Album Review: Carach Angren – Franckensteina Strataemontanus (Season of Mist)

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 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’, out via Season of Mist on June 26th 2020.

We expect splendour, theatrics and a sense of magical majesty with Carach Angren but on Franckensteina Strataemontanus they may have outdone all their previous efforts.

What we have here is fantastical and gothic horror-laden dark trip into the twisted world of the black metallers. Set up with the fairy-tale melody and spoken word story intro of Here in German Woodland.

From that Carach Angren bring on the bombastic grandness and fiery black metal they have become so revered for. Scourged Ghoul Undead, the title track and The Necromancer all providing moments to marvel at. The title track in particular, is a phenomenal effort that is deliciously dark while being impressively catchy.

It should come as no surprise to fans of Carach Angren to hear that Franckensteina Strataemontanus is an immaculate listen. One where everything can be heard clearly, and the layering of symphonic elements work perfectly alongside the rougher and tougher metal.

The glorious combination is enhanced on some more than others. The likes of Sewn for Solitude and Der Vampir von Nürnberg on a different grand scale but making them easier to appreciate thanks to the varied focus. Contrast those tracks with the ramped up horror heaviness of the excellent Monster and it’s hard not to be impressed.

Franckensteina Strataemontanus is an album that constantly and consistently leaves the listener in awe. It’s a story that sounds and feels every bit a story with Carach Angren the tale-weavers.

The masters of musical horror have once again outdone themselves and Franckensteina Strataemontanus might very well be their most accomplished work to date.

Carach Angren – Franckensteina Strataemontanus Full Track Listing:

1. Here in German Woodland
2. Scourged Ghoul Undead
3. Franckensteina Strataemontanus
4. The Necromancer
5. Sewn for Solitude
6. Operation Compass
7. Monster
8. Der Vampir von Nürnberg
9. Skull with a Forked Tongue
10. Like a Conscious Parasite I Roam

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