A Dark Poem, Part II: Sanguis

Had GREEN CARNATION never returned from hiatus, the Norwegian bards would always be remembered for completing one of the most ambitious individual epics in metal’s historic archives. However, there was one tale — or three, to be exact — that eluded them for more than three decades. Now, after reaching crushing new highs during its opening chapter, they’re descending into deeper, darker and more personal depths with Part II of A Dark Poem.

If The Shores of Melancholia set sail from a familiar place of melancholy, then Sanguis opens with Green Carnation far out at sea, fighting to stay afloat against the storm that’s raging in their minds. Over the course of nine minutes, the album’s epic title track vows to forgive and forget familial wreckage, washing away the bloody stains of the past with impassioned cleans and a chorus that radiates conviction — only for a traumatic memory to come flooding back during its doomy coda. The newfound heaviness from the first part of A Dark Poem continues to age like a fine wine, balancing sweet meaty riffs with an underlying bitterness. “I Am Time” demands immediate recognition with a guitar melody that winds like the winds of change. But Part II reveals the band at their most raw with ballads that unfold with the grace of a wilted flower.

“The end justifies the means, you’ll see”, Kjetil Nordhus sings with an eerily quiet confidence. As its final tale seeps beneath the moonlight, Sanguis leaves fans hanging in suspense over where this trilogy will end.