Getting closer to the release date of CARACH ANGRENs Franckensteina Strataemontanus was one of the very few good things in 2020 so far. Once again, the sixth studio output by the Dutchmen is a concept album too, and one does not need to know any Latin to get a pretty good idea of the main theme. I am pretty sure, that the band did not develop the concept for this release within three or four months prior to its release, but “man trying to become god/man’s struggle versus nature” are certainly relevant topics in these days…

Franckensteina Strataemontanus revolves around the myth of Johann Konrad Dippel: A scholar, doctor, alchemist and mystic who was born at Frankenstein Castle, a hilltop castle located in southern Hesse, Germany. It is widely believed that this Johann Konrad Dippel served as an inspiration for Mary Shelley’s Dr. Frankenstein. Although this claim is disputed, for a Black Metal album it does not matter much if Shelley even got aware of the castle during her trips through Germany, or if she - as some say - learned of the story from the Grimm brothers: Last time I checked, a Black Metal album does not necessarily need to reflect the state of the art in literary studies ;-)

Although the lyrical content of the album is clearly defined by the overall theme, CARACH ANGREN don't impose any restrictions on themselves as far as the music is concerned. And thus, Franckensteina Strataemontanus changes quite a bit between Symphonic and rather straight Black Metal numbers while incorporating not only orchestral sounds, but also many different sound samples, industrial “tunes” and effects as well as the genre-typical instruments and ingredients.
The journey through CARACH ANGRENs version of the Frankenstein myth begins rather peacefully with the recitation of a poem, performed to the backdrop of an initially harmless seeming setting in the woods. As the poem progresses, the atmosphere changes, and as we reach the end (seamlessly transitioning into the first track), the line "little did they know, what horrors were about to come..." wasn't required to invoke a feeling that things are somehow afoul Here In German Woodland. Already the third number marks the first climax: The title track’s guitars are accentuated by massive, stomping, dark industrial sounds while we become witness of "the creation" and the creators’ subsequent drift into megalomania (Now I know how it feels to be God! I AM God!). From there on, CARACH ANGREN develop the story further by way of elaborately arranged tracks that feature all the typical CARACH ANGREN trademarks: Symphonic, yet never kitschy or too flamboyant but instead often outright ghoulishly contorted sounds and melodies, backed by a sometimes groovy, then again blast beat driven Black Metal structure. In the (to that point) fastest number Sewn For Solitude, the protagonist falls from hubris into self-doubt and despair, culminating in the lines "What have I done / See the creature I've become / monster to many, friend to none".
Sort of an interlude in the overall story arc, Der Vampir von Nürnberg (the Nuremberg vampire) tells the (mostly) true story of one Kuno Hofmann. A deaf, dumb and mentally insane petty crook, during the 1970s, Hofman first scoured the graveyards, mortuaries and crematories of his hometown, searching for corpses he would defile. Finally, Hofmann would kill a couple and drink their blood, believing that the feat would cure him. There is no proof at all, that Hofman had actually been inspired by Dippel and/or Frankenstein, but the tale is a good fit for the equally macabre main theme of Franckensteina Strataemontanus, nonetheless. Backed by shredding guitars and bizarre sounds and samples, vocalist Seregor shines here and demonstrates that he is one of the most versatile singers of his genre. There's one problem with this song, though: If you're a German native speaker, you will likely find it (at least at a first spin) rather funny instead of frightening due to the very incorrectly pronounced German language. Like A Conscious Parasite I Roam, the final song of the regular album version, brings the story to a full circle, with the music reverting back to suddenly rather quiet and mystic tunes, making heavy use of piano and strings. Because of this, I find the following bonus track of the deluxe version, in stark contrast a short and fast song, somehow misplaced, to be honest.

As I expected, CARACH ANGREN did not disappoint and presented – once more - a fascinating concept album, which could perfectly serve as soundtrack for a bizarre horror movie or a totally wretched year 2020. In musical terms, it provides more variety than the genre does normally "allow". A refreshingly different kind of Symphonic Black Metal with none of the cheesiness many run-of-the-mill bands in that genre would come up with.