Kristiansand's GREEN CARNATION is a project band assembled by ex-EMPEROR and SATYRICON member Tchort, guitarist Christer C.H. Botteri and bassist X. Botteri of IN THE WOODS as well as personnel from DRAWN, CARPATHIAN FOREST along with TRISTANIA's Vibeke Stene. The band was actually a 1998 reformation of sorts, the original GREEN CARNATION having morphed into IN THE WOODS when Tchort took up arms with EMPEROR and singer Richart Olsen exited in 1992. Operating in Death Metal territory the original variant of the band had issued just the one demo 'Hallucinations Of Despair'. The group, with Alf Tore Rasmussen newly installed on drums, was re-assembled in November 1998.

No less than five vocalists were to be employed on the 2000 album 'Journey To The End Of Night' in TRISTIANA's Vibeke Stene, DRAWN's Atle Dørum, Geir Sollid, Synne Soprana of IN THE WOODS and Linn Solaas. During the same year Tchort would fire up a fresh project, the retro Death Metal union BLOOD RED THRONE, subsequently issuing the 'Deathmix 2000' demo and 2001 album 'Monument Of Death'.

The 2001 album 'Light Of Day, Day Of Darkness', fronted by vocalist Kjetil Nordhaus, would consist solely of one mammoth 60 minute title track. For these recordings GREEN CARNATION inducted IN THE WOODS guitarist Björn Harstad and the SCARIOT, IN THE WOODS and CARPATHIAN FOREST credited drummer Anders Kobro. Ambitiously the band took the album out onto the road, even performing the entire record at the 'Wacken Open Air' festival in Germany. GREEN CARNATION, adding keyboard player Bernt A. Moen, entered the studio in late 2002 to cut a new album for early 2003 release provisionally entitled 'The Writings On The Wall'. This abum would emerge on the French Season Of Mist label re-billed as 'A Blessing in Disguise'. The band allied themselves with SUIDAKRA and MÖRK GRYNING for European touring billed as the 'Darkness In Disguise' event in October of 2003. The GREEN CARNATION pairing of vocalist Kjetil Nordhus and drummer Anders Kobro also busied themselves with side venture CHAIN COLLECTOR.

Kjetil Nordhus joined TRAIL OF TEARS on a full time basis in March of 2004. That year GREEN CARNATION would donate their rendition of 'Cantara' to the 2004 DEAD CAN DANCE tribute album 'The Lotus Eaters'. Tommy Jackson replaced Anders Kobro in September to record a fourth album 'The Quiet Offspring'.

GREEN CARNATION drafted stand-in bass player Ole Vistnes, of ZEROSONIC and JACK CAINE, for UK headline dates in June 2005 saw all female Norwegian Doom band OCTAVIA SPERATI as support, after which the band entered Brown Sound Studios to work on an all acoustic album, through Sublife Productions, a new label of Tchort and Kjetil Nordhus. The band put in a solitary appearance on the North American continent at the Toronto 'Day Of The Equinox' festival on 14th October, headlining over REDEMPTION, AGALLOCH, DECEASED, NOVEMBERS DOOM, UNEXPECT and WOOD OF YPRES. GREEN CARNATION, seeing former bassist Stein Roger Sordal rejoining the fold, then made their Finnish debut, teaming up with BATTLELORE and DEATHLIKE SILENCE for three dates in late November. The band also unveiled plans for an all-acoustic EP entitled 'The Burden Is Mine... Alone', the first release through the band's own production company Sublife Productions.

European dates in January and February of 2006 saw Germany's AUTUMNBLAZE as support before a US run of dates throughout March backed by BEYOND THE EMBRACE. The group then hooked up with TRISTANIA for European touring in September.

GREEN CARNATION announced its decision to disband in mid 2007, shortly after relasing the concert DVD 'A Night Under The Dam'. The group blamed its split on the fact that it was "drained of energy" following a chaotic North American tour which left it with "broken promises" and "huge debts." In June 2008 Kjetil Nordhus revealed he was working on solo material.

During 2009 Stein Roger Sordal aided with guest vocals on the eponymous debut album from Portuguese acts VERTIGO STEPS, a side project of Bruno A from ARCANE WISDOM, UNDERSTREAM and REDSTAINS.

Garry Sharpe-Young