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This is No Fairytale (2015) is the fourth full-length album by Dutch symphonic black metal act Carach Angren. It's been a few years since the metal world last heard of the trio of Seregor (vocals, guitars), Ardek (keys) and Namtar (drums) with the album Where the Corpses Sink Forever (2012) but with This is No Fairytale the band prove that they are still going as strong as ever and are willing to try new things.
Carach Angren have always made concept albums and This is No Fairytale is no exception. While ghost stories have been a common theme in the past on This is No Fairytale they've explored slightly different territory. From what I can tell from the lyrics this is an extremely twisted version of Hansel and Gretel, hence the album's title, set to Carach Angren's powerful symphonic black metal sound. Musically This is No Fairytale sounds more or less as you'd expect a Carach Angren album to sound in 2015. Ardek's symphonic elements remain some of the best in the business while Seregor's vocals still have that quality to them that makes the lyrics easy to understand and follow. That certainly helps listeners appreciate a concept album like this. The real surprise in the music though is the progressive elements that creep in, which are something new for Carach Angren. They aren't common, this is no full-on progressive black metal release (though that would be something I'd like to hear Carach Angren try their hand at), but when they are there they're pretty overt.
This is No Fairytale strikes me as the sort of concept album that needs to be taken in a single sitting to get the most out of. I feel the same about Where the Corpses Sink Forever. There aren't any specific tracks I want to call out as being highlights, because it's a case where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
An album like This is No Fairytale isn't for everyone; the lyrical content may be a bit too much for some. But musically it's a really strong symphonic black metal album that very nearly manages to overtake Death Came Through a Phantom Ship (2010) as my favourite by Carach Angren. I guess the only reason it doesn't manage it even is because Death Came Through a Phantom Ship was my first album from the band and had the advantage of the initial wow factor that Carach Angren's music gives off and they've been a more or less business as usual band since. Still this is a business that easily deserves a 4.5 star rating.