Band:	Green Carnation
Album:	The Acoustic Verses
Style:	Gothic metal, Progressive metal
Release date:	January 16, 2006
A review by:	KwonVerge

01. Sweet Leaf
02. The Burden Is Mine... Alone
03. Maybe?
04. Alone
05. 9-29-045
    1 - I: My Greater Cause
    2 - II: Homecoming
    3 - III: House Of Cards
06. Child's Play Part III
07. High Tide Waves
08. Six Ribbons [Jon English cover] [bonus]

It's a wintry afternoon, the clouds start covering the horizon and melancholy is pouring from the darkening sky. I decide to listen to something soft, fragile and at the same time utterly emotional and, believe me, Green Carnation's new attempt, "The Acoustic Verses", is the ideal soundtrack to a serene and esoteric journey adorned with beauty and melancholy.

The album is what the title says, an acoustic monument of thoughts, emotions, dreams, wishes, sweet bitterness. This time Green Carnation take their sound another step forward offering something different, something elegant, soul-touching and from the heart. Acoustic compositions might sound "easy" to some in terms of structure, yet, these Norwegians know how to make an acoustic song sound complex, with a variety of sounds being present through its whole duration, without losing in emotion and atmosphere.

All the instruments are blending together in the most beautiful way and thus the outcome is the marriage of the most fragile side of all the instruments partaking in "The Acoustic Verses". The acoustic guitar chords are well-thought and tranquil, simplistic in a way, without forgetting though to offer at times some more affected ideas here and there, evoking that feeling of bittersweet melancholy that makes the atmosphere have that grey/scarlet color. Some slight psychedelic rock references in the guitar work are vivid here and there, especially on "High Tide Waves", a beautiful and obscure song, probably the most complex song of the album.

Apart from the really good guitar work another strong part of Green Carnation's sound on this attempt is definitely the use of the keyboards and some orchestral-driven parts that make their appearance at times. The keyboard melodies have a more atmosphere-keeping role, floating in the air in gentle ways, caressing the listener's soul tenderly, having a quit experimental sound and approach in some keyboard passages, whereas the orchestral-driven passages make the whole feeling more affected and varied, making the whole aesthetic more intense and emotional. The rhythm section has definitely an accompanying role, sounding a bit imposing at times, but don't expect something exaggerating from the rhythm section on an acoustic album, just well-executed calm and tempo-keeping work - some creative passages are obvious though. The vocals evoke a pleasant shade of grey with their melodic warm interpretation that gives voice to the deep lyrics in the most expressive way.

The album flows definitely as one, a beautifully melancholic dream from which you don't want to wake up, but if you want me to pick up some songs I shouldn't forget to mention the heart-rending and haunting "Maybe?", the emotional and utterly touching "Alone" with the beautiful violin appearance, the inspired lengthy opus "9-29-045", the instrumental "Childs Play Part III" with its traumatic bittersweet piano melodies that won't fail entering the deepest core of your soul, the doleful and fragile "The Burden Is Mine?Alone" etc.

"The Acoustic Verses" will appeal to those who adore soft and fragile music, but those who shouldn't miss it for sure must be the fans of Antimatter, the more acoustic side of Radiohead and latest Anathema (those who have seen Anathema on live acoustic shows will get what I mean) for Green Carnation this time walk in similar sound pathways as the bands mentioned above, through a personal sound prism of course (those who know of neofolk will notice a Sol Invictus reference too).