11. Green Carnation - "A Dark Poem, Pt. I: The Shores of Melancholia"

Whilst known as a hotbed of Satanic nihilism, there is actually much more to Norway, in terms of musical productivity, than black metal. The past few decades or so have had an incredibly vibrant and creative progressive metal scene. There is, of course, a bridge between this much more introspective and gentle riverine of music and the coarse underproduction of Black Metal. Bands like Enslaved, Leprous, Ulver and the mighty Emperor have existed between the two scenes and Tchort, bassist with the latter, put Green Carnation together before he even joined Emperor.

After having laying dormant for a while, “The Shores of Melancholia” signals the beginning of a bout of creativity. It is positioned as the first part in a sprawling trilogy of albums, and if this initial release is anything to go by, it is going to be a fabulous ride. This is a wonderfully rich, warm and captivating album. Rather than go down the route of big epic progressive, this is an understated and sedate record that unfurls as opposed to explode. It is intricate and beautiful, and the tracks flow together in the stream, meandering down a mountain pass. Whilst it does experiment with form and function, in the end, it is an incredibly cohesive album that feels like part of a consistent narrative. An absolute triumph that once again shows my home country’s dominance in the world of progressive music.