The uncompromising attitude of black metal and the epicness of symphonical music multiplied by flawless orchestrations – these supreme qualities do not compliment Carach Angren music enough. The first half of 2015 has been very successful for the band by far: the new album “This Is No Faitytale” was released and some big festival stages were conquered. Carach Angren is currently busy preparing for the tour but the frontman Seregor was kind enough to find time to answer our questions.

                    

                     - Hello Seregor! From the press-release materials for the new album we could discover the fact that the story in it is based on the tale of Hansel and Gretel. Nevertheless, there are some other interesting ideas, i.e. you are telling a story about one family which is overwhelmed by alcohol, drugs, abuse and violence. How did you come to the idea of combining a fairytale with such a widespread problem for many modern families? I do not think your main goal was to draw attention to this problem, so what was an initial source of inspiration for you? Why did you kind of abandon the theme of ghosts and the otherworld which have become quite traditional for you through all these ages? Weren’t you afraid to change the theme of your lyrics so drastically?

                    

                    Seregor: I really stood 100% behind this concept. As a musician you should listen to the opinions of your fans/audience but you should not ‘only’ create music for other people. I mean “Hey! I know how it is back in the day”. When one of my favorite bands came up with an album I really didn’t like. You watch these things of course but I will always stay very true to what I see and feel when I read our lyrics. I know I always said: ghosts and hauntings will always be the center of Carach Angren. Still, for this concept we were quite determined. We wanted to make a concept involving a fairytale. We had the idea for years but it never came through.

                    So this time I tried different things with fairytales like «Sleeping beauty» etc. And after a while I thought: “Let’s try Hansel & Gretel’. It tends to be a bit cannibalistic with the witch trying to feed Hansel in order to eat him. And we always have a lot of ‘death’ in our stories. Before I knew it I had this totally disturbing story. It was meant for one song but Ardek was inspired and told me this could be a whole concept. I simply re-wrote the fairytale in how it truly could be in reality, without any ghosts, even without a candy house and a real witch. In our ‘fairytale’ there’s a serial-murderer who is tortured by the ‘voice’ of the witch. She is screaming in his head until he kills another child. Then she whispers again. Dressed up as a clown this psychopath (witch) goes out to find them. He lures the children to his house with a promise: “The house is made of candy”. Maybe you can compare the idea with a movie like “The Human Centipede 2”. And I wondered why they would invent fairytales like “Hansel and Gretel”. My guess was to warn children - don’t talk to strangers! Maybe our fairytale tells you ‘why’ you shouldn’t talk to them ;)

                    There are 2 songs that describe a dream: “Dreaming Of A Nightmare In Eden” and “Tragedy Ever After”. If people don’t know that, they tend to say the lyrics are cheap. It’s like Freddy Krueger’s nightmares. Strange, weird, over-the-top-horror things happen. If I ask you to clearly describe your dream you had yesterday, you won’t even find the fucking words to explain it to me, will you? ;). People have to read Grimm’s “Hansel and Gretel” first and then compare it with ours. Then again, you also need to be open for it. Have some imagination. Personally, I also used my tragic in there too. My mother had a past of extreme drinking. Luckily my lyrics are a bit more…dark, hehe. And to us musicians it’s a very succeeded concept. The fact that it was a very clear and good story make us believe this was a real challenge (and fuck it was!). There’s A LOT happening and we have a feeling as if we’ve written a good horror movie. The hauntings will definitely return but this reality vs fairytale-concept…. It made perfect sense to me and we are proud to have this piece of horror under our wing.

                    

                    - Don’t you think that the new album came out more brutal and bloody that its predecessors? You used to tell horror stories but those stories were the legends you borrowed to base your albums upon. Now you have invented the plot yourself. Weren’t you concerned whether somebody might say: “It is unacceptable to sing about such things, you are sick”?

                    

                    S.: Yes! This album was more horror-orientated. You see, many people still wonder if ghosts and such are real. Well, rapists and serial killers are out there right now, as real as it gets. This album has more straightforward horror… And yes, we discussed the thing about the child-abuse parts. These are not things I would simply choose because I like to write about it. But it became an essential part that connects the end of the first song with the end of the last song. There are people who repulse my lyrics. There are also people who come and thank me for this art. People who’ve had similar ‘sick’ experiences. Even though it summons their dark past, they appreciate and understand our work. And that’s a huge satisfaction as a writer.

                    And If you tell me I’m sick…I take that as a compliment too.

                    

                    - Whom from the album characters do you like the most/the least? If it was not an album, but a film, whom would you like to play?

                    

                    S.: Hmmmm…hahaha, fuck! You don’t wanna be anyone in our story. But if I must choose I’ll be the psychopath clown then. I already dressed up like him in the artworks of our album. I feel good in a clown-suit carrying a big fucking knife.

                    

                    - New album is quite different from your earlier works, the theme is different, the sound became better, even the songs seem to become crueler, darker, more bloody. You also changed design of the album, no more band members on a front cover, and you turned back to your old, more ‘true-black’ logo. Don’t you think these are too much for one album? How did you feel about them when you were recording “This Is No Fairytale” and how do you feel about them now?

                    

                    S.: I think things went exactly the way we planned. We didn’t think much about changes. We had a clear story and the music was written for it. I remember having a slight fear if people would accept this or not. Because they are already used to a certain atmosphere on our previous albums. But we will never write something quick without much thought. It takes time and we don’t want to be a band repeating itself. It’s good to have some change and I still feel the same pride as during the recording.

                    

                    - I heard that you, Seregor, are not a big fan of replacing people in the team, especially if you have worked with them for a long time. Was it difficult for you to turn to working with Peter Tägtgren instead of Patrick Damiani? Are you satisfied with the result of such work?

                    

                    S.: Well, we never turned from Patrick Damiani! He´s responsible for all recordings and he´s still a huge team/player. But for this record we got a change to get the mastering done by Peter Tägtgren. He’s responsible for new and full sound and his name on your album is simply good for business. Peter is a big fucking star in this scene and we’ve been listening to many of the albums he mixed or mastered all our lives. If he did a shitty job we wouldn’t have accepted it, of course. But he did a great job! Personally, I am more involved with Patrick. Because we are the ones who go in that studio to torture ourselves with a million takes until we have what we need. SO Patrick – recordings and Peter – master. And yes, I am very pleased with this result.

                    

                    - A question to all members of the band: do your parents give a listen to your band’s albums when they are released? If yes, do they delve into the details of albums, into the story behind an album? What was their reaction to “This Is No Fairytale”?

                    

                    S.: Hehehe, our mothers are totally proud of us. They are not fully into catching every horrible detail in the concept but they are proud to see the whole picture. My grandmother raised me and has always supported me even before Carach Angren. There was a time when I was 16 that she was afraid I would end up with my own Charles Manson gang. But luckily I got creative with darkness and death in music. My uncle took Granny to our previous release show and she watched a whole audience pay to see her grandson. She saw people getting autographs, making pictures. Hehe, I’m happy she is proud now. I wasn’t exactly a choir boy, you know. So I did it my way ;) And I see that same pride in the eyes of Ardek’s and Namtar’s mother.

                    

                    - Seregor, I heard that your grandmother participated directly in creating your new album as it is her hand which offers candies pictured on the front cover. Was it her first time collaborating with her grandson’s band (and if not, please tell us about the other)?

                    

                    S.: Yes, it was her first time. I mean who would ever come up to use something of your grandmother in your metal album, haha! Personally, it’s also a way to thank her and make her part of my success you know. But the main reason was that we needed a witch’s hand! Well, Grannie’s hand was perfect so we glued on some black nails and gave her worms crawling through blood and candy. She is like totally decent and I was amazed she did the whole thing.

                    It’s cool to see her face when the front cover pops up in stores and all over internet.

                    

                    - Your vocal work is one of a kind as you had to get into every character in this dark story on new album. How hard was it for you as for a vocalist to work under this album? Was it challenging for you to take out this drama out and put it into vocal work in the studio (in comparison with performing on the stage)?

                    

                    S.: This record was quite a challenge I must say. Not the emotions’ part. That comes naturally. But the rhythm and timing. There are a lot of lyrics and it’s easy when everything is already studied in your head.

                    But I am always writing until the last moment. So lyrics are very fresh when I appear in the studio. Even right there behind the microphone… Lyrics can change when people have better ideas. And my vocal-style is like another drum-rhythm that has to be on-beat and clearly pronounced. Everything was done in time but it was a tough job.

                    

                    - There is definitely a decent growth of the band in the recent years. Have you ever thought what would you do if Carach Angren did not exist? Do you imagine yourself working in related artistic field?

                    

                    S.: I think I’d have my own Charles Manson cult, hehe. No, I don’t know. I think I’d be doing something else with art/horror. I used to draw a lot of things. Mostly death, of course. Now I make horror-masks. But it’s all spinning around Carach Angren. I never found real clarity what to do with my life as a profession. I made sure I always studied but all I ever wanted was to have a band. So it’s kind of hard to imagine what I would have done without Carach.

                    

                    - Last year you did your first American tour with Deicide, Septic Flesh and Inquisition. Could you share some memories of it with us? What were the highlights of that tour?

                    

                    S.: Highlights were that we sold out merchandise a few times and the great response from fans and audience. We always go out after the show to take some pics with the fans and every time there was a huge row of people waiting to get an autograph, make a picture, give a present or simply show respect. It sometimes took almost an hour. We got amazing presents! Food, artworks, Cigars, special drinks. Yeah, I truly have to say that America was really good to us.

                    Septic Flesh are like brothers to us. We like to work together. And Deicide is a band I’ve been snapping my neck at since I was 16 years old. So it was an honor to share drinks, weed and stage with Glen Benton.

                    

                    - You made two shows with Behemoth later in 2014. How did you like these guys? How "satanic" were they? With your last CD you can probably meet some troubles when touring in Russia... It progresses badly here. I guess you have heard what happened here with Behemoth on their tour in spring of 2014. But tell us, please, do you think that music has to be censored until the certain extent (e.g. religious topics must not be mentioned in it) or rather religious people simply must not listen to anything they find satanic? Not to (look for a chance to) visit satanic shows and not to shout out that they are being disrespected and feel hurt?

                    

                    S.: I believe that as long we don’t get killed we should go over there and enjoy this extreme music with Russians who are open to it. You know, in countries where people still believe strictly in religion, this kind of music can have the right effect on their kids. The elders have forbidden Carach Angren. So the younger ones might see it as ‘forbidden fruit’ or something. That’s what we want! Grow with our band. And we don’t want anyone to get hurt or do sick shit like happens in our lyrics. So in this black/death metal world it’s good to play with publicity when things are still forbidden. But no! We are not out there to hurt feelings or piss on religions. We have a form of art to express. We can share that energy on our show and go home with a positive feeling. It’s not that every black metal band is responsible for an amount of suicides or addictions because they create devilish music. But I understand this situation. Sometimes it’s okay to provoke a little bit as a band. Sometimes it’s better to wait until the situation is more stable. And people should simply be warned. If you don’t like it…. Stay the fuck away!

                    

                    - Like many other bands, you offered “This Is No Fairytale” for streaming through Soundcloud before its official release. In your opinion, does it contribute a lot to a fight against illegal downloading?

                    

                    S.: Maybe not a lot but I guess it helps. People will always find ways to break the rules. As long as there a fight going on I feel safe enough.

                    

                    - Your shows are quite impressive and people who come to see them get energized very quickly. Do you remember your very first show? (with Carach Angren and first time on the stage in general. Please describe both).

                    

                    S.: Yes! My very first show was with Inger Indolia in a house owned by the keyboard-player. Maybe somewhere in 1998. We invited some people from a local bar that night and gave a horrible show. I don’t remember actually playing/singing. (bass/guitar)

                    With Carach Angren it was in 2003 or 2004. It was Ardek’s and Namtar’s local metal bar. It was during Halloween and my first show ever on guitars. I remember being totally concentrated. I didn’t move too much around because I was afraid to fuck up my riffs.

                    

                    - Is there any lyrical topic or idea or legend or story etc. you would have never considered singing/composing album about? I do not mean it jokingly, so please stay away from saying something like "I would have never considered writing an album about pink unicorns" ;) I rather mean and want to know where lay your, guys, borders for understanding of "how nasty this or that is".

                    

                    S.: Carach Angren has a certain style. We can go quite far with our imagination. And I remember thinking that I would never write sick shit involving children. Well, I just did! But like I said, it was a very essential part for this concept and the story would never be as sickening and powerful as it is now. Don’t get me wrong, if I found out my neighbor would molest a kid, I would definitely break all his fucking bones. Torture his ass until my stomach turns, hehe. But the most important thing is that we deal with certain theme’s in a delicate way. So you see, there is no real limit in horror.I’m an old Cannibal Corpse lover. Maybe you can taste that too. But yes! We have a certain boundary. Cannibal Corpse has songtitles like “I cum blood” and “Necropedophelia”. They are masters in describing the most morbid things. It becomes soo fucked up and sick until it becomes funny. You can say even over-the-top. But it works well for a band like Cannibal Corpse. In Carach Angren that line is drawn much earlier. If I would dedicate one whole song to the thrill of fucking rotting corpses… Haha, it simply doesn’t work with us. We always have a concept album so we must take care of a proper storyline. A certain logic, built upon identities with characters. And at some point all horror breaks loose. We are more depended on mysticism and are trying to suck the listener into our story. If Carach Angren determines “This is a strong concept for our album” then there’s no sin in the world keeping us from creating this horror.

                    

                    - I understand, that it's quite early to actually ask the question regarding possible topics for the new CD, so let's make it like this: what is your dream topic to write an album about?

                    

                    S.: It’s already been written and released. The topic of ghosts and hauntings. That was my main dream. Like I said: I’m proud with Carach Angren to be responsible for this fairytale-horror album. It means we are capable of describing much more than a haunting. Then again, our hearts will always be with some dark entity trying to cause harm upon others. Ghosts, demons leading to murder and death… Who knows ? ;)

                    

                    - You performed/are going to perform on the largest metal festivals this summer: Hellfest, Brutal Assault, Summer Breeze…still, are you planning a special tour to support your new album?

                    

                    S.: I only know that we will do a South-American tour in October. All our upcoming performances will be in the name of “This Is No Fairytale”.

                    

                    - Thank you for your time! Can you share some words with your Russian fans?

                    

                    Thanks to you for the questions and hail to all the Carach Angren fans out there!

                    

                    Interviewers: Natalia Die Hexe and Helga Degteva

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