ALBUMOF THE MONTH Green Carna�on: Leaves of Yesteryear (Season of Mist) Review by Sam Thomas Some bands you listen to all the �me, serving as a soundtrack to your life to the extent that you blank them out. Green Carna�on are the complete opposite of that for me. I can’t listen to themwithout giving themmy full a�en�on: their music is such an intense emo�onal experience. Leaves of Yesteryear is described by the record label as being par�ally a retrospect on the band’s career: the album cover art certainly looks like something from a bygone era (not a bad thing, before you ask). There is a selec�on of tracks old and new, with a reworking of “My Dark Reflec�ons of Life and Death” from the debut album, back in 2000, “Journey To The End Of The Night” which in its new form comes in at two minutes shorter and minus the female vocals. There’s also a rather interes�ng choice of cover track, Black Sabbath’s “Solitude”. It’s actually a very interes�ng idea for a band that have gone through the usual upheavals, split up for a bit and now are back together again. If the inten�on was to give an example of both how far they have come and the range of their talents, then in my opinion they have succeeded beyond measure. Opener and �tle track “Leaves of Yesteryear” kicks things off with mul�-layered melancholy and some beau�ful lyrics (which is something of a Green Carna�on trademark). Of course there’s some pre�y heavy guitar in the background as well. “Sen�nels” follows, by which �me your ears are in for an uncompromising heavy ba�ering straight from the outset. And it’s catchy as hell, so be prepared to find yourself headbanging along. I can also report that for me it also became a bit of an earworm (and an unusually pleasant one at that!) I was a bit surprised when I read the track list to see that they had chosen to do a new recording of “My Dark Reflec�ons of Life and Death” as I didn’t think it was outstanding. I’ll s�ck by that, but only with regard to the original version. The new one is just amazing! I am so glad that they decided to rework it – it totally eclipses the original. There is more depth and more power, more anguish crammed into a slightly shorter version (only a couple of minutes have been trimmed, but it seems to �ghten it up quite a lot). Also, and this plays to my personal preferences, the female vocals have been dropped, which has the added effect of making a much more compelling version. The other big surprise was that Green Carna�on have chosen to do a cover version of “Solitude”, the Black Sabbath track. Although, when I think it through, it really shouldn’t have been a surprise at all. The Sabbath version is one of those strange heartbreaking ballads that always has me wondering (and apparently everyone else as well) whether Ozzy was the vocalist or not. For the record, Sabbath have stated that it was Ozzy. The Green Carna�on version is haun�ngly beau�ful, sending shivers down my spine every �me I hear it. There are some perfect single keyboard notes dropped into it, like pebbles into a deep mountain lake that ripple through the track. Kje�l Nordhus’ vocals are outstanding (as they are throughout the album). This is a tremendously accomplished albumwhich showcases a breadth of musical talent that cannot be easily �ed to any genre. Pick any word from prog, dark, death and add metal any you will have covered part of it. And if you want to chuck in doom as well, I won’t argue. This is brilliant, you need no category beyond that! www.greencarna�onmusic.com www.facebook.com/greencarna�onnorway
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