Symphonic black metal maestros, Carach Angren have once again penned a meticulously labored tale of dread.
Take the best of Septic Flesh’s orchestral grandeur, Cradle of Filth’s gothic pomp and a touch of The Vision Bleak’s horror stories and you should already have a an inkling of what Carach Angren presents on their danse macabre nowadays. The theatrics that culminated in the previous album ‘This is no Fairytale’, a reworking of the classic Grimm fable of Hansel and Gretel’, is further expanded upon on this yarn of witchcraft, Ouija boards and ghosts. At times ‘Dance and Laugh’ sounds almost like a macabre version of the Transsiberian Orchestra. Such an ambitious endeavor demands a crisp mix, so the Dutchmen flew down to The Abyss studios in Sweden where Peter Tätgren made sure their compositions tower regally like a cathedral. Renowned Romenianvisual artist Costin Chioreanu turned in an almost comic like cover that looks perhaps a bit odd for a black metal band, but in facts equally fits the grand guignol that is their trademark.
Tracklist:
1. Opening
2. Charlie
3. Blood Queen
4. Charles Francis Coghlan
5. Song for the Dead
6. In De naam Van de Duivel
7. Pitch Black Box
8. The Possession Process
9. Three Times Thunder Strikes
Label: Season of Mist
8.5/10
