Septicflesh - The Masters Of Extreme Symphonic Music

During August of 2017, after exploring the music of symphonic black metal band, Carach Angren, and symphonic death metal band, Fleshgod Apocalypse, I kept seeing a band by the name of Septicflesh being constantly recommended to me on my YouTube account as a similar artist. The same thing would happen on Last.FM, The Metal Archives, and many other places online where I happened to look up music either for listening purposes or for gathering information on my favourite artists.

The first song I checked out from this band was the track Prometheus from their 2014 album, Titan, and at first I wasn't very impressed by the music of this band. Although they carried the title of being a symphonic death metal band, I was initially disappointed to hear that they weren't as fast and technical as Fleshgod Apocalypse and there was something about the mixing or tempo of the song that simply did not resonate with me upon my first hearing. So, I initially dismissed the band and continued on listening to the other bands that I had recently discovered. However, towards the end of August, I saw that the band had released a new music video for their new single, Portrait Of A Headless Man, from their then upcoming album, Codex Omega, and the video had garnered a lot of attention on the various metal Facebook groups and magazine websites that I follow. Then, after much hesitation, I eventually caved in and decided to give the band another chance and now I can happily say that it was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. I immediately fell in love with not only the extremeness and heaviness of the song, but, the video looked as though it came straight from a dystopian cyberpunk movie or tv show like Ghost In The Shell, The Matrix, or Texhnolyze. I was then immediately sold on getting my hands on this record the moment it dropped.

Though, upon my first listening, I initially found their music to be far too extreme for my tastes. The opening track, Dante's Inferno, certainly gave me bad memories of the original old black and white film Li'Inferno and many others just left me feeling unsettled and for a short while, I actually couldn't listen to the album all that often without getting chills down my spine and flashes of horrific imagery going through my mind. However, as the months went by, I eventually began to fall in love with the rest of the album and even checked out a lot of their older stuff too. Now, I've become one of their biggest fans and after experiencing all they have had to offer, no other extreme metal band seems to give me the same feeling that these guys are able to and that's saying something coming from someone who is usually irked by most kinds of dark music.

Septicflesh, for those of you who aren't aware, are a symphonic death metal band hailing from Athens in Greece and they have been around since the early 1990s. During their career, they have released a total of 10 studio albums and ever since they first broke into the metal scene, they have really set themselves apart from most other bands in the death metal genre. Not only in terms of songwriting, composition, production, and sound, but, particularly in their lyrical style. The band started off their career by playing a style of death metal that contained a lot of atmospheric and doom elements which eventually evolved over time to the more orchestral and symphonic based style that we have now come to know them for since the release of 2008's Communion. Despite their evolution in sound, their lyricism has always remained consistent and different from most death metal bands to this very day. Unlike a lot of death metal bands, especially in the early days of the genre, the band chose to base their lyrics on themes such as occultism, fantasy, mythology, and the works of horror author, H.P. Lovecraft as opposed to the usual blood, guts, and gore themed lyrics that are a standard of the genre.

Also, even though they have constantly evolved their sound, they have always managed to maintain a level of excellence and consistency with each and every single album they put out which are generally met with both critical and commercial acclaim.
Now, you might be asking yourself, what is it about this band that just seems to captivate music lovers and what is it that makes them so great and successful with what they do? How can a band that produces such dark and sinister music be one of the most prolific and recognized names in the metal and orchestral music scenes?

There are several reasons, I believe, to be behind their success and I thought it would be a great and fun topic of interest to cover in a video. So, sit back, pull out your music sheets, and dust off those ancient scrolls and tomes as we dive into Why Septicflesh Are The Masters Of Extreme Symphonic Music.

1. Songwriting, Composition, & Arrangement

Septicflesh have always been masters of their craft. Even before they found their current sound. They have always, without fail, been able to write dark, mystical, otherworldly, and haunting melodies that add a feeling of dread, horror, and unease to their music that keeps the listener engrossed and immersed with each story or concept they are attempting to tell.

This because the band's lead guitarist and main songwriter, Christos Antoniou, is a classically trained musician who obtained his Masters Degree in concert music from the London College Of Music and was taught by legendary teachers and composers such as Martin Ellerby, one of Britain's most celebrated composers who headed the course, and Adam Gorb, who is the head of composition at The Royal Northern College Of Music and another celebrated and respected British composer.
The skills that Chrisos has equipped himself with, shine through with each and every song that he has composed and even more so since 2008's Communion. This is because with every album from then 'til present day, the band have always worked with the renowned Prague Philharmonic Orchestra as the unseen, unspoken, yet, important and vital fifth member of the band.

With every song that Christos writes and composes, he is always careful to make certain that both the orchestral parts and the metal parts balance each other out and both get an equal chance to shine without either one completely dominating or stealing the spotlight from the other. He is also careful to take the lyrics into account when writing the music as well as each melody and every instrument has to not only match what is going on in the story, but, has to create a certain mood and atmosphere to immerse the listener into the world which the lyrics are describing.

Another thing that is important to note about Christos songwriting is that, unlike a lot of other symphonic extreme metal bands who tend to go overboard with the orchestra and choirs and use them as a crutch to support their sound, he will often write parts of the music to use absolutely no orchestral or choral elements at all and will instead let the instruments that the band themselves play dominate the main idea behind the music which is the brutality, extremeness, and darkness of the sound. Christos also has the uncanny ability to write elements of black metal, gothic metal, and industrial metal into the songs while still allowing the band's overall sound to still retain the brutality and heaviness of death metal.

Christos, however, is not the only important member of the band nor is he the sole and only reason behind the band's success. Each member of the band, although different, specialize in something that is unique only to them as individuals and it is these elements that are vital to the band's ability to work as a group.

2. Lyrics

As I mentioned before, what has not only separated Septicflesh from their peers within the death metal genre, but, has remained consistent without any sort of alteration during the course of their 28 year long career is the kind of lyrics, themes, and subject matter that they choose to focus on.
The band have always focused on tales drawn from real world mythology, fantasy epics, occult knowledge, and literature from the most renowned and acclaimed of authors, poets, and other literary contributors. However, the band don't simply cut and paste these stories and add a musical element to them which is often done in most cases. The band's clean vocalist and rhythm guitarist, Sotiris Vayenas, is the band's main lyricist and he has a unique talent in taking these subjects and either putting unique spins on the stories or make them draw parallels to current events. He can even make seemingly everyday phenomena, like black holes in space or the light of the moon, have a feeling of supernatural horror and dread behind them and how they occur. In doing this, Sotiris is able to provoke the listener's thoughts and let them experience the fear and the horror that could potentially be happening around us as we continue on with our daily lives, completely ignorant to the possible realities of our universe. To illustrate my point, I shall use the lyrics to the first track off of Communion titled Lovecraft's Death.

Lovecraft's Death is a song dedicated as a tribute to acclaimed horror author and godfather of the cosmic horror genre, Howard Phillips Lovecraft, and his renowned Cthulhu Mythos. The lyrics are as follows:

The cold comes,
The rats in the walls break the deadly sound of silence,
As time decays,
You try to name the unnameable, a whisperer in darkness

Our hound smells you,
The haunter of the dark will take you to our realm,
Your life, your books,
March in front your closing eyes, beyond the walls of sleep

Lovecraft in the realm of the dead,
Lovecraft in the realm of the dead

Obsessed with Necronomicon,
The Arab's wicked dream,
You found the path to Azathoth and walked in Dagon's realm,

Your friends were haunted too,
Do you remember Charles?
Or haven't you heard the music of Eric Zann?

The call of Cthulhu we disguised with notes and raving rhythms,
To spread the seed of lurking fear into the heart of man

Lovecraft in the realm of the dead
Lovecraft in the realm of the dead

Your time is out, you saw too much, you used the silver key
You know too well that minds like yours can never rest in peace
You stared at the abyss

You'll never rest in peace
You'll never rest in peace

The reason why the lyrics for this song are genius is because of the fact that Sotiris uses them in a way that implies that perhaps Lovecraft's stories were more than just fictitious tales meant to entertain, but, actual events that Lovecraft either experienced himself or uncovered while researching sources to fuel his creative endeavors.

Sotiris uses a mixture of the titles and characters of Lovecraft's most popular stories including the ever popular Call Of Cthulhu, Dagon, The Rats In The Walls, The Music Of Eric Zann, The Hound, Beyond The Walls Of Sleep, The Curious Case Of Charles Dexter Ward, among several others. If you would like me to make another video in the future analyzing the lyrics of this song in depth for those of you who are maybe unfamiliar with the works of Lovecraft then be sure to let me know in the comments below. Anyways. the way the lyrics are written makes it sound as though Lovecraft, as he lies on his deathbed and as his life is starting to fade, his soul begins to enter the realm of The Elder Gods and The Great Old Ones. While this is happening, he is reminded of the signs he experienced before coming to the maddening realization that he was right all along before he is hit with the revelation that he will not be able to rest in peace. Then, as the final line of the song is repeated for the last time, Spiros, the lead vocalist, let out a scream paints a ghastly scene of Lovecraft witnessing the unnameable, indescribable horror of the creatures and abominations that inhabit the realm of The Elder Gods and screaming with dread as he goes completely and utterly insane as his life abruptly ends. We then hear the sounds of church bells ringing in the distance which not only signify that Lovecraft has passed on from this world, but, creates a contrast between the paradise that our earthly religions promise us after death and the possibility that people like Lovecraft with high levels of intellect have discovered this to not be the case.

It is with this kind of ending that Sotiris manages to provoke the listener into confronting their deepest and inner most fears of mortality, death, and the fact that none us actually know what or if something awaits us beyond this life regardless of our personal or religious beliefs.
Sotiris lyrical writing style is one that truly enhances the feel, the tone, and the atmosphere of the music and without them, the music would lack that extra level of creep factor that makes the music of Septicflesh extreme and dark.

There are plenty of other great examples that I could use such as The Vampire Of Nazareth, Portrait Of A Headless Man, Pyramid God, Science, Persepolis, War In Heaven, Dante's Inferno, and The Order Of Dracul. However, if I went through all of them, this video would probably be well over twelve hours long and I would have surpassed Digibro's records when it comes to 'who can make the longest analysis video of all time on the internet along with shit tons of other content for a billion side channels.'

Jokes aside, my point is that if one wishes to truly appreciate the music of this band in full, one would have to be somewhat familiar with at least the basic stories, history, and names of the figures or locations being referred to in each song. It is not very often that I would stress the importance of lyrics. My usual view on lyrics has always been that as long as they aren't stupid, unintelligent, annoying in repetition, or the only selling point of the song to mask the overall poor sound and songwriting, then I don't usually care what they are about. However, bands like Septicflesh are one of those exceptional cases where the lyrics are just as important as the music itself. This leads me to the final reason as to why I believe this band have been able to garner as much success and recognition as they have despite the Greek metal scene not being one of the biggest or most well known in the world.

3. Visual Aesthetic
Septicflesh have, without a doubt, one of if not the best imagery and visual aesthetics in the entire metal scene if you had to ask me personally. While most bands and movements in metal tend to imitate, draw inspiration from, or copy one another, Septicflesh drew the inspiration more from comic books and movies than from other bands or movements known for their makeup and costumes. In a recent interview with Banger TV, Christos stated that instead of looking to figures like King Diamond, black metal bands, or shock rockers like Manson and Cooper, they instead got the idea for their costumes from movies and comic book characters like Batman, Hellraiser, and various others.
All the member's costumes all look as though they were made by a professional studio in Hollywood and the very polished, high quality look of the materials used in these outfits immediately give the impression that these guys mean business and aren't here to fool around. You can immediately sense that these people are driven by their passion and are determined to make it to the top despite having the odds stacked against them when it comes to their local scene and the competition in surrounding countries or abroad. Although they only began to use the costumes since their reunion, it has become extremely difficult to imagine or even remember the band in their early days when they wore nothing but your typical metal band fashion wear like band t-shirts, sunglasses, leather jackets, etc.

It is here that I am reminded of an interview with Venezuelan born bass metal DJ, Zardonic, who once said in an interview that image is important for your marketing and this couldn't be any more true considering how many metal musicians and their fan base tend to think and believe that image is not important and is used more as a gimmick to cover up bad music. For example, most death metal bands tend to go with the usual oversized band or street wear shirts and baggy jeans look, but, Septicflesh not only want their music to stand out, but, they also want to their image to give the listener an idea as to what their music is all about. There are far too many bands who, while being great musicians, don't care much for having an image outside the album art. While I understand that not every band makes or has the money to afford certain resources, there are still plenty of cheaper and cost effective ways to create a more simple yet elegant 'gimmick' so to speak. On the other side of the spectrum, there are also far too many bands who lean way too much on their look to hide the quality of their music, but, Septicflesh are one of those few bands who are able to balance out the visuals with the music.

The band's image, however, is much more than just the costumes. Spiros 'Seth' Antoniou, the bassist, harsh vocalist, and elder brother of Christos, is the band's main artist and has always done the album art and booklet art for the band. Not only that, but, he has done art for many other big names in the metal scene such as Decapitated, Kamelot, Paradise Lost, Ex Deo, Moonspell, and Soilwork to name a few.
Spiros work, according to him, and I quote:

“I consider my art, a dark portal to things forbidden, freed from the safeguarding valve of Reason. My works are distorting dream mirrors of the body and soul. When I am painting, I am trying to emulate the conscious state of lucid dreaming. Besides, a dream is actually a canvas filled with images (and much more) from the subconscious, with responsible artist the Hyper Ego.”
This statement perfectly reflects the entity that is Septicflesh and all of Spiros work that he has done for the band and always reflects the concept of each album they release along with the overall dark and extreme atmosphere of their music. The best and greatest example that I can use for this is the album art he did for their 2011 album, The Great Mass. The concept of The Great Mass basically boils down to the idea that the word 'mass' has many connotations and different meanings depending on the context it is used in. The word mass has four different meanings.

1. A large body of matter with no definitive shape.
2. A large number of people or objects crowded together.
3. Involving or affecting large numbers of people or things.
4. Assemble or cause to assemble into a single body or mass.

Each individual track, though they may appear to be separate, actually represent each meaning of the word 'mass' in some way, shape, or form. This is further reflected in Spiros album art titled 'The God That Wants To Kill Himself' which basically asks the age old question of 'is man a god and if so is man a suicidal god?'

The art piece basically depicts the horrific and shocking image of a god practically cannibalizing himself with all the various depictions of himself falling out of his now mutilated body.
The album explores this concept by telling it's tales through the lens of 'the pursuit of knowledge', so to speak, and how that pursuit can often result in dire consequences that almost make it feel as though we, the human race, are forever being punished for simply searching for the truth and whether we will ever be ready to face or understand it when and if confronted by it.
The fact as well that Spiros art is done in a way that tries to emulate the conscious state of lucid dreaming which, funnily enough, ties in to the fact that our quest for knowledge or success always starts with a dream, and, it's often that those dreams will drive a person to reach that goal no matter the cost, only for them to awaken from the dream and realize that what they had been striving for all their life until that moment was not all it was made out to be.
Out of all the death metal bands I have listened to over the years, I have never encountered a band that actually plans it's work out in full and in such meticulous detail like this all the while utilizing the strengths, skills, and talent of each individual member to create a working unit that is able to produce such masterful work.

If there is anything at all that new and upcoming bands should do to ensure a long and successful career, it's to take a page from bands like Septicflesh as this method of teamwork has always proven to yield results and bear fruit while keeping your music and your brand interesting and relative no matter the trends in art or in music.
It is safe to say that the theatrical elements of Septicflesh's visual aesthetic has definitely succeeded in selling the idea on that their music is most certainly dark, heavy, but most of all, extreme.

In conclusion, Septicflesh are definitely the masters of extreme symphonic music because extreme music relies on dark themes, motifs, subject matter, and sound in order to create it's idea and purpose of being able to create something beautiful out of darkness and tragedy. Septicflesh tick all the boxes and meet all the requirements when it comes to such things in their sound, lyricism, and image. Now, Septicflesh are most certainly not the first band in the world to cover such subjects or have a visual gimmick to market themselves, however, they are most certainly one of, if not the best modern examples of how to do it right.

Septicflesh are able to show they mean business and that, if you are someone who isn't used to hearing heavy music that covers dark subject matter and has extreme imagery, then you had either get yourself mentally prepared or go home.
This band have clearly shown that if you want people to take the ideas and extremeness of your music seriously, you have to give people the theatricality that they want and are looking for and you should be able to do this with both your image and your music.

The band's music is not only extreme, but, is also innovative and is able to convey it's themes clearly and precisely while allowing the listener some room to add their own interpretations to the lyrics and the stories being told. Their ability to blend the brutality of death metal, the cold soundscape of black metal, the eeriness of gothic metal, the polish of industrial metal, and the haunting atmosphere of dark orchestral music with exquisite and high quality visual elements is something that really adds a lot of depth to their work and should be applauded. There are very few extreme metal artists who are able to blend various elements from other genres as well as this and there are even fewer who manage to balance them perfectly. This, my friends, is why Septicflesh are the masters of extreme symphonic music.

Carach Angren - Horror Through Music

Growing up, and even now as an adult, I cannot say I'm a huge fan of horror whether we are talking in the form of literature, movies, video games, or even music. Sure, I can enjoy certain kinds of horror stories, mostly those where the horror is not the main focus but is used more as a visual aesthetic than anything else. Examples of this would have to include anything from the Underworld movies, Berserk, Vampire Hunter D, Alien, Predator, and dare I even say most stories by H.P. Lovecraft.
However, when it comes to actual horror, stuff that's meant to make feel uncomfortable and fill your head with a sense of paranoia for days, weeks, months, or at worst, the rest of your lifetime is something I've never been a fan of and as a child, for any of us, these experiences are completely unavoidable since our minds are very impressionable at that age.

I can still remember being creeped out not just by your typical dark moments in animated kids films, but, from books that were available in my school library, clips from documentaries, and the hyper realistic paintings of hell or the apocalypse dating from the Renaissance onwards.
Things like depictions of the various demons and monsters from hell mentioned in the Bible  old black and white movie clips, the sketchy, yet, detailed illustrations contained in the particular publication of Bram Stocker's Dracula that I read as a kid, the disturbing features of witches in the illustrations contained in fairy tale books, and pretty much any screen shot or clip from exorcism flims.

Though, more often than not, it is creepy music that forces these kinds of images to resurface in my mind and leave me with the feeling of paranoia that the fears that have been engrained into my brain based on my childhood experiences are either watching me from the darkness of my bedroom at night or creeping up behind me when I'm listening to the music in question.
Carach Angren are a horror themed symphonic black metal band based in the Netherlands and most of their albums are concept albums that either tell the stories of real life ghost legends or original concepts based on things like fairy tales, war, or superstitious objects such as the ouija board.
The band has three consistent members, who for the sake of easier pronunciation in this video I shall refer to their stage names, Seregor on vocals, Ardek on keyboards, and Namtar on drums and they normally have guest and session members to fill in for the parts that they are unable to perform themselves. So far they have released two EPs and five full-length albums all of which have tell a particular story.

So, what is it that makes Carach Angren's music that causes me to come face to face with a lot of my own fears and superstitions which normally I would avoid, but, somehow strangely enjoy at the same time? Well, in order to find this answer, I'll be breaking down the various elements of their music, including some elements of their visual aesthetic, to show you just what makes this band, in my experience, the masters of horror music:

1. Lyrics

Carach Angren's lyrics, unlike most metal bands, are very straightforward. There is no heavy reliance on similes, metaphors, and poetry in the way that your typical metal band writes their lyrics. While this can put the average band in danger of being labelled as either 'cheesy' or 'talentless', Carach Angren are one of those few bands whose lyrical style actually suits the ebb and flow of their compositions and overall sound.
Seregor, who is not only the vocalist, but, the brains behind the lyrics and each story that the band tells, has an uncanny ability to not only ensure that the lyrics convey a particular aesthetic, but, is able to make folklore or topics that the skeptical side of your brain would normally shrug off stay in your mind and make you question whether or not there is a reason we are a superstitious race of beings and whether these legends and tales are true or not.

Seregor's lyrics flow naturally between the first and third person and read like that of dark and twisted children's book filled with dreaded tales of a macabre nature. The way the scenes are described and construction of the dialogue reminds me of the days when my kindergarten teachers would read to us during story time and how they would often use props or music to set the mood or add emphasis during certain scenes and how it would often terrify some of us and have us on the edge of our seats and sending chills down our spines. Especially when they would turn the book in our direction and there would be a terrifying illustration of the villain or creature of the story. The way each scene and setting is written gives enough detail to paint a picture of what is going on so that the listener can follow, but, also doesn't go too in depth so that it allows the music and Seregor's vocals to let you imagine and project your own fears into how you would visualize the story from the characters to the environment. Not to mention that the dialogue is used in such a way that it only makes the unsettling descriptions of the settings even worse by actually adding to the mental state of the protagonist as they experience the events in their respective tales.

The real genius behind Seregor's lyrics however, lies in the fact that he puts all of his time and effort into researching the history behind these legends and tales and even when the band decide to tell a more original story, they always find a way to include real life superstitions that some people still believe in to this very day and weave them into the narrative. These thing generally include things from ghosts of suicide victims haunting the spots where they died or people meeting their doom after encountering a strange phenomena.

This means that something that is already tragic like troops wanting to end their lives during times of conflict is made only more terrifying not only in the way the song in question ends, but, how it ties in to the overarching story of the album thus making the twist at the end leave a truly haunting and lasting impression on the mind which is only enhanced by Seregor's vocal delivery which leads me to second aspect that makes this band great in telling horror stories through music:

2. Vocals

Seregor's vocals are perfect for these kind of lyrics because instead of using his vocals as another instrument to create a harmonizing melody with the other instruments (which is traditionally done in most styles of music), he instead uses them as though he is narrating the story to an audience. Kind of like an audio book only with a lot more flair to it.
For the most part, the songs have your standard black metal styled vocals, but, in order to add to the drama unfolding in these dark and insidious tales, Seregor will add in odd and exaggerated techniques as though he were acting the roles of the characters himself.
This includes moaning like a corpse that has risen from it's coffin, cackling like an otherworldly specter tormenting it's victim into madness, or using heavy and raspy breathing that quickens in pace like an unknown entity chasing it's prey through the darkest of forests on the blackest of nights.
Whenever these elements are used in his technique, not only do they enhance the instrumental side of the music, but, the fact that it's done so suddenly, unexpectedly, and in the most disturbing of ways it often makes me jump, even when I'm busy doing something else while listening to their albums and I will usually find myself glancing at every dark corner of the living room expecting to see something or someone standing there watching me.

This style of narration often reminds me of narration that would take place in old black and white horror films, tv series, or horror radio dramas where in order to give the listener  a truly memorable scare, the reader would allow the tension to gradually build up before using elements like dramatic pauses or suddenly raising their voices before letting a sound effect or background music suddenly jump to add emphasis to the moment and make it seem as though it jumped out of nowhere. Not to mention the fact that the static and the way that old microphones would compress a person's voice would only make the recording sound even more ominous and terrifying.
This leads me to the following point which is the orchestration.

3. Orchestration And Instrumentals

Ardek, the keyboardist, orchestrator, and lead songwriter behind the band's music is not a man who likes to limit himself in any way, shape, or form whether it comes to sound or actual song structures in his music. One just needs to look at not only his work in Carach Angren, but, his solo work, his film scores, and his collaborations with bands such and Pain and Ex Deo to see just how flexible he is when it comes to his style and influences.
This is quite evident when it comes to the way he writes and structures the bands songs and even their overall sound. While he understands the rules of traditional horror music and what makes it unsettling, he also understands that he often has to break and bend those rules so that their albums don't lose their impact and fall into the trap of becoming boring and to being expected of them thus losing the creep factor.

In several interviews, especially in those proceeding the release of 2017's Dance And Laugh Amongst The Rotten, Ardek explains that whenever he writes a piece of music, he is always looking to challenge himself in new ways and add new elements to the tone and sound of the orchestration. This can clearly be heard in the more Danny Elfman inspired melodies on the new album, such as the track Charles Francis Coghlan, mixed with a few subtle industrial moments here and there.
Though the question still remains, what is it about Ardek's orchestrations that make it possible for the band to deliver on the scares contained within their music and stories?
Well, as I mentioned earlier, he does use some of the more traditional elements of horror music, such as placing high pitched string instruments in the foreground as opposed to being in the  background like in most normal styles of music, the use of haunting choral elements, or adding creepy sound effects like the sounds of creaking doors and howling winds, but, I find that the element that truly makes the band's songwriting send chills up your spine is Ardek's use of deception.
Chances are that those of you who are horror buffs watching this video have listened to horror music or horror themed music long enough to the point where nothing is surprising anymore. However, Ardek is somehow able to take every cliched element in horror music history and turn them on their heads.

There will be plenty of moments throughout Carach Angren's songs where a particular moment will sound like it's building up to, for lack of a better description, a jump scare only for the revelation to be that slow way in which the song fades out before transitioning to the next one leaves the idea that the character didn't exactly meet his/her demise or doom in the way that you were expecting (which more often than not in horror is death). A perfect example of this sort of technique would have to be the final track of their third album, Where The Corpses Sink Forever, simply titled These Fields Are Lurking. I won't spoil what the actual story of the song is about, but, what I can say is that it's a genius track that builds upon the premise of the opening track all while connecting what seems like several unrelated stories into one and in one hell of a fantastic payoff.
Each note and every melody just seems to match and flow with the events taking place in the story contained within each song and compliments every aspect of Seregor's vocals in a way that is only unique to this band.

Which leads me to the final aspect of what makes Carach Angren's music haunting:

4. Visual Aesthetic

Believe it or not, visuals actually play a key part in letting our imagination asscociate certain imagery with certain styles of music despite what metal elitists will say about masks, makeup, costumes, and other visual elements being used as gimmicks or distractions from the music.
Carach Angren are one of those bands who aren't only gifted in the music and storytelling department, but, they are also extremely talented in the visual arts department as well. Seregor is heavily inspired by horror movies and literature and thus is the one in charge of the band's makeup, masks, illustrations, photography, and marketing.
For the sake of brevity, I will be addressing the two biggest aspects of their visual aesthetic which are the makeup and the marketing.
The band's makeup has remained pretty consistent with only minor changes here and there during the course of their career. While it's not uncommon for black metal bands to use corpse paint as the main element to their look with many, including Carach Angren's, bearing a similar design to their peers or predecessors. However, the symmetrical patterns and classic skull inspired shape of the corpsepaint that the band members don during their concerts, music videos, and photo shoots help to exaggerate certain facial features and and even make facial expressions that would normally look comedic, appear terrifying and unnatural. Granted, this is nothing new since it's the basic function of stage makeup, however, all three members, especially Seregor, are excellent actors and really enhance the experience of the music whenever you see  them perform live on stage or in a music video.
Just look at the footage from videos like When Crows Tick On Windows or Charles Francis Coghlan to see just how the members are dedicated to making not only their performance, but, the music itself feel as immersive as possible.

The second aspect I would like to touch upon is the marketing and I shall be using their 2017 album, Dance And Laugh Amongst The Rotten as an example since I personally believe that it is one of their smartest and creative ways to sell their music. This is because when they released the album, if you bought either the Digipak or the physical copy of the album, you would be given a black box to open in order to listen to the album. You may be wondering how such a simple thing is clever marketing, but, I'll explain why this simple yet elegant idea adds to the immersion of the album's concept.
So, the concept for their recent album is essentially about a girl who opens a black box before she and her friends decide to mess around with an Ouija board. They summon a demonic entity known only as Charlie, and in the process she becomes haunted and possessed by the various entities that inhabited the box that she opened. The final line on the last track ends with Seregor asking the listener did they listen to the songs before opening the box which, if you felt creeped out while following the lyrics as you listened to the album, then the breaking of that fourth wall between the listener and Seregor's character as the narrator of this tale gives the listener a feeling of uneasiness which is far worse than any momentary and cheap jumpscare in a video game.
The amount of time, thought, effort, and dedication this band put into not only their music, but, their overall image is something that really is to be commended and applauded and there really aren't many horror themed bands who are as dedicated as these guys if you had to ask me personally.

What Separates Carnifex From Other Deathcore Bands

Deathcore is a sub-genre of metal that, despite it's popularity among the majority of young metalheads like myself these days, is still met with a lot of hostility and harsh criticism, especially from veteran metalheads. This is totally understandable because, although nu metal pretty much propelled the heavy metal genre into a somewhat more mainstream form of popularity and, admittedly, even though I still enjoy a lot of bands and music from that era, I can agree with the argument that the effects of it's songwriting seems to have created a somewhat standard and formulaic approach to songwriting within most, but not all, modern heavy metal genres. Especially among the more popular and trending styles.

Now obviously this video is not aimed at bashing nu metal or trying to discredit other deathcore bands that are doing some impressive and unique stuff with the sub-genre like Thy Art Is Murder, Infant Annihilator, Slaughter To Prevail, and The Faceless, but, the point of this video is to focus on the band Carnifex specifically and what makes their music appeal to fans of not only deathcore, but, some death metal and black metal fans as well.

I think, in order to understand what makes Carnifex such a unique case when it comes to this sub-genre, is to look at the list of what their musical influences are.
Now while a lot of deathcore bands may draw influence from more or less the same names from older and more established genres and sub-genres, there are usually a few names in their list of influences that stand out more and serve as a general indicator as to what bands or styles heavily influence a band's sound, songwriting, and lyricism and that pretty much all the band members enjoy and agree upon when it comes to looking for inspiration for new material.
Let's take the most popular deathcore band, Suicide Silence. While both Suicide Silence and Carnifex share Cannibal Corpse as one of their major influences to their sound and songwriting, the rest of their respective lists are vastly different and it's plain to see which names become a common thread with other deathcore bands and their influences that somehow lead to the majority of the sub-genre gaining it's tropes that are frequently and harshly criticized.

Another thing that I noticed when reading the list of Carnifex' influences is that they all seem to stick mainly to death metal (or a sub-genre of death metal) which includes names such as In Flames, Carcass, and Dying Fetus along with black metal names such as Mayhem, Burzum, and Cradle Of Filth which indicates that the band has a very much focused approach and know precisely the kind of music they want to produce. Bands such as Suicide Silence and Whitechapel have bands from a variety of styles that influence their music such as nu metal bands like Korn and Deftones, thrash metal bands like Slayer, death metal bands like Nile and Suffocation, and even djent bands like Meshuggah. This, from my viewpoint, seems to lead to a lot of confusion and results in the songwriting by these bands to fall into the trap of using a repetitive formula to write their songs with an overuse of elements such as breakdowns and similar drumming patterns which creates somewhat general lack in melodic elements since a good portion of deathcore bands feel the need to cram in as many riffs as they can that showcase all their influences. Again, keep in mind that I'm not bashing the other bands since I enjoy a lot of their music myself and I'm pretty sure that even though Carnifex have a more direct and consistent list of influences when it comes to their music, they most likely listen to artists and genres outside of their quoted inspirations and incorporate it into their songwriting as any good musician should.

Upon reading and watching many reviews of the band's albums, one thing I noticed that is a very common praise critics have about this band is the fact that they only use breakdowns when it is necessary for a song or a part of a song to have one instead of implementing one in every single song like most deathcore bands do. Scott's vocals also garner a lot of praise as well since he can easily transition between black metal styled shrieks, death metal growls, and guttural deathcore growls. His pronunciation is also something to be taken into account as well as, unlike with most extreme metal vocalists, most people cannot hear the lyrics of the songs while Scott is able to convey the lyrics perfectly for the most part with his style and technique. The band's guitar work is also nothing to scoff at either! They are able to blend a wide variety of riff styles into each song without making each song sound the same. If one were to actually listen closely to a lot of the different riffs in each song one would be able to pick up little hints of In Flames, Cannibal Corpse, Carcass, Behemoth, and many others. Plus the fact that Carnifex actually make good use of guitar solos is another plus for them since most deathcore bands never actually use guitar solos and instead rely solely on the breakdown which becomes very old and sometimes annoying quite fast and can even put most people off the genre entirely. Also their excellent use of faint keyboard synths and odd piano melodies really adds to the atmospheric and haunting element of their music.

Now, this isn't to say that the band haven't had any problems getting to where they are today or don't have any stigmas that they are still trying to throw off. When the band released their debut album, Dead In My Arms, back in 2007, they were often accused of being Suicide Silence rip offs as Suicide Silence had already released their debut EP two years before in 2005. Also, despite the fact that Carnifex debut album released a few months before Suicide Silence's first full length album, The Cleansing, Carnifex seemed to gain this stigma due to the fact that Suicide Silence were already signed to one metal music's biggest record labels, Century Media Records, and their album sales being one of the label's best selling debut albums certainly added to this since Carnifex were, at the time, signed to an underground indie label. And, I can honestly say that I can understand why many people thought this way since their debut release pretty much has a similar production and songwriting style to The Cleansing. Another thing that they were criticized for at the time of the album's release was that the lyrics were very 'emo and immature' and that the songwriting was just basically glorifying and fanboying over Job For A Cowboy's early deathcore music before they started doing death metal music. So, even though their debut album sold pretty well under an underground record label and gained attention from the deathcore community, it ultimately meant the band began their career on a very rocky start. Also, the band still seem to struggle with attracting new fans from the death metal and black metal camps because of their lyrics with many complaints ranging from they all deal with the same topics to they make absolutely no sense and aren't as 'poetic' as their veteran counterparts. But, in the end, these are all minor problems that the band faces considering how far they have come since those early days and the success they have enjoyed since then.

I highly recommend that newcomers to the deathcore genre check out Carnifex first before delving into what the rest of the genre has to offer. Their first two albums will definitely give newcomers a feel as to what deathcore's roots are and will provide the listener with a general idea of some of the tropes that are common in the genre. Their third album, Hell Chose Me, following on to 2016's Slow Death is where the real magic happens and will definitely give newcomers an idea of what deathcore is truly capable of if handled correctly which is something Carnifex have had no trouble doing since then. It also allows the newcomer to dip their toes into the genre without putting them off the genre completely and if they want to remain in familiar territory when it comes to songwriting, sound, and personal preference.

It is this combination of all these elements that truly sets Carnifex apart from many of their peers and the next generation of deathcore bands that they have left an impact on. Again, I would like to point out that I am not discrediting or ignoring the works of other deathcore bands that are taking the genre to new heights and proving the naysayers wrong, but, in the past three years of me listening to a lot of deathcore music, I can honestly say that, in my opinion, I have never come across a band in the deathcore sub-genre that is quite able to cater to all the different tastes I have in metal in one complete and compact package.