[Cover photo credit to Lars Gunnar Liestøl]

Norwegian Progressive Metal band Green Carnation have set sail on an epic three-part voyage that they have been considering for thirty years. The Shores of Melancholia has been previously released. Now, the band are “descending into deeper, darker and more personal depths” with Part II of A Dark Poem, titled Sanguis.

A Dark Poem, Part II: Sanguis has been announced, arriving on April 3rd, 2026, and its title track, “Sanguis”, has arrived along with a video. The nearly nine minute version of the song, however, will be revealed only with the release of the album. The song deals with “familial wreckage.”

Green Carnation vocalist Kjetil Nordhus says:

We wanted A Dark Poem to start off with guns blazing. But for Part II, we have some very personal stories that we want people to hear. Sanguis invites listeners into our darkest inner rooms with some of the most raw and vulnerable songs that we’ve ever written.

Stein Roger Sordal, the band’s bassist and primary lyricist shares:

A Dark Poem, Part II: Sanguis hold some of the most personal lyrics that I’ve ever written. The lyrics are so personal that I had to go many rounds with myself over whether or not to tone them down. In the end, I chose to keep them as honest as possible.

As with the bulk of Part I, Sordal wrote all the lyrics to Part II. However, whereas previous album opener “As Silence Took You” only scratched at the trauma on the surface, “Sanguis” plunges into the emotional undercurrents below.

Sordal adds:

This song paints a pretty grim picture of my childhood. I do have great memories from that time, too, but parts were very dark. I had some tough issues with my father, but I now know that he had it worse. I didn’t think about that when I was younger, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned that there is usually more to the story.