Van Records
2011
1. Descent Of Man
2. Fire In The Sky
3. Slaves Of The Pharao
4. Knife In The Temple
5. Total Betrayal
6. Spellbinder
7. Lost Queen
8. Shaman Wars
9. Sleeping Giant
10. Butcher Of Los Angeles
11. Devils Castle
Castle are a band I quite randomly decided to check out. I was just pouring over a list of bands and doom metal with a female vocalist sounded interesting enough. My search for new blood continues.
After listening to this, while seeing them classified as Doom, I'd call them more Doom/Heavy. There's definitely some more traditional metal in this and often things are fairly upbeat and aggressive. Musically, I get shades of bands like Manilla Road and perhaps some Hellion. There is a doomy vibe at times, especially on tracks like Sleeping Giant or Lost Queen, but really I'd just call this metal. The sound does have a certain dirty/fuzzy production which reminds me of some Doom, but also early American heavy metal. It wouldn't be hard to imagine this band doing shows in the mid to late 80s with bands like the above mentioned artists, Omen, etc.
Vocally, do not expect an extremely feminine or atmospheric approach as they come across a bit raspy at times and heavier than all that. Think more in terms of vocalists like Doro, Anne Boleyn of Hellion, or Leather Leone of Chastain. None of these are an exact sound match, but in the ballpark. The vocalist of Castle is not so much a screamer, but her rasp reminds me of them a bit. There are some moments where she can be slightly more mood establishing, but overall I find the singing direct and heavy. I don't hear a lot of range, but the vocals compliment the music just fine. There are some gruffer backing vocals as well that come in from time to time.
Overall, I'd say this a nice bit of straight forward, rocking heavy metal with some doom tones and kind of a retro sound. Pretty enjoyable stuff that got my head moving more than once as I listened. I'd recommend this to fans of traditional & doom metal fusions.
Highlights: Spellbinder, Slaves Of The Pharo, Devils Castle
Rating - 3.5/5
2. Fire In The Sky
3. Slaves Of The Pharao
4. Knife In The Temple
5. Total Betrayal
6. Spellbinder
7. Lost Queen
8. Shaman Wars
9. Sleeping Giant
10. Butcher Of Los Angeles
11. Devils Castle
Castle are a band I quite randomly decided to check out. I was just pouring over a list of bands and doom metal with a female vocalist sounded interesting enough. My search for new blood continues.
After listening to this, while seeing them classified as Doom, I'd call them more Doom/Heavy. There's definitely some more traditional metal in this and often things are fairly upbeat and aggressive. Musically, I get shades of bands like Manilla Road and perhaps some Hellion. There is a doomy vibe at times, especially on tracks like Sleeping Giant or Lost Queen, but really I'd just call this metal. The sound does have a certain dirty/fuzzy production which reminds me of some Doom, but also early American heavy metal. It wouldn't be hard to imagine this band doing shows in the mid to late 80s with bands like the above mentioned artists, Omen, etc.
Vocally, do not expect an extremely feminine or atmospheric approach as they come across a bit raspy at times and heavier than all that. Think more in terms of vocalists like Doro, Anne Boleyn of Hellion, or Leather Leone of Chastain. None of these are an exact sound match, but in the ballpark. The vocalist of Castle is not so much a screamer, but her rasp reminds me of them a bit. There are some moments where she can be slightly more mood establishing, but overall I find the singing direct and heavy. I don't hear a lot of range, but the vocals compliment the music just fine. There are some gruffer backing vocals as well that come in from time to time.
Overall, I'd say this a nice bit of straight forward, rocking heavy metal with some doom tones and kind of a retro sound. Pretty enjoyable stuff that got my head moving more than once as I listened. I'd recommend this to fans of traditional & doom metal fusions.
Highlights: Spellbinder, Slaves Of The Pharo, Devils Castle
Rating - 3.5/5
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