Like many styles of music, black metal has itself spawned multiple further sub-genres that are now a far cry from what it was in the early 1990s. Many bands were heavily criticised for their use of keyboards and higher quality of production on the recordings. Twenty years later and symphonic black metal now has its own place on the world stage, with bands like Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth the most household names within the scene.
Incorporating synthesizers and orchestral elements (more recently including full orchestras and choirs) to the point where some of their opuses have more in common with classical music rather than metal, symphonic black metal still focuses on creating an atmosphere but one of utter grandeur rather than ‘grim and frostbitten’.
Carach Angren are a fine example of how symphonic black metal has evolved. The Dutch trio have chosen to use their music as a form of storytelling; it’s as though they’re soundtracking and reciting their own macabre, theatrical production rather than creating an album. With that in mind, their most recent offering ‘Dance and Laugh Amongst the Rotten’ is their most flamboyant release to date as it pushes their theatrical style to new heights whilst painting vivid images that appear in the form of episodes throughout the album.
Opting to write concept albums, Carach Angren have settled on the horror genre as their choice of topic. Throughout the album ‘Dance and Laugh…’ tells chilling stories of a girl who becomes obsessed with her Ouija board and tragic ghost tales of the past, as well as some spiritual possession for good measure. Unlike their previous efforts ‘Dance and Laugh…’ doesn’t just follow a single narrative but tells stories from other characters’ perspectives, exploring indirectly related characters and their back stories.
The aptly titled ‘Opening’ sees the album begin with a beautiful, albeit haunting, instrumental track made up of piano key strokes and shrill strings that set the scene with their dramatic build up. The ambient ringing of instruments bleeds into ‘Charlie’ which is hesitant to start, but as it picks up pace it demonstrates exactly how far symphonic black metal has come since its early inceptions. Namtar’s relentless drumming, Seregor’s rasping, gritty vocals and Ardek’s overtly complex orchestrations make short work of dragging you under their spell whilst introducing the main protagonist and antagonist to this horrific tale.
Setting the scene, ‘Charlie’ tells of a spirit that’s brought back by the use of a Ouija board and how it consequently haunts its victim by introducing them to morbid figures from the past. ‘Blood Queen’, as the name suggests, uses enormous orchestral elements alongside relentless black metal and a healthy dose of spoken word to tell a familiar fable similar to that of ‘Bloody Mary’. While ‘Blood Queen’ tells a story as it unfolds, ‘Charles Francis Coghlan’ delves much further into the backstory of the next ghoul to enter the album. ‘Charles Francis Coghlan’ is completely captivating though despite having a general sound that can only be described as ‘evil’. This track, regardless of lyrical content, draws you into the narrative with atmospheric compositions that John Williams or Hans Zimmer would be envious of, including a breathtaking crescendo to end the song.
Taking the opportunity to further show off their symphonic abilities, ‘Song For The Dead’ is almost entirely devoid of any black metal tones except for Seregor’s vocals. Sounding as though it could have been a missing song from a Tim Burton film with its use of ghostly female vocals, ‘Song For The Dead’ blurs the lines between grim fantasy and a dark reality.
Although grand and epic soundscapes are what Carach Angren do best, ‘In De Naam Van De Duivel’ (In The Devil’s Name) and ‘The Posession Process’ see them returning to their more conventional roots in black metal with a stripped back, metallic sound. Once again making use of spoken word to narrate the story it reminds us that there are two sides to this album: one musical and one theatrical. ‘Pitch Black Box’ manages this alone by almost splitting the track in two, one half stripped back to a traditional black metal style and the other half sounding as though it’s been lifted from a film score.
Coming full circle and revisiting the first story on the album, ‘Three Times Thunder Strikes’ further explains a number of the previous songs’ lyrical content and ties them together accordingly. Though typically a more metal sounding track to start with, ‘Three Times Thunder Strikes’ escalates into another crescendo although this may well be the band’s largest to date as its sheer scale is overwhelming.
‘Dance and Laugh Amongst the Rotten’ in some ways serves as two albums in one. It’d be all too easy to listen to it and take it at face value as another symphonic black metal album, but you can just as easily lose yourself entirely inside one of these bleak and terrifying parables. Amidst the contrast of sickening and disturbing lyrics together with the beauty and downright majesty of their orchestrations, Carach Angren have to be heard to be believed.
JAMES DAVENPORT