The Dutch masters of horror are back with their most flamboyant album so far. On ‘Franckensteina Strataemontanus’,
CARACH ANGREN resurrect the gruesome story of troubled soul ‘Conrad Dippel’; the inspiration of Mary Shelly’s novel ‘Frankenstein’.
CARACH ANGREN have extended all the sonic colours on their established palette to dazzling effect. Their trademark whipping guitars are weaving harsh melodies and sinister soundscapes, which are beautifully contrasted by opulent keyboards and majestic orchestrations. That Till Lindemann (RAMMSTEIN) and Peter Tägtgren (PAIN) have called upon the composition talent of Clemens “Ardek” Wijers is a telling sign of his outstanding mastery of the craft. Another signatory counterpoint is provided by Seregor’s fierce rasping and shrieking vocals. Adding to the impact, Namtar has become a relentless driving force with his hart hitting yet intricate drumming. Each track on this album is a highlight on its own, while combined ‘Franckensteina Strataemontanus ‘ simply shines.
CARACH ANGREN set out to tell ghost-stories with a set of paranormal cases recorded on the demo ‘The Chase Vault Tragedy’ (2004). This was soon followed by the official release of the ‘Ethereal Veiled Existence’ EP (2005) as a prelude to the haunting ‘Lammendam’ (2008). The Dutch had a clear vision of combining a dark baroque style of metal with horror based lyrical concepts. Their sophomore full-length ‘Death Came through a Phantom Ship’ (2010) witnessed the band setting sail to bring their eccentric and capturing live performances to audiences and festivals all over Europe. In the wake of third album ‘Where the Corpses Sink Forever’ (2012), the haunting had reached the Americas and started to spread rapidly. This record added a serious side to the lyrics of
CARACH ANGREN. While firmly remaining in the horror genre, their tales revolve around the evils of war. This mature streak was taken a step further with the fourth full-length ‘This Is No Fairytale’, which is on the surface a darker variation of the “Hansel and Gretel” story from the Brothers Grimm collection, but also deals with the too real topic of child abuse in a dysfunctional family. With ‘Dance And Laugh Amongst The Rotten’ (2017), the band returned to pure story telling with episodes that are centred on a girl playing a little too long with her Ouija board.
Now,
CARACH ANGREN return with the monster ‘Franckensteina Strataemontanus’, where the Dutch have pushed their unashamedly theatrical style to a new intense height. You do not believe us yet? Press play and have your soul transferred with this new elixir of life!
Style: Horror Metal
Studio: Tidal Wave Studio (DE) & Clemens Wijers Music Productions (NL)
Recording:
Tidal Wave Studio: Drums, guitars, bass recorded by Patrick Damiani
Clemens Wijers Music Productions: Keyboards, orchestra, vocals
Mix/Master: Robert Carranza
Recording line-up
Seregor: Vocals , guitar
Ardek: Keyboard, orchestra, guitar, bass, backing vocals
Namtar: Drums
Guest musician:
Nikos Mavridis: Solo violin on tracks 5 & 10
Cover artwork: Stefan Heilemann/Heilemania
