{"id":511343,"date":"2026-04-03T20:30:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T20:30:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/511343\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T20:30:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T20:30:08","slug":"green-carnation-a-dark-poem-part-ii-sanguis-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/511343\/","title":{"rendered":"Green Carnation – A Dark Poem Part II: Sanguis Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"A little less than a year ago, Green Carnation dropped Part I of their A Dark Poem trilogy, The Shores of Melancholia<\/a>. That captivating record sets the stage for the band\u2019s ambitious Ophelia-inspired epic. While I know many loved The Shores of Melancholia as it stood (which is fair), I had a difficult time treating it that way, knowing it was meant to be a full experience. Thankfully, I can say that The Shores of Melancholia works even more now that I\u2019ve heard A Dark Poem Part II: Sanguis. The Shores of Melancholia is a fantastic introduction to the unbearable depression, frustration, guilt, and sorrow that envelop Sanguis and its impeccably concise, thirty-seven-minute runtime. So, I\u2019ll admit, individual albums should have stand-alone qualities. That way, listeners can absorb a record in the moment and in the entire experience when they have time for such a thing. We all know Part I mostly achieved that, but what about Part II?<\/p>\n

I can thankfully say that Green Carnation has achieved both. Sanguis is a record you can put on repeat with no problems, while also setting both parts on in succession. Everything that was set up in the first album is cranked to eleven in the sequel. And not just in songwriting, riffage, aggression, or attitude. This is still Green Carnation, after all. The sad moments I felt with the first album are far more intense in the sequel. The riffs are harder than most of the songs the band has ever written, and the slower pieces have the emotion of a broken-hearted child. This is exactly what much of the lyrical content focuses on. If there ever was A Dark Poem by Green Carnation, Sanguis is it.<\/p>\n

\ufeffA Dark Poem, Part II: Sanguis by Green Carnation<\/a><\/p>\n

The self-titled opener is simply one of the most epic on the disc. It picks up from where the previous album left off and slingshots you into a powerful new direction. Incorporating spacey effects with a headbangable groove and a soaring, melodic chorus, this nine-minute beauty sets the stage for what\u2019s to come. When the rasps arrive at the halfway mark, the desperation in the clean vocals intensifies, bringing along that good ole Green Carnation sadness. But the moment it all seems to come to an end, it transitions once more, splashing every known color on the canvas as it builds, drawing all manner of moods through its dripping, streaking, and smattering visualizations. This track alone is worth the journey into Sanguis, but it\u2019s only the beginning.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

We take a step back into the warm embrace of calmness with the follow-up track, \u201cLoneliness Untold, Loneliness Unfold.\u201d Ripped straight from the cutting floor of Acoustic Verses, this gorgeous track is made even more special because it features Stein Roger Sordal on vocals. And, by god, can he stand up straight next to the mighty Kjetil Nordhus. The closer, \u201cLunar Tale,\u201d is another in the same vein. Simplistic in approach (that\u2019s really what makes it so powerful), it uses soft vocals and breathy flute to zap any happiness you might have in your current situation, and leave you battered, broken, and without hope. Another track worth mentioning explores some sounds of Green Carnation\u2019s past. \u201cFire in Ice\u201d is a nifty compilation of the band\u2019s current era, smashed together with the rocking character of A Blessing in Disguise. Opening with some soothing clean guitars, it alternates between a classic groove and a bass\/drum-led lull. Then, it erupts into a kickass riff that rocks the socks off my dick. This song incorporates the ferocity and beauty of Green Carnation better than any on the album.<\/p>\n

Outside of some goofy progginess on the back half of \u201cSweet to the Point of Bitter,\u201d Sanguis is arguably damn-near perfect. The opener conjures fist-pumping anger at the sky; \u201cFire in Ice\u201d lets you stomp down everything that stands in your way; and \u201cLoneliness Untold, Loneliness Unfold\u201d is the emotional breakdown song we\u2019ve needed all year. Toss in a handsomely dynamic master that lets even the smallest of morsels of melancholy rise to the surface, and you have something that is simply breathtaking for the band and the genre. If Green Carnation has never resonated with you, there is nothing I can do to change your mind. For those who need something in these trying times to bolster their spirits or tear them apart (if only for a moment to reset), Sanguis is here for you.<\/p>\n

Rating: 4.5\/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb\/s mp3
Label: Season of Mist<\/a>
Websites: greencarnationsom.bandcamp.com<\/a> | facebook.com\/greencarnationnorway<\/a>
Releases Worldwide: April 3rd, 2026<\/p>\n

\n\tGive in to Your Anger:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A little less than a year ago, Green Carnation dropped Part I of their A Dark Poem trilogy,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":511344,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[47816,106159,178919,178402,96,55180,128,55181,13572,263,129,52455,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-511343","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-47816","9":"tag-4-5","10":"tag-a-dark-poem-part-ii-sanguis","11":"tag-apr26","12":"tag-entertainment","13":"tag-green-carnation","14":"tag-music","15":"tag-norwegian-metal","16":"tag-progressive-metal","17":"tag-review","18":"tag-reviews","19":"tag-season-of-mist","20":"tag-uk","21":"tag-united-kingdom","22":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/511343","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=511343"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/511343\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/511344"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=511343"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=511343"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=511343"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}