Green Carnation
Encyclopedia
Green Carnation is a band from Kristiansand
, Norway
formed in 1990 that has created songs from both the progressive rock
and progressive metal
genres. Some also describe their music as art rock
. Green Carnation's trend of music has continuously become less and less heavy after every release; from straight forward death metal
, to a gothic metal
/doom metal
/progressive metal
sound, to a melancholic hard rock
-sounding form of progressive rock
and in 2006, went as far as to releasing an entirely acoustic
album Acoustic Verses.
bass player Terje Vik Schei (a.k.a. Tchort
), founded before Tchort joined Emperor in 1990. It eventually split, with the remaining members X-Botteri, Cm:Botteri and Anders Kobro creating avant-garde metal band In the Woods...
.
Green Carnation's first album, Journey to the End of the Night
, wasn't recorded until 1999 and was released in October 2000 through German record company Prophecy Productions
. The release was a folk
inspired doom metal
album. Two years later, in November 2001, the band released Light of Day, Day of Darkness
, a single track, 60-minute progressive metal
epic again via Prophecy Productions in Europe, whereas the US release was handled by The End Records. The album is highly regarded, and is one of the longest single songs in metal
.
elements, slightly gothic
tinges, and hard rock
elements and brought the band into another musical terrain.
Two years later the band followed up with the album The Quiet Offspring
, again released through Season Of Mist
in Europe and The End Records
in the US. This album brought the band into an even more hard rock style of music and is seen by many to be their most commercial sounding release. Later in 2005, the band released an EP entitled The Burden Is Mine... Alone
. This EP marked the debut of bassist
/guitarist
Stein Roger Sordal as a lead vocalist in the band, with the song that shares the name of the EP and the song was written and performed entirely by him. This release also worked as a taste of what was to come with their following full-length album.
Early 2006 marked the release of their fifth full-length The Acoustic Verses. This album was yet another stylistic shift for the band. On the album, the band played all acoustic instruments, showing off a softer, warmer style for the band while retaining the progressive and darker feels they established since their debut.
In February 2007 Green Carnation recorded their second live DVD, A Night Under the Dam
, where they played the entire 'Acoustic Verses'-album as well as a few other songs. The DVD was recorded under a 30-meter-tall dam in the Norwegian mountains and was the last release to be seen by the bands current line-up.
On August 17, 2007, Terje Vik Schei announced that due to the poorly organized American tour and subsequent financial and motivational losses, the line up of Green Carnation had split up. ( http://greencarnation.no/, http://www.fvn.no/kulturpuls/musikk/article504884.ece). Tchort stated that he would
The expected album, The Rise and Fall of Mankind, has been postponed with no current release date, but Tchort has said that the album will be released sometime in the future.
Kristiansand
-History:As indicated by archeological findings in the city, the Kristiansand area has been settled at least since 400 AD. A royal farm is known to have been situated on Oddernes as early as 800, and the first church was built around 1040...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
formed in 1990 that has created songs from both the progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
and progressive metal
Progressive metal
Progressive metal is a subgenre of heavy metal originating in the United Kingdom and North America in the late 1980s...
genres. Some also describe their music as art rock
Art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, with influences from art, avant-garde, and classical music. The first usage of the term, according to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, was in 1968. Influenced by the work of The Beatles, most notably their Sgt...
. Green Carnation's trend of music has continuously become less and less heavy after every release; from straight forward death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
, to a gothic metal
Gothic metal
Gothic metal or goth metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music that combines the aggression of doom metal with the dark melancholy of gothic rock. The music of gothic metal is diverse with bands known to adopt the gothic approach to different styles of heavy metal music...
/doom metal
Doom metal
Doom metal is an extreme form of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other metal genres...
/progressive metal
Progressive metal
Progressive metal is a subgenre of heavy metal originating in the United Kingdom and North America in the late 1980s...
sound, to a melancholic hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
-sounding form of progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
and in 2006, went as far as to releasing an entirely acoustic
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
album Acoustic Verses.
Formation and early years (1990-2001)
Green Carnation is the creation of former EmperorEmperor (band)
Emperor was a Norwegian black metal band formed in 1991. They dissolved in 2001, but reunited in 2006 and again in 2007 for a few festival dates and brief US tours. The group was founded by Samoth and Ihsahn .-Biography:...
bass player Terje Vik Schei (a.k.a. Tchort
Tchort
Terje Vik Schei , better known by his stage name Tchort, is a Norwegian musician. He is known for his time spent playing bass for the black metal band Emperor and for leading the progressive metal band Green Carnation...
), founded before Tchort joined Emperor in 1990. It eventually split, with the remaining members X-Botteri, Cm:Botteri and Anders Kobro creating avant-garde metal band In the Woods...
In the Woods...
In the Woods... was a heavy metal band from Kristiansand, Norway. The band released a total of three studio albums, three singles, one compilation album and one live album throughout its existence. The band was formed by previous members of the similar-styled band Green Carnation and is now...
.
Green Carnation's first album, Journey to the End of the Night
Journey To The End Of The Night (Album)
Journey to the End of the Night is the debut studio album by the Norwegian progressive metal band Green Carnation, released by The End Records on May 28, 2000...
, wasn't recorded until 1999 and was released in October 2000 through German record company Prophecy Productions
Prophecy Productions
Prophecy Productions is a German record label located in Zeltingen-Rachtig, founded by Martin Koller in 1996. It proclaims being a "label for eerie emotional music", which roughly comprises artists with a dark metal, black metal, or neofolk background, but a unique and unconventional approach to...
. The release was a folk
Folk metal
Folk metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal music that developed in Europe during the 1990s. As the name suggests, the genre is a fusion of heavy metal with traditional folk music...
inspired doom metal
Doom metal
Doom metal is an extreme form of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other metal genres...
album. Two years later, in November 2001, the band released Light of Day, Day of Darkness
Light of Day, Day of Darkness
Light of Day, Day of Darkness is the second studio album by the Norwegian progressive metal band, Green Carnation. The album was composed, written and arranged by founding member Terje Vik Schei . It was released by The End Records on 8 January 2002. It is composed of a single 60-minute track...
, a single track, 60-minute progressive metal
Progressive metal
Progressive metal is a subgenre of heavy metal originating in the United Kingdom and North America in the late 1980s...
epic again via Prophecy Productions in Europe, whereas the US release was handled by The End Records. The album is highly regarded, and is one of the longest single songs in metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
.
Genre branching and new identity (2001-2006)
Following this release, the band released their 2003 full-length album A Blessing in Disguise through French record label Season Of Mist. The album consisted of a blend of progressive metal/rockProgressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
elements, slightly gothic
Gothic metal
Gothic metal or goth metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music that combines the aggression of doom metal with the dark melancholy of gothic rock. The music of gothic metal is diverse with bands known to adopt the gothic approach to different styles of heavy metal music...
tinges, and hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
elements and brought the band into another musical terrain.
Two years later the band followed up with the album The Quiet Offspring
The Quiet Offspring
The Quiet Offspring is the fourth full-length studio album by the Norwegian progressive metal band Green Carnation. It was released on February 22, 2005. In this recording, the band breaks away from their previous offerings...
, again released through Season Of Mist
Season of Mist
Season of Mist is a record label and record distributor with subsidiaries in France and the United States. The record label was founded in 1996 by Michael S. Berberian in Marseille, France. From the start releasing black metal, pagan metal and death metal records, the label moved on to releasing...
in Europe and The End Records
The End Records
The End Records is an independent record label, founded in 1998 in San Diego. Founder Andreas Katsambas initially wanted to bring attention to some underground bands he admired. In 2002, The End moved to Salt Lake City, when his wife took a job at the University of Utah. The label moved...
in the US. This album brought the band into an even more hard rock style of music and is seen by many to be their most commercial sounding release. Later in 2005, the band released an EP entitled The Burden Is Mine... Alone
The Burden Is Mine... Alone
The Burden Is Mine... Alone is an EP by the Norwegian progressive metal band Green Carnation, released in October, 2005 by Profound Lore Records. The EP would be an indicator of the stylistic shift the band planned for their next album, The Acoustic Verses. The EP and following album are very...
. This EP marked the debut of bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
/guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Stein Roger Sordal as a lead vocalist in the band, with the song that shares the name of the EP and the song was written and performed entirely by him. This release also worked as a taste of what was to come with their following full-length album.
Early 2006 marked the release of their fifth full-length The Acoustic Verses. This album was yet another stylistic shift for the band. On the album, the band played all acoustic instruments, showing off a softer, warmer style for the band while retaining the progressive and darker feels they established since their debut.
The parting, present times, and the future (2007-Present)
According to Tchort's writings in the booklet to The Acoustic Verses, Green Carnation's next studio release is going to be the second part of the "The Chronicles of Doom" trilogy, which began with Light of Day, Day of Darkness, and is going to be titled The Rise and Fall of Mankind.In February 2007 Green Carnation recorded their second live DVD, A Night Under the Dam
A Night Under the Dam
A Night Under the Dam is Green Carnation's second live DVD, released under the Sublife Productions label on February 1, 2007. This live recording was made several kilometers into the Norwegian mountains, under a thirty-meter-tall dam built in 1939, hence the name.The band performed its entire The...
, where they played the entire 'Acoustic Verses'-album as well as a few other songs. The DVD was recorded under a 30-meter-tall dam in the Norwegian mountains and was the last release to be seen by the bands current line-up.
On August 17, 2007, Terje Vik Schei announced that due to the poorly organized American tour and subsequent financial and motivational losses, the line up of Green Carnation had split up. ( http://greencarnation.no/, http://www.fvn.no/kulturpuls/musikk/article504884.ece). Tchort stated that he would
"continue writing music under the name Green Carnation, but probably will never play live again with the band."
The expected album, The Rise and Fall of Mankind, has been postponed with no current release date, but Tchort has said that the album will be released sometime in the future.
Studio Albums
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2000 | Journey to the End of The Night Journey To The End Of The Night (Album) Journey to the End of the Night is the debut studio album by the Norwegian progressive metal band Green Carnation, released by The End Records on May 28, 2000... |
| 2001 | Light of Day, Day of Darkness Light of Day, Day of Darkness Light of Day, Day of Darkness is the second studio album by the Norwegian progressive metal band, Green Carnation. The album was composed, written and arranged by founding member Terje Vik Schei . It was released by The End Records on 8 January 2002. It is composed of a single 60-minute track... |
| 2003 | A Blessing in Disguise |
| 2005 | The Quiet Offspring The Quiet Offspring The Quiet Offspring is the fourth full-length studio album by the Norwegian progressive metal band Green Carnation. It was released on February 22, 2005. In this recording, the band breaks away from their previous offerings... |
| 2005 | The Burden Is Mine... Alone [EP The Burden Is Mine... Alone The Burden Is Mine... Alone is an EP by the Norwegian progressive metal band Green Carnation, released in October, 2005 by Profound Lore Records. The EP would be an indicator of the stylistic shift the band planned for their next album, The Acoustic Verses. The EP and following album are very... ] |
| 2006 | The Acoustic Verses |
| TBA | The Rise and Fall of Mankind |
Other Releases
| Year | Title | Format |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Hallucinations of Despair | Demo |
| 2004 | The Trilogy The Trilogy (album) The Trilogy is an LP boxset containing the albums; Journey to the End of The Night, Light of Day, Day of Darkness and A Blessing in Disguise created by the Norwegian progressive metal band, Green Carnation... |
Box Set |
| 2004 | Alive and Well... In Krakow Alive and Well... In Krakow Alive and Well... In Krakow, is Green Carnation's first live DVD, released under the Metal Mind Records label in August 2004.This live recording was made in Kraków in January 2004 and was released on August 3, 2004... |
Live DVD |
| 2007 | A Night Under the Dam A Night Under the Dam A Night Under the Dam is Green Carnation's second live DVD, released under the Sublife Productions label on February 1, 2007. This live recording was made several kilometers into the Norwegian mountains, under a thirty-meter-tall dam built in 1939, hence the name.The band performed its entire The... |
Live DVD |
Former members
- Stein Roger Sordal − BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, Vocals, Guitar, Lyrics - Kjetil Nordhus − Vocals, Lyrics
- Kenneth Silden − PianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, KeyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... - Michael Krumins − Guitar, ThereminThereminThe theremin , originally known as the aetherphone/etherophone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox is an early electronic musical instrument controlled without discernible physical contact from the player. It is named after its Russian inventor, Professor Léon Theremin, who patented the device...
- Tommy Jacksonville − DrumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Bjørn Harstad − Guitar
- Bernt A. Moen − Piano, Keyboards
- Christian "X" Botteri − Guitar
- Christofer "CM" Botteri − Bass
- Anders Kobro − Drums
- Alf Torre Rassmussen − Drums
See also
- In The Woods...In the Woods...In the Woods... was a heavy metal band from Kristiansand, Norway. The band released a total of three studio albums, three singles, one compilation album and one live album throughout its existence. The band was formed by previous members of the similar-styled band Green Carnation and is now...
- TristaniaTristania (band)Tristania is a band from Norway, formed in 1996 by Morten Veland, Einar Moen and Kenneth Olsson. Tristania's music is usually classified as symphonic gothic metal with doom/death metal influences , due to its strong ties with the goth metal's history...
- EmperorEmperor (band)Emperor was a Norwegian black metal band formed in 1991. They dissolved in 2001, but reunited in 2006 and again in 2007 for a few festival dates and brief US tours. The group was founded by Samoth and Ihsahn .-Biography:...
- Trail of TearsTrail of Tears (band)Trail of Tears is a Norwegian gothic/symphonic black metal band originally formed in 1994 by vocalist Ronny Thorsen, under the name of Natt...
- Blood Red ThroneBlood Red ThroneBlood Red Throne is a death metal band from Kristiansand, Norway. They released their fourth full-length album, Come Death, on 27 August 2007...
- Carpathian ForestCarpathian ForestCarpathian Forest is a Norwegian black metal band formed by Nattefrost and Nordavind in 1990.-Biography:Carpathian Forest emerged with the demo tape "Bloodlust and Perversion" in 1992. In 1993 the band released a second demo: Journey Through the Cold Moors of Svarttjern...
- Chain CollectorChain CollectorChain Collector is a heavy metal band from Norway that formed in 2003. Some of the members come from other bands such as Green Carnation, Carpathian Forest, Trail of Tears, Dismal Euphony and In the Woods. In 2004, the Forthcoming Addiction demo, containing four songs, was recorded at DUB studio...
External links
- Official website - No longer active.
- [ Green Carnation @ AllMusic.com]