Green Carnation’s trilogy comes to an end.
Launched a year ago by Tchort (guitar, The 3rd Attempt, Blood Red Throne, ex-Carpathian Forest, ex-Emperor), Kjetil Nordhus (vocals, ex-Tristania, ex-Subterranean Masquerade), Bjørn Harstad (guitar, ex-In the Woods…), Stein Roger Sordal (bass/guitar/keyboards, ex-In the Woods…), Jonathan Alejandro Perez (drums, Trail of Tears, ex-Sirenia), and Endre Kirkesola (keyboards), the trilogy concludes with A Dark Poem, Part III: The Messiah Complex, released via Season of Mist.
Unconditional Artificial Chemistry’s keyboards gently welcome us back for a moment, then the heavy, groovy riffs reclaim their place in the atmosphere, calling forth the vocals that effortlessly transport us back to a certain spellbinding tranquility, guiding us at their own pace through the various elements. Keyboards and bass provide a fairly heavy yet catchy tone, allowing the vocalist to weave moments of intensity – as before the luminous solo – but the band ultimately reaches The Messiah Complex after a final gripping section, returning to calm thanks to the guitar, though the other instruments quickly introduce an unsettling touch. The tempo shifts quite a bit, moving from a haunting tone to an exhilarating acceleration with firmly established prog roots, before settling down again to transition into Broken Souls, Common Enemies, where the sound thickens noticeably before developing a more energetic and quite infectious vibe. You’ll even hear a few roars in the background before the riffs really take off, offering a rather chaotic tone that returns to normal during this ethereal break featuring Ingrid Ose’s flute, where a sampled voice makes an appearance, and then the track resumes its steady pace toward the conclusion, A Dark Poem – Orchestral Suite. Led by the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra and Opera Choir, this very long track (over sixteen minutes) promises a majestic and at times rather minimalist interlude, perfectly illustrating A Dark Poem’s concept, notably featuring a breathtaking climax before the final section, itself epic and varied, which brings this adventure to a definitive close.
A chapter is closing for Green Carnation, and although it took the band only a year to deliver the three parts of A Dark Poem, listening to A Dark Poem, Part III: The Messiah Complex feels as though we’ve spent many months by their side – so pure and almost personal does it feel.
80/100