- bass
A. Kobro - drums
Kjetil Nordhus - vocals

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: March 9th 2002
Reviewer: RIPZ

Artist website: www.facebook.com/GreenCarnationNorway/
Hits: 2608
Language: english

  

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