Green Carnation

With a highly successful hour-long art metal track now in the past (Light of Day, Day of Darkness), Green Carnation have also left behind the more extreme metal trappings of their music. Focussing on melody and harmony over aggression, A Blessing in Disguise is organ-laden progressive rock of near-goth darkness and remarkable intensity. From the opening chords of “Crushed to Dust” to the caressing croon of “Lullaby in Winter” and through the incredible singability of songs like “Writings on the Wall” and “As Life Flows By” A Blessing in Disguise itself flows with an oddly peaceful poetic melancholy and an unanticipated groove. If you can put expectations aside and allow Green Carnation’s latest to unwind at its own pace and in its own direction, the album reveals an addictive magnetism and demands to be heard over and over again.