Interview mit Kjetil Nordhus von Green Carnation

Hello Kjetil! GREEN CARNATION have just completed a trilogy with „A Dark Poem, Part III: The Messiah Complex“. Three albums in one year. How does that feel?
It is a mix between many different feelings, to be honest. Most of all I feel proud that we managed to achieve what we set out to do back in 2018. It has been a long journey, and thousands of hours of work, but right now I can say it was all worth it.

Somewhere, such a big idea always has to begin. How did you come up with the idea of creating „A Dark Poem“?
It was an idea that was born after we released „Light of Day, Day of Darkness“ back in 2001. That was an album consisting of just one song, one track that lasted for 60 minutes. What were we going to do next? We discussed many different directions, and one was to make a trilogy of albums. We ended up going in a totally different direction at the time. But the idea came back to our minds when deciding to continue as a band, and to make new music after our comeback year in 2016. And this time the idea was pursued.

Did you compose all the pieces at once, or did the compositional work continue after the first part, „Shores of Melancholia“?
We composed everything in the same period, which was from 2018 to 2024. We did compose, record and release one more album in the same period „Leaves Of Yesteryear“ from 2020. But it was quite clear which songs needed to be on „A Dark Poem“, and which ones belonged to „Leaves of Yesteryear“. After having recorded all the songs in December 2024, we decided on which songs belonged to Part I, Part II and Part III.

What was your “creative goal” behind the trilogy?
To create something that was 100 percent of our capacity, on all levels. That was something that Stein Roger Sordal and myself, who have written all the music and lyrics, agreed upon starting the whole project, and that can be quite challenging, with us being two. Many times he has been 100 percent happy, and I have not (and the opposite way around too). Then we have had to work with the material until both have been certain that we simply cannot make this any better. I think it has worked out well for us.

Let’s talk about the albums themselves. If I remember correctly, you’ve said yourselves that „A Dark Poem“ doesn’t necessarily have to be viewed as a concept. But isn’t that somewhat contradictory? Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t a trilogy defined precisely by the fact that it works as a complete entity?
I cannot remember having said that. What I have said is that many people won’t feel the “trilogy feeling” before they hear the last of the three albums. I still think that can be said. For me, the last track of the trilogy is the track that knits it all together.

I perceive „Shores of Melancholia“ as the most “expansive” part of the trilogy. It’s heavy, grand in scale and, despite its progressive nature, very much “on point”. How do you remember the creation of this first part?
I touched on this a bit earlier, but we didn’t compose album by album. We composed all the songs, and then decided which ones were going to be put on which album. It was necessary to consider a number of aspects in that process. Music and lyrics, of course, but also how the songs would fit together. We also wanted the albums to have slightly different qualities, and I agree that „Part I: The Shores of Melancholia“ is the most expansive. There is a lot of information in that one, and it is very direct. We decided to do that to create the space we needed for „Part II: Sanguis“, for example.

I find all three parts incredibly clear and nuanced in terms of production. What was particularly important to you when it came to the sound of the trilogy?
We chose to work with Endre Kirkesola in DuB Studio because we knew that he would understand what we wanted to do and that he would make it sound like the way it needed to. Of course, he ended up returning to the band as the keyboard player for the entire „A Dark Poem“ period, and that says a little about his role in it all.

Since we’re talking about nuances: although the three albums are very cohesive and harmonious, in what ways do you think they differ from one another?
Both musically and lyrically I think we managed to put together three albums that have the same DNA but at the same time have different qualities. Part I is, like you said, quite direct with a lot of stuff happening. With Part II, we go very personal and introspective lyrically, and there is more space musically, while Part III looks out on where the world is heading, and musically I think the three “band songs” on that album showcase very well what GREEN CARNATION anno 2026 is about.

Against the backdrop of the profound themes explored on „A Dark Poem“, could you explain the visual framework of the project? How do the album covers – which I find very interesting – tie in with the music?
We have worked with the artist Niklas Sundin since „Light Of Day, Day Of Darkness“, and have a close relationship with him. When deciding to do the trilogy, we knew that Niklas would have the knowledge of the band, our heritage, our music, and us as persons to be able to create a visual universe that would complement what we wanted to say in a good way. As usual, his work exceeded our expectations, and the artwork has become such an important part of this.

The trilogy has ultimately become a very personal project. „A Dark Poem, Part II: Sanguis“ is a good example of this, both lyrically and in terms of the emotions conveyed by the songs. How close did you come as a band, but also to your own wounds, during this period?
That is a big question. We have always tried to write about something that means something for us, but of course there are songs throughout „A Dark Poem“ that go quite far into memories and situations that are very challenging. Stein Roger, who has written almost all of the lyrics, and myself have been very close friends for around 30 years now, and I have lived with many of the struggles he is writing about, and we have talked a lot about what happened before that. For him, he is hoping to write himself out of some of the struggles with this, and that is ultimately our aim for the lyrics on these three albums. But we are in it together, which ultimately makes us stronger.

Stein Roger sang the wonderfully vulnerable, almost album-defining „Loneliness Untold, Loneliness Unfold“ on „Sanguis“. Was that something you knew from the beginning for such an intimate ballad, or how did you arrive at that decision?
No, that is actually one of the songs we struggled a lot with, before it became obvious how it had to end up. We had numerous versions of that one, with myself on vocals, and being very happy with the demo. When entering the studio, Endre (co-producer) wanted to strip it down by removing all of the instruments, to get the message through to the listeners without any disturbance. Then it made sense for us all that Stein Roger needed to do both the guitar and vocals. It is a song to one of his dear friends who has given up on life, and the way the song turned out, I am glad we made the choices we did.

By contrast, songs like „The Slave That You Are” from „Shores Of Melancholia“ and the opener of „Sanguis“ are very spirited and energetic pieces. Within your trilogy, however, such “extreme” moments are relatively rare. How do you feel about the idea of a GREEN CARNATION death or black metal album in the future?
We haven’t had the time to think about anything beyond this yet. It felt good to honour a part of our past with a song like „The Slave That You Are“, and I don’t want to rule out anything. I think we need to find inspiration to do more first, and if that happens, I am sure the inspiration will lead us into what is the right next step for the band.

To return to the subject of vulnerability: to what extent do you think consciously engaging with our own wounds could be healing for the imbalances of our present time?
It has been an important factor for Stein Roger to try to face some of his struggles and worries by writing about them and sharing it with the world. I think, on a personal level, he has succeeded. I do think that can help when the world outside is going mad, but we still have that struggle. Together.

Against the backdrop of my last question, one could argue that humanity is suffering from a kind of „Messiah Complex” on a large scale today. What was important for you to express with this third album?
Absolutely spot on. That is the main message in the third album.

„A Dark Poem Part II: The Messiah Complex“ once again features the wonderful Ingrid Ose on flute. What do you appreciate about her artistry, and to what extent were her gentle tones important to „A Dark Poem“?
I have been working with the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra (not as a musician, I have to underline) for around five years now, and have been lucky enough to get to know a lot of very talented musicians. Ingrid is one of those who has something special about her, both as a person and as a flutist. When working on the pre-productions on this trilogy, I kept thinking that the tone of her flute would be perfect, as a new element, and not least something the songs needed. Luckily for us, she agreed to join us in the studio. And I do think the addition of the flute is important to the overall sound of A Dark Poem.

For the grand finale of your trilogy, you created the piece „Dark Poem – Orchestral Suite” together with the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra and Opera Choir. Could you tell us how this collaboration came about and what the process of creating a 16-minute orchestral piece was like?
In 2017 we signed a “letter of intention” with the orchestra, that we were going to do a musical collaboration, including one recording and one concert. When starting to plan A Dark Poem, it became obvious to us that this was the project we would need the orchestra and we found a period to record, and a date to do a concert. Luckily the horizon we worked on this project corresponded with the planning horizon for the orchestra. Then came the challenge of actually composing the music. We first tried to contact two different extremely gifted musicians and composers in the actual GREEN CARNATION family, but they said they couldn’t do it. So Stein Roger just jumped into it. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for him and he used a lot of time to try to create something that could make sense for a symphony orchestra. The musical ideas were great, and I tried to help along the way. Then we joined forces with Martin Raabe-Olsen, who is from our hometown, but who has been working with classical music in Germany for almost 10 years, and he helped us make the musical ideas into the 16-minute orchestral suite. The recording was quite an experience for us, and it is an extremely important part of the whole project, being the “musical conclusion” it all.

I consider ending an album with such a large “non-metal” piece to be courageous in the best possible sense. At the same time, I think it might push some listeners out of their comfort zone. How do you feel about that? Would you perhaps even disagree with me?
We are challenging ourselves a lot by doing this, and I think that is what our fans like about us. If we push our listeners out of their comfort zone, I think it is a success. What is the point of taking part in digesting art if it doesn’t challenge you?

„The Messiah Complex“ marks the end of a major musical journey. What insights have you personally taken away from this creative process, either as a person or as an artist?
I think, both as an artist and personally I have been reminded of how much it takes from a person, a writing duo and a group to accomplish a project with extremely high ambitions. Of course during the creative process. But I have told my loved ones that I need to prioritize this for the entire period we are doing „A Dark Poem“, also after the recording. Because if I hadn’t, I would have disrespected the thousands of hours I have used in creating it. So I have said yes to all interviews and to all other activities that can make more people take part in what we have been creating in an 8-year period of our lives.

Kjetil, thank you very much for your time. I’d like to wrap things up with our little tradition. I’ll give you five things, and you answer with the first thing that comes to mind.
Thank you!! Here we go!

Hammond organs: DEEP PURPLE.
Black Metal: EMPEROR.
Peace: Setesdal, where most of A Dark Poem was created.
Film scores: as important as the visual impressions.
GREEN CARNATION in ten years: in our 60s.

Publiziert am 1. September 2026 von Philipp Sorger