Death Came Through a Phantom Ship
| Death Came Through a Phantom Ship | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
_album_cover.jpg) |
||||
| Studio album by Carach Angren | ||||
| Released | February 26, 2010 | |||
| Recorded | Tidalwave Studios | |||
| Genre | Symphonic black metal, melodic black metal | |||
| Length | 43:47 | |||
| Label | Maddening Media | |||
| Producer | Patrick Damiani, Carach Angren | |||
| Carach Angren chronology | ||||
|
||||
Death Came Through a Phantom Ship is the second full-length studio album by the Dutch symphonic black metal band Carach Angren, It was released in 2010.
This album tells the legend of a ghost ship (an interpretation of The Flying Dutchman[1]) from its beginnings. The album starts in the future, when a boat with an electronic communication device sails to the sea. The boat picks up signs of an eerie voice cursing its captain's name through the radio. Then a ghost ship comes across the sea. The sailors then remember stories about how people who saw that ship died in horrible ways. In track No. 3, in the same day of the sighting, later that night, the captain is haunted by the ghost of the seas. He kills his wife and daughter while sleepwalking and then kills himself with a shotgun. After that, it begins telling the story of Van der Decken and how he became the captain of an evil ship.
Style
The album contains symphonic black metal although the vocals are kept clear.[2] Parallels to Dimmu Borgir have been observed in the keyboard lines and the vocals' timbre. The structure of the songs has been described as "bulky" with many abrupt breaks,[1] which is contrary to traditional black metal structures.[2]
Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metal Hammer (Germany) | 5/7[1] |
| Sputnikmusic | 4/5[2] |
Death Came Through a Phantom Ship received positive reviews from Sputnikmusic and the German edition of Metal Hammer. The former observed that the band had even improved their instrumental qualities compared to their debut album Lammendam and recommended the new album for listeners new to the genre. Metal Hammer praised the diversity of the songs but was sceptical of their unusual structure.[1]
Track listing
All lyrics written by Dennis "Seregor" Droomers and Erik "Negakinu" Wijnands. Main composition by Clemens "Ardek" Wijers. All music composed by Carach Angren.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Electronic Voice Phenomena" | 0:59 |
| 2. | "The Sighting Is a Portent of Doom" | 4:09 |
| 3. | "...and the Consequence Macabre" | 6:45 |
| 4. | "Van der Decken's Triumph" | 5:17 |
| 5. | "Bloodstains on the Captain's Log" | 5:52 |
| 6. | "Al betekent het mijn dood" (Even If It Means My Death) | 1:08 |
| 7. | "Departure Towards a Nautical Curse" | 5:33 |
| 8. | "The Course of a Spectral Ship" | 5:09 |
| 9. | "The Shining Was a Portent of Gloom" | 8:49 |
| 2013 re-release bonus tracks | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 10. | "The Ghost of Raynham Hall" (Ethereal Veiled Existence EP re-recorded song) | 4:55 |
| 11. | "Ethereal Veiled Existence" (Ethereal Veiled Existence EP re-recorded song) | 5:20 |
| 12. | "Sepulchral Disequilibrium" (The Chase Vault Tragedy EP re-recorded song) | 3:58 |
Personnel
- Carach Angren
- Dennis "Seregor" Droomers - vocals and guitars
- Clemens "Ardek" Wijers - orchestration and keyboards
- Ivo "Namtar" Wijers - drums and percussion
- Additional musicians
- Patrick Damiani - bass guitar and additional guitars
- Nikos Mavridis - violins on tracks 3, 4, 5 and 9
- Clemens "Ardek" Wijers - backing vocals on track 1 and 6
- Dennis "Seregor" Droomers, Clemens "Ardek" Wijers and Patrick Damiani - choir on track 6
- Team
- Patrick Damiani - recording and mixing
- 24-96 Mastering - mastering
- Carach Angren and Erik "Negakinu" Wijnands - artwork
- Erik "Negakinu" Wijnands - photography, textures and design
