GREEN CARNATION was a kind of start and stop band when they started their existence. Officially formed in 1990 they disbanded as soon as 1992. Somehow, they couldn't stay apart, so in 1998 they came to life again, only to quit again in 2007, but not without leaving us with five studio albums in the meantime. Add another seven years to that and you arrive in 2014, when they were erected for a third time running. Now, in 2026, they are still active and after "Leaves Of Yesteryear" in 2020 and  their 2025 album "A Dark Poem, Part I – The Shores Of Melancholia" it is now time for them to give us "A Dark Poem, Part II - Sanguis". This band from Kristiansand in Norway isn't just a simple Progressive Rock/Metal band, nope, they don't have a problem mixing those influences with a lot of Gothic under- and overtones.

The result on "A Dark Poem, Part II – Sanguis" is over 37 minutes of the forementioned musical collaboration, and a very pleasant introduction for me to their kind of making music. I do have to say that the opening title song "Sanguis" is a real corker, a classic in the buff. This one has all the elements that you are hoping to hear from a Progressive Metal band. The fact that they have the guts to follow that one with the very delicate and fragile song "Loneliness Untold, Loneliness Unfold" is another way that GREEN CARNATION dares to state that they will do things their own way. With just an acoustic guitar and the voice of Kjetil Nordhus, this simply grows into a very powerful and intense message. That is one thing you will notice throughout the whole album; the band will have something to say, in every song. When "Sweet to the Point of Bitter" gets off to a perfectly Heavy Rocking start, the name RUSH might pop into your head, even if it is just for a little while. This really Rocks from start to finish, but still harbours some Melodic and Progressive parts that only serve to enhance the heavy parts.

"I Am Time" is a little bit more delicate than the last song, but still a proper rocker in its own right. Simpler structures give it more accessibility, and the more Melodic parts and use of keyboards will give you a bit more of an AOR feel but this is just a tad Heavier than that musical genre usually dictates. "Fire In Ice" is one of those songs that starts out very softly spoken, only to slowly turn into one of those very impressive multi-layered songs that will give you shivers down your spine. As for the closing tune "Lunar Tale", it is just piano and voice that are being used. Another delicate song by GREEN CARNATION to finish off a really impressive "A Dark Poem, Part II – Sanguis" album by a band that I hadn't heard before now. That will change soon. Very soon, in fact.