Carach Angren is a Dutch
symphonic black metal
Symphonic black metal is a subgenre of black metal that emerged in the 1990s and incorporates symphonic and orchestral elements. Notable symphonic black metal bands include Cradle Of Filth, Dimmu Borgir, Emperor, and Carach Angren.
History
...
band, founded in 2003 by two members of the now-defunct bands Inger Indolia and Vaultage. Their style is characterized by prominent usage of orchestral arrangements, black (sometimes death) metal vocals, and guitar riffs. Their studio albums are
concept albums
A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...
with lyrics based on
ghost stories
A ghost story is any piece of fiction, or drama, that includes a ghost, or simply takes as a premise the possibility of ghosts or characters' belief in them."Ghost Stories" in Margaret Drabble (ed.), ''Oxford Companion to English Literature''. ...
and
folklore
Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...
, such as the ''
Flying Dutchman
The ''Flying Dutchman'' ( nl, De Vliegende Hollander) is a legendary ghost ship, allegedly never able to make port, but doomed to sail the seven seas forever. The myth is likely to have originated from the 17th-century Golden Age of the Dut ...
''. The band sets itself apart from other symphonic black metal artists with the usage of multiple languages such as English, French, German, and Dutch. Most songs are based on English, with transitions into other languages during chorus and bridge sections.
Drummer Ivo "Namtar" Wijers quit the group in February 2020, leaving the band with two current members, singer
Seregor and keyboardist
Clemens "Ardek" Wijers.
Name
The name "Carach Angren" is derived from
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, ; 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philology, philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''.
From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was ...
's ''
The Lord of the Rings
''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's boo ...
'' and means "Iron Jaws" in the
Elvish language
Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of met ...
of
Sindarin
Sindarin is one of the fictional languages devised by J. R. R. Tolkien for use in his fantasy stories set in Arda, primarily in Middle-earth. Sindarin is one of the many languages spoken by the Elves. The word is a Quenya word.
Called in Eng ...
. In the Tolkien universe, "Carach Angren", also called "Isenmouthe" (both meaning the same) is the name of a fortified pass into the plateau of Gorgoroth in North-Western
Mordor
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional world of Middle-earth, Mordor (pronounced ; from Sindarin ''Black Land'' and Quenya ''Land of Shadow'') is the realm and base of the evil Sauron. It lay to the east of Gondor and the great river Anduin, and to t ...
.
History
Carach Angren was formed in 2003, in the Dutch municipality of
Landgraaf
Landgraaf (; li, Lankgraaf ) is a municipality in southeastern Limburg, Netherlands, forming part of the Parkstad Limburg agglomeration. ''Snow World'' is the largest indoor ski piste in Europe.
Population centres
*Nieuwenhagen
*Schaesberg
*Ub ...
, after two members of Vaultage, Lee Hartney and Inger Indolia, started a
side project
In popular music, a side project is a project undertaken by one or more people already known for their involvement in another band. It can also be an artist or a band temporarily switching to a different style.
Usually these projects emphasize a ...
based on their shared love of legends and
black metal
Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with t ...
. Eventually, Carach Angren was more successful, so both stepped down from Vaultage.
In 2004, Carach Angren released their first EP, ''The Chase Vault Tragedy''. The EP is a concept album, telling the story of mysteriously moving coffins known as the
Chase Vault Mystery. In 2005, the band released a second EP, ''Ethereal Veiled Existence'', covering the story of the
Brown Lady
Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing or painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors orange and black. In the RGB color model use ...
. In 2007, Carach Angren was signed to Maddening Media, a German independent record label. Carach Angren recorded their first full-length album for this label, ''
Lammendam'', which received positive international reviews following its release in 2008.
Their second album, ''
Death Came Through a Phantom Ship
''Death Came Through a Phantom Ship'' is the second studio album by Dutch symphonic black metal band Carach Angren, It was released in 2010.
This album tells the legend of a ghost ship (an interpretation of the ''Flying Dutchman'') from its begi ...
'', was released on 26 February 2010. To support the album, Carach Angren toured Europe under "A Declaration of Hate" tour, with
extreme metal
Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. It has been defined as a "cluster of metal subgenres characterized by sonic, verbal, and visual tran ...
bands
Dark Funeral
Dark Funeral is a Swedish black metal band from Stockholm, founded by guitarists Blackmoon and Lord Ahriman in 1993. They emerged during the second wave of black metal.
Their lyrical themes have traditionally pertained to Satanism and anti-Chr ...
,
Zonaria and Nefarium.
On 18 May 2012, the band released their third studio album, ''
Where the Corpses Sink Forever
''Where the Corpses Sink Forever'' is the third studio album by Dutch symphonic black metal band Carach Angren. It was released on 18 May 2012 via Season of Mist. The concept of this album is not about a Dutch urban legend or ghost stories, lik ...
''. This concept album covers themes surrounding war, including war, death, and suffering.
On 17 February 2015, the band's fourth album, ''
This Is No Fairytale
''This Is No Fairytale'' is the fourth studio album by the Dutch symphonic black metal band Carach Angren. It was released on February 23, 2015 via Season of Mist. The witch's hand on the cover art of the album is actually the hand of Dennis "S ...
'' was available for streaming on
Metal Hammer
''Metal Hammer'' is a heavy metal music magazine and website founded in 1983, published in the United Kingdom by Future, with other language editions available in numerous other countries. ''Metal Hammer'' features news, reviews and long-form ...
. The album was officially released on 23 February 2015. The album is a modern interpretation of the
Hansel and Gretel
"Hansel and Gretel" (; german: Hänsel und Gretel ) is a German fairy tale collected by the German Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 in ''Grimm's Fairy Tales'' (KHM 15). It is also known as Little Step Brother and Little Step Sister.
Hansel ...
fairy tale with themes of domestic abuse, drug addiction, alcoholism, sexual child abuse, suicide, child abduction and cannibalism.
On 16 June 2017, their fifth studio album, ''
Dance and Laugh Amongst the Rotten
''Dance and Laugh Amongst the Rotten'' is the fifth studio album by Dutch symphonic black metal band Carach Angren. It was released on 16 June 2017 via Season of Mist. Although the album doesn't follow a linear story as their previous albums did, ...
'', was released. This album diverges from the previous "storytelling" theme of the previous albums, but remains a concept album, with ghost themes, including the Blood Queen and
Charles Francis Coghlan
Charles Francis Coghlan (11 June 1842 – 27 November 1899) was an Anglo-Irish actor and playwright once popular on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.
Early life
Charles F. Coghlan was born on 11 June 1842, in Paris, France to British subjects, ...
.
On 10 February 2020, drummer Ivo "Namtar" Wijers left the band. According to him, the departure was motivated by "dissatisfaction with the music industry". Seregor and Ardek posted the announcement on the band's official website, revealing that the exit was a friendly one, saying, "Although we are very sorry for your departure, we respect your decision".
In late 2019 the band announced they had begun work on a sixth studio album, scheduled to be released in mid-2020. Its name and release date were unveiled on 20 February 2020; ''
Franckensteina Strataemontanus
''Franckensteina Strataemontanus'' is the sixth studio album by Dutch symphonic black metal band Carach Angren. Released on 26 June 2020 through Season of Mist, it is a concept album inspired by the life of late 17th-century/early 18th-century Ger ...
''. The album is a concept album inspired by the life of
Johann Konrad Dippel
Johann Konrad Dippel, also spelled Johann Conrad Dippel (10 August 1673 – 25 April 1734), was a German Pietist theologian, physician, alchemist and occultist.
Life
Dippel was born at Castle Frankenstein near Mühltal and Darmstadt, and theref ...
, and was released through Season of Mist on 26 June.
Band members
Current members
*
Dennis "Seregor" Droomers – lead vocals
(2003–present), guitars
(2003–present)
*
Clemens "Ardek" Wijers – keyboards, backing vocals
(2003–present)
Past members
* Ivo "Namtar" Wijers – drums, percussion
(2003–2020)
Touring members
* Bastiaan "The Butcher" Boh – guitars
(2015–present)
Former touring members
* Patrick Damiani – bass
(2008–2010)
* Koen "Trystys" Verstralen – guitars
(2008–2010)
* Marcel "Valak" Hendrix – guitars
(2010–2012)
* Nikos Mavridis – violin
(2013)
* Ludo van der Linden – guitars
(2015-2016)
* Diogo "Yogy" Bastos – guitars
(2016)
*
Jack Owen – guitars
(2016)
* Michiel van der Plicht – drums, percussion
(2020–2022)
Discography
Studio albums
*''
Lammendam'' (2008)
*''
Death Came Through a Phantom Ship
''Death Came Through a Phantom Ship'' is the second studio album by Dutch symphonic black metal band Carach Angren, It was released in 2010.
This album tells the legend of a ghost ship (an interpretation of the ''Flying Dutchman'') from its begi ...
'' (2010)
*''
Where the Corpses Sink Forever
''Where the Corpses Sink Forever'' is the third studio album by Dutch symphonic black metal band Carach Angren. It was released on 18 May 2012 via Season of Mist. The concept of this album is not about a Dutch urban legend or ghost stories, lik ...
'' (2012)
*''
This Is No Fairytale
''This Is No Fairytale'' is the fourth studio album by the Dutch symphonic black metal band Carach Angren. It was released on February 23, 2015 via Season of Mist. The witch's hand on the cover art of the album is actually the hand of Dennis "S ...
'' (2015)
*''
Dance and Laugh Amongst the Rotten
''Dance and Laugh Amongst the Rotten'' is the fifth studio album by Dutch symphonic black metal band Carach Angren. It was released on 16 June 2017 via Season of Mist. Although the album doesn't follow a linear story as their previous albums did, ...
'' (2017)
*''
Franckensteina Strataemontanus
''Franckensteina Strataemontanus'' is the sixth studio album by Dutch symphonic black metal band Carach Angren. Released on 26 June 2020 through Season of Mist, it is a concept album inspired by the life of late 17th-century/early 18th-century Ger ...
'' (2020)
Extended plays
*''
Ethereal Veiled Existence'' (2005)
Demo albums
*''
The Chase Vault Tragedy'' (2004)
Videos
* "The Sighting Is a Portent of Doom" (2010)
* "The Funerary Dirge of a Violinist" (2012)
* "When Crows Tick on Windows" (2016)
* "Blood Queen" (May 2017)
* "Charles Francis Coghlan" (June 2017)
* "Franckensteina Strataemontanus" (November 2020)
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
2003 establishments in the Netherlands
Dutch black metal musical groups
Dutch musical groups
Musical groups established in 2003
Musical quartets
People from Limburg (Netherlands)
People from Landgraaf
Season of Mist artists
Symphonic black metal musical groups
Things named after Tolkien works