It’s been more than 20 years since Carach Angren first crawled out of their Limburg vault with a mission: to turn ghost stories into symphonic black metal spectacles. Now, the Dutch masters of Horror Metal are revisiting the legend that started it all — and, true to form, they’re not doing it quietly.
Their new EP The Cult of Kariba (out October 17 on Season of Mist) doesn’t just tiptoe back into the haunted woods of Schinveld. Instead, it tears the door off the mausoleum and drags out Kariba herself, the poisoner-turned-sorceress who’s now back for vengeance. Because, let’s be honest: in horror metal, nobody ever stays buried for long.
The lead single, “Ik Kom Uit Het Graf” (or, in case your Dutch is rusty, “I Emerge From the Grave”), marks the band’s first song written entirely in their native tongue. The track follows a man poisoned by Kariba, who centuries later gets summoned back to life by a cult ritual. He’s understandably cranky about it. The video — directed by Zoran Bihac — is as dramatic, spooky, and over-the-top as you’d expect, which is exactly why we love Carach Angren.
A Return and a Reinvention
Carach Angren’s debut album Lammendam (2008) first spun the tale of the White Lady, a spectral figure haunting the forests of Schinveld. With The Cult of Kariba, the band expands that mythology by entwining Kariba’s story with the White Lady legend, weaving together local folklore, occult symbolism, and a healthy dose of symphonic drama.
The EP’s five tracks — clocking in at just under 21 minutes — are a neatly packed ghost opera, moving from ritual chants (“A Malevolent Force Stirs”) to sacrificial violence (“Draw Blood”), and ultimately to Kariba’s triumphant return (“Venomous 1666”).
Why It Matters (and Why It’s Fun)
Carach Angren have built a career out of making symphonic black metal fun — if your idea of fun involves curses, haunted music boxes, and witches bent on eternal revenge. Critics have compared them to Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir, but with a streak of theatrical mischief that keeps things from getting too self-serious.
Or, as Decibel once put it: “The more playful Carach Angren are, the better (and crazier) they are.”
With The Cult of Kariba, they’ve gone back to their roots, but instead of retelling the same ghost story, they’ve dug up a new one — literally. Expect big orchestrations, creepy narration, and the kind of overblown horror theatrics that turn a local folktale into a symphonic nightmare.
Tracklist:
A Malevolent Force Stirs (1:16)
Draw Blood (5:18)
The Resurrection of Kariba (4:45)
Ik Kom Uit Het Graf (4:51)
Venomous 1666 (4:37)
📅 The Cult of Kariba is out October 17 on Season of Mist.
🎧 Pre-order here
