Back with another ghost story to tell in their own brand of symphonic black metal, Carach Angren has dropped one of their best in Dance and Laugh Amongst the Rotten (Season of Mist). Forty-two minutes of orchestral accompaniment paired with eerie lyrics is all it takes for an enjoyable, yet creepy album to make its mark. While some parts come off as a little cheesy at times (which I personally enjoy for the most part in the genre), other parts in the album really pick up the intensity and left a lasting impression after only a few sprints through.

The first track that sparks the interest is ‘Blood Queen’; the orchestration is memorable with the electric instruments playing on equal playing grounds and the breakdown at the end unexpected but it surely works. The very next track, ‘Charles Francis Coghlan’ is a little different as the orchestration really takes precedence over the rest of the band at times, but also pulls back a bit to allow for the guitars to shine. The outro of this track also gets a little tacky with the chanted vocals over just orchestration, but the chorus that shines throughout the song is reprised and finishes off strong.

One of the more head-bang worthy songs is ‘Pitch Black Box’ with a slow tempo but remains heavy where the orchestration and story-telling aspects do not take center stage. Granted, like many tracks on the album, the orchestration is very well done for each song’s own personality.

While previous albums have really not held up for me from Carach Angren, they really delivered on this latest release. Dance And Laugh Amongst The Rotten may very well be the best album from the Netherland Black Metal group as they capitalized on the overall creepiness of the lyrics, orchestration, and the simplistic yet fitting guitar riffs. All fans, new and old, I am sure will appreciate the work on this record.

7.5/10

TIM LEDIN