Carach Angren summon their haunted origins with The Cult of Kariba, a vicious five-track EP that resurrects their debut’s ghostly lore with new horrors, their first full-Dutch song, and a limited vinyl edition steeped in ritual.
Dutch masters of horror metal Carach Angren are opening the crypt once more with The Cult of Kariba, a new EP that returns to the folklore and shadows that first shaped their legacy. The new record expands the ghostly framework of their 2008 debut Lammendam while unveiling new horrors tied to the resurrection of the mysterious sorceress Kariba.
Since forming in 2003, Carach Angren have carved a unique place in extreme music by pairing blackened symphonic power with narrative ambition. As Metal Injection once praised, their sound is “a terrific blend of tearing metal energy that meets terrifying theatrics and aura.” With The Cult of Kariba, they double down on that vision.
The five-track set opens with “A Malevolent Force Stirs” and moves through sinister chapters like “Draw Blood” and “The Resurrection of Kariba,” culminating in “Venomous 1666.” At its core is “Ik Kom Uit Het Graf,” their first song written entirely in Dutch. Translating to “I Emerge From The Grave,” it tells the tale of a man poisoned by Kariba, only to be dragged back centuries later through a cult ritual. The track’s accompanying video, directed by Zoran Bihac, heightens the drama with cinematic dread.
The Cult of Kariba is available digitally, on CD with a 16-page booklet, and as a limited white 12-inch vinyl pressing featuring a striking UV print on one side. With only 1,100 vinyl copies worldwide, the physical editions carry the same air of exclusivity and ritual as the story they tell.
For Carach Angren, this isn’t nostalgia but a reanimation of the very mythos that made them essential. By weaving Kariba’s vengeance into the folklore of the White Lady, they sharpen their ability to turn local legend into universal horror. Two decades on, they are proving again that few bands can summon ghosts with such conviction.