Green Carnation

Biography

Green Carnation is a Norwegian heavy metal band from Kristiansand, formed in 1990. Originally a death metal band, they have touched other genres such as death-doom, progressive doom, atmospheric gothic metal, and hard rock in their initial run. The band released its first album in 14 years titled Leaves of Yesteryear×Leaves of Yesteryear8 May 2020 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 5 tracks1Leaves of Yesteryear8:032Sentinels5:423My Dark Reflections of Life and Death15:364Hounds10:105Solitude5:05 on May 8, 2020, which sealed their sound to gothic progressive metal. A new single was composed, arranged, rehearsed and they were went on to record “The World Without a View×The World Without a View13 November 2020 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1The World Without a View9:33” during the COVID-19 pandemic, "The World Without a View" was released digitally on December 18, 2020. In 2024, the band recorded three albums simultaneously, working off a concept they had formed in the 2000s, with the first of the trio released in 2025.

Formation and early years (1990–2001)

Green Carnation is the creation of former Emperor 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 forming In the Woods...
Green Carnation's first album, Journey to the End of the Night×Journey to the End of the NightOctober 2000 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracks1Falling Into Darkness2:342In the Realm of the Midnight Sun13:433My Dark Reflections of Life and Death17:504Under Eternal Stars15:315Journey to the End of the Night, Part I11:296Echoes of Despair, Part II2:307End of Journey? Part III5:098Shattered, Part IV1:35, was not recorded until 1999 and was released in 2000 through German record company Prophecy Productions. The release was a folk inspired doom metal album. The Botteri brothers, Alf Tore Rasmussen, and Geir Solli left the band after recording the debut album, and then Anders Kobro from In The Woods... joined up with Tchort. Together, they spent nearly two years making the foundational arrangements for what eventually became Light of Day, Day of Darkness, a single track, 60-minute progressive metal epic which is one of the longest single songs in metal. It established the legacy of the band. They then did a pre-production in the studio with Tchort on guitar, Kobro on drums, and Endre Kirkesola on bass. This was enough to convince guitarist Bjørn Harstad, also of In The Woods..., to join the band in time for the final recording of the album, accompanied by Stein Roger Sordal on bass, Kjetil Nordhus on vocals, and Bernt Moen of Shining on keyboards. Light of Day, Day of Darkness was released in 2001 via Prophecy Productions in Europe, while the US release was handled by The End Records.

Genre branching and new identity (2001–2006)

Following this release, the band released their 2003 full-length album A Blessing in Disguise×A Blessing in Disguise17 June 2003 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Crushed to Dust4:272Lullaby in Winter7:503Writings on the Wall5:274Into Deep6:095The Boy in the Attic7:146Two Seconds in Life6:287Myron & Cole5:548As Life Flows By4:459Rain8:07 through French record label Season Of Mist. The album consisted of a blend of progressive metal/rock elements, slightly gothic tinges, and hard rock elements and brought the band into another musical terrain. Lyrically it leaned into the traumatic childhood of primary lyricist Sordal, whom Metal Injection describes as the band's "emotional core." Bjørn Harstad left the band after the recording of A Blessing, a decision he made due to his other work commitments. Unfortunately Bernt Moen also decided to quit the band due to obligations with other artists and solo projects after the Blessing in Disguise tour of 2003.
Two years later the band followed up with the album The Quiet Offspring×The Quiet Offspring21 February 2005 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1The Quiet Offspring4:002Between the Gentle Small & the Standing Tall4:103Just When You Think It's Safe5:104A Place for Me5:205The Everlasting Moment5:026Purple Door, Pitch Black4:057Child's Play, Part I4:388Dead but Dreaming5:189Pile of Doubt5:5010When I Was You7:1411Child's Play, Part II4:16, introducing Kenneth Silden on keyboard and Michael Krumins on guitar. The album was 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. At this point, they made the decision to replace Anders Kobro with drummer Tommy Jackson (Jacksonville). Jacksonville was a natural choice since he had been a long-time friend and partner of Stein Sordal's other projects, Soxpan, Sordal and Plutho ++). 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. Drummer Tommy Jacksonville also debuted as songwriter and lyricist on the EP. He wrote the song "Transparent Me" for the album. 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 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.

Hiatus (2007–2014)

According to Tchort's writings in the booklet to Acoustic Verses, Green Carnation's next studio release was going to be the second part of "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, 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 band's current line-up.

On August 17, 2007, Tchort announced that due to the poorly organized American tour and subsequent financial and motivational losses, the line up of Green Carnation had split up. He 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 since been cancelled.

Reunion (2014–2024)

On February 20, 2014, the band members announced that they would reunite for a second version of A Night Under the Dam on July 31, 2014 . In the same press release, they further announced their availability for festivals and shows. A short documentary about the reunion show has been released on the Norwegian website Eternal-Terror.
On September 10, 2016, Green Carnation made its debut at ProgPower USA (PPUSA) at Center Stage in Atlanta, Georgia. The band played the entire Light of Day, Day of Darkness album.
On August 24, 2018, the group released their third live album, Last Day of Darkness×Last Day of Darkness24 August 2018 · Album · LiveSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11Documentary30:142Light of Day, Day of Darkness1:01:173Photo slideshowDisc 21Light of Day, Day of Darkness58:35, in DVD/CD format under the Prophecy Productions label. The show was recorded at the Kilden Centre, Kristiansand on November 26, 2016.
The band later announced the recording of their first album in 14 years titled Leaves of Yesteryear×Leaves of Yesteryear8 May 2020 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 5 tracks1Leaves of Yesteryear8:032Sentinels5:423My Dark Reflections of Life and Death15:364Hounds10:105Solitude5:05. On March 5, 2020, they released the title track as a music video and a single for digital download. On May 6, 2020, the band did a live listening party via YouTube to introduce the world to their sixth studio album.
Produced by Green Carnation and Endre Kirkesola, Leaves of Yesteryear was finally released on May 8, 2020, via Season of Mist. The album was recorded and mixed by Endre Kirkesola, while the mastering was done by mastering engineer Maor Appelbaum.
On November 13, 2020, the band released the single "The World Without a View×The World Without a View13 November 2020 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1The World Without a View9:33", only available as a streaming video and digital download via Season of Mist. The song was released digitally on December 18, 2020.
In December 2021, the remastered edition of the 2006-album Acoustic Verses, was released with new cover art and additional songs. It was followed by the single release of "Time in a Bottle×Time in a Bottle26 August 2022 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Time in a Bottle4:10", a cover song, originally written by Jim Croce.

Trilogy (2025–Present)

Around the time of the band's second hiatus, in the mid 2000s,Tchort announced the notion of a trilogy of albums to other members of the band. He was inspired by the poem "Ophelia" by French symbolism poet Arthur Rimbaud. The idea was parked until 2014, when the band signed to produce the trilogy as part of its new record deal. Songwriters Sordal and Nordhus went into retreat for days at a time, working on songs for the albums, which were recorded primarily between April and December 2024. On September 5, 2025, the band released the album A Dark Poem, Pt. 1: The Shores of Melancholia. It has been followed by A Dark Poem, Part II: Sanguis, released on April 3, 2026. The trilogy will conclude with A Dark Poem, Part III: The Messiah Complex, to be released on September 4, 2026.

Current

Terje Vik Schei (a.k.a. Tchort) − guitar (1990–1991, 1998–2007, 2014–present)
Stein Roger Sordal − bass, vocals, guitar, harp (2001–2006, 2014–present)
Bjørn "Berserk" Harstad – guitar, slide guitar, ebow (2001–2003, 2006, 2016, 2019–present)
Kjetil Nordhus − vocals (2001–2007, 2014–present)
Endre Kirkesola – keyboards (2001, 2016–2017, 2025–present)
Jonathan Pérez – drums (2016–present)

Former

Christopher "C:M." Botteri – bass (1990–1991, 1998–2001)
Anders Kobro – drums (1990–1991, 2001–2005)
Christian "X" Botteri – guitar (1990–1991, 1998–2001)
Richart Olsen – vocals (1990–1991)
Alf T. Leangel – drums (1998–2001)
Bernt A Moen – keyboards (2001–2004)
Øystein Tønnessen – keyboards (2004)
Michael Krumins − guitar, theremin (2004–2007, 2014–2017, 2022)
Tommy Jacksonville − drums (2005–2007, 2014–2016)
Kenneth Silden − keyboards (2005–2007, 2014–2016, 2017–2025)
Michael Krumins - guitars (2003-2007, 2016-2019)

Live session musicians

Ole Vistnes – bass (2005, 2022, 2026)
Anne Marie Almedal – vocals (2006)
Trond Breen – guitar (2022–present)