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.
This is awesome
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