Green Carnation - Light Of Day, Day Of Darkness
The End Records - 2002
By Mark Bridgeman
Releasing a one-track, one-hour long album is a daring task for any band, but when you're one that's relatively unknown outside of your own circle of fans (as Green Carnation arguably are), you risk not only career suicide, but also being branded as 'prog wankers' (at least in my neck of the woods).
But, with 'Light Of Day, Day Of Darkness', Green Carnation have released less of an album, and more of a... listening experience (for want of a better term). To pull off an album of this type you obviously need hooks that repeat throughout, keeping the listener alert, and trying at least to keep their attention from straying.
I can only describe this album in movements. The first, with the sounds of a child gurgling intermeshed with a Buckley-esque vocal intro, make way to the second, with its warm, heavy guitars playing around a vocal piece whose phrasing will be a common element throughout the album. This will be the movement that returns throughout the album, with its chorus-like feel, binding the other musical pieces together.
But don't get me wrong - this ain't a pompous album. It's heavy, solid, ear-warming with its melodies and chunky riffs. Each section manages to fall into comfortable song-length spaces of time, which helps you devour such a long piece of music. Yes, it does all sound much the same -- they do need to maintain a common musical theme throughout -- but it shouldn't bore any listener that is ready to work at listening to an album (and if you're serious about music, you SHOULD be ready).
At 12 minutes in, after having at least 10 minutes of wall-of-sound, we break into an acoustic passage, retaining the solid drum work, and laced with an aggressive string section. Then we reach a plateu of the aformentioned vocal phrasing again, and it's now that the entire piece comes together.
This album is surprising. I'm not generally a fan of longer work, but this is the perfect album to listen to while driving (which is how I first devoured it), or doing anything else which allows your mind to focus in and out on the music, noticing its refrains, catching onto the rhythm of its musical movements. It provides breathing space where needed with it's cooled down, acoustic passages - and brings the energy back in at just the right time.
As for the musicianship -- they're not the prog wankers I first thought they would be. These are musicians making what could easily be mainstream prog-rock if it wasn't for their metal elements. But they don't go all twiddly on you. Concentration, instead, is made on meshing the pieces together. Tchort's guitarwork is solid, impressive, and brings out the mood as required, as does Bjorn H's slidework. The rhythm section (Stein R. and A. Kobro) are as solid as you could find, and vocalist Kjetil Nordhus (if it is he who does the majority of the vocal work) is restrained and perfectly suited to what is, quite simply, a musical journey (...I can't believe I just wrote that!).
This is an album for those with the patience required to enjoy it to the full. It deserves it.
The End Records - 2002
By Mark Bridgeman
Releasing a one-track, one-hour long album is a daring task for any band, but when you're one that's relatively unknown outside of your own circle of fans (as Green Carnation arguably are), you risk not only career suicide, but also being branded as 'prog wankers' (at least in my neck of the woods).
But, with 'Light Of Day, Day Of Darkness', Green Carnation have released less of an album, and more of a... listening experience (for want of a better term). To pull off an album of this type you obviously need hooks that repeat throughout, keeping the listener alert, and trying at least to keep their attention from straying.
I can only describe this album in movements. The first, with the sounds of a child gurgling intermeshed with a Buckley-esque vocal intro, make way to the second, with its warm, heavy guitars playing around a vocal piece whose phrasing will be a common element throughout the album. This will be the movement that returns throughout the album, with its chorus-like feel, binding the other musical pieces together.
But don't get me wrong - this ain't a pompous album. It's heavy, solid, ear-warming with its melodies and chunky riffs. Each section manages to fall into comfortable song-length spaces of time, which helps you devour such a long piece of music. Yes, it does all sound much the same -- they do need to maintain a common musical theme throughout -- but it shouldn't bore any listener that is ready to work at listening to an album (and if you're serious about music, you SHOULD be ready).
At 12 minutes in, after having at least 10 minutes of wall-of-sound, we break into an acoustic passage, retaining the solid drum work, and laced with an aggressive string section. Then we reach a plateu of the aformentioned vocal phrasing again, and it's now that the entire piece comes together.
This album is surprising. I'm not generally a fan of longer work, but this is the perfect album to listen to while driving (which is how I first devoured it), or doing anything else which allows your mind to focus in and out on the music, noticing its refrains, catching onto the rhythm of its musical movements. It provides breathing space where needed with it's cooled down, acoustic passages - and brings the energy back in at just the right time.
As for the musicianship -- they're not the prog wankers I first thought they would be. These are musicians making what could easily be mainstream prog-rock if it wasn't for their metal elements. But they don't go all twiddly on you. Concentration, instead, is made on meshing the pieces together. Tchort's guitarwork is solid, impressive, and brings out the mood as required, as does Bjorn H's slidework. The rhythm section (Stein R. and A. Kobro) are as solid as you could find, and vocalist Kjetil Nordhus (if it is he who does the majority of the vocal work) is restrained and perfectly suited to what is, quite simply, a musical journey (...I can't believe I just wrote that!).
This is an album for those with the patience required to enjoy it to the full. It deserves it.
