_ _______ _ ...:... _ _______ _ ___ / .:::::::::::. \ ___ | / .. (:::::::::::::) .. \ | | . .:::::.`:::::::::::'.:::::. . | | .::.. `:::.::':::`::.:::' ..::. | _ _______ | .::' ::::':::::`:::: `::. | _______ _ \\ | | :: `' ::':`:: `' :: | | // \ | | `:. .::' . `::. .:' | | / . | | .::::::..::::' ... `::::..::::::. | | . | | `:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::' | | .... | | `:' `::::: :: :: :::::' `:' | | .... | ' | : `. ': :: :: :: :: :` .' : | ` | |.....: . .......: :: :: :: :: : ...... . : ....| . ...................: : :: :: :: :: : : ................. . _____________:_____________ _____________:_____________ _ ___\` __ /_\` _______/_\` __ _/_\` /___ _ // __ / (/ ___/ (/ _ (/ /_______/\ _ _ /_________ ___________ ______/\ _ ______________/\__/_ _ \\\\\_________\__/\_________\__/\_____/\_____/\____________/f3!/// - -\-\-----------\__/----------\__/-------\_____/---------------/-/- - - -------------------: : :. ..:: :: . :------------------ - : : :......: :: :` ': :: : .....: : : ___ _ | | : ` ' : | | _ ___ _\---------- : | -------- : B E R C : -------- | : ----------/_ /_\ . : . ..:.. ..:.. . : . /_\ /// . . : : . . \\\ /: :\ /:: Artist :: Castle ::\ :: Album :: Blacklands :: :: Year :: 2012 :: :: __ _ _ __ :: -:--\\-----------------------------------------------------------------//--:- :: \ / :: :: . Genre :: Metal Source :: CDDA . :: :: Label :: Van Records R.date :: 14.02.2014 :: _::__ Cat.nr. :: VAN071 Size :: 64,6 MB __::_ ::// \\:: ::/---------------------------------------------------------------------\:: :: :: /: Encoder :: LAME 3.98.4 -V0 :\ ..: Bitrate :: avg. 252kbps : . . Quality :: 44,1kHz/Joint-Stereo . . . Website :: http://www.heavycastle.com/ __ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __ .\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////. +/ -\------- | | ----\ tracklist /---- | | -------/- \+ /: . : : . :\ /:: ::\ :: 01. Ever Hunter 04:23 :: :: 02. Corpse Candles 05:32 :: :: 03. Storm Below the Mountain 03:19 :: :: 04. Blacklands 04:23 :: :: 05. Curses of the Priests 05:19 :: :: 06. Venus Pentagram 02:52 :: :: 07. Alcatraz 03:53 :: :: 08. Dying Breed 06:05 :: :: ------- :: .. >> 35:46 min .. __ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __ .\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////. +/ -\------- | | ----\ release notes /---- | | -------/- \+ /: . : : . :\ /:: ::\ :: :: :: Castle came from nowhere last year and surprised me with :: :: their powerhouse debut In Witch Order. That opus featured a :: :: cracking blend of doom, Danzig-like rock and sludgy, :: :: Sacrilege-style bad intentions, all greatly benefitted from :: :: Elizabeth Blackwell's versatile vocals. I was looking :: :: forward to hearing more and was surprised to hear they had :: :: a follow-up hitting the streets so quickly. While a lot of :: :: what I like about them is intact here, they've expanded :: :: their sound in a number of strange ways and added a lot of :: :: odd ideas into what was a fairly simple style. While there :: :: are a few instantly likeable songs, at first I was quite :: :: put off by the new influences and this felt like an album :: :: that would have benefitted from more time in the musical :: :: incubator. However, with determined listening (a Steel :: :: Druhm specialty) the oddness of the songs opened up and :: :: things clicked for me. What seemed at least a partial :: :: letdown became a triumph, and the Castle sound is even more :: :: compelling and unique than before. There are some great :: :: musical moments here and some unforgettable riffs, but you :: :: may have to hunker down and let this thing grow on you :: :: awhile before it all hits home. This is an album you :: :: shouldn't pass up though and these guys have a sound all :: :: their own. :: :: :: :: Opener "Ever Hunter" sounds exactly like the material off :: :: In Witch Order and has that same punchy, urgent, up-tempo :: :: doom attack. Ms. Blackwell's vocals are edgy but melodic :: :: and there's a nicely raw, rough-and-tumble undercurrent to :: :: the playing. The riffs are in your face and there are some :: :: coolly melodic trilling leads scattered about for accents. :: :: This is exactly the kind of material that impressed me last :: :: time and it does so again here. "Corpse Candles" keeps it :: :: going strong and features a strange riff that's nearly :: :: impossible to unhear. Seriously, this thing has been :: :: rattling about in my noggin for a week, regardless of what :: :: I'm thinking about. Aside from the riff hook, there are :: :: some seductively smooth vox from Blackwell and some nice :: :: doom plod. "Venus Pentagram" sounds like vintage Danzig :: :: with female vocals replacing the mighty dwarf of darkness :: :: (and with better riffs). :: :: :: :: Things get a bit odd with "Storm Below the Mountain," which :: :: takes a totally different tack and has a quasi-viking/epic :: :: metal vibe featuring offbeat, rough vocals from guitarist :: :: Mat Davies. While the lead riff is cool and memorable, the :: :: style feels like such a departure from the usual sound, it :: :: takes some getting used to. Likewise, "Curses of the :: :: Priests" is so all over the place with styles, it can be a :: :: bit unnerving and easy to write off as a sloppy, indulgent :: :: mess. However, keep listening and it will stick more hooks :: :: in you than Pinhead (the chunky riff at 2:20, the nifty :: :: solo at 2:46, the tranquil, trilling leads 4:20, etc. :: :: etc.). These oddities are offset by a few straight-forward :: :: rockers like the title track and "Alcatraz" which require :: :: no patience to enjoy (I especially like the chants of :: :: "there's always room for the wicked" during the latter). :: :: :: :: As with the last album, Castle depends on the power of the :: :: riff to impress and batter. Their style of dark doom rock :: :: depends on these riffs tocarry the material and keep you :: :: tuned in and thankfully, they came well-armed with some :: :: smoking ones. Mat Davies isn't the greatest fret-master out :: :: there, but his style of playing and his ability to craft :: :: hard-hitting and sticky riffs is quite impressive. Every :: :: song has a sweet and hooky riff and some songs have :: :: several. He can be moody, ominous and memorable all at once :: :: and he makes the whole style work. Ms. Blackwell again :: :: shows her vocal prowess and bounces from slinky to sinister :: :: as the songs require. Even though she splits time with :: :: Davies on vocals this time out, she's the icing on the :: :: Castle cake (mmmmm, cake). :: :: :: :: The production is pretty close to the one on In Witch :: :: Order. It's murky, rough and a bit soupy with a very low- :: :: end. Honestly, it suits their sound well and a more refined :: :: sound would seem out-of-place. The mix is decent and :: :: raucous, and the guitar sounds big and bruising. I wouldn't :: :: change a thing. :: :: :: :: This was one of the weirder listening experiences I've had :: :: as reviewer and it played out like the Kubler-Ross Five :: :: Stages of Grief. I denied it was as good as their debut, :: :: which angered and depressed me and caused score bargaining. :: :: Ultimately, I accepted it and embraced its brilliance. This :: :: is the best release of the whole "female-fronted retro doom :: :: rock" genre and one of the best doom rock albums out there, :: :: period. Nobody sounds like these guys, and that's a mighty :: :: rare thing these days. Storm the Castle section of your :: :: local record emporium and ransack both of their albums. :: :: You'll be thanking me later. :: :: :: :: . _ _ . :: \: :. \\ ___________ . ___________ // .: :/ __\____ :: ____ ___\ _ / BERC : 2014 \ _ /___ ____ :: ____/__ \\\f3! :: \\\ __ _/_________i_________\ /___/ /// :: cRO/// \ :: :\-\___________\_ ___ / _ _/___________/-/: :: / :: | . . _ _ _/ __/ . \_ _ _ . . | :: : :::::::: | | \\\\\/ _______\____|\ \///// | | :::::::: : :: | | -\-\/____/-------------\____\/-/- | | :: :: | | \ :|: / | | :: : : | . ` ::: ' . | : : . . | : ::: : | . . | :::....:::....::: | : ::::::::::::::::: : . :::''``:::''``::: . : ::: : . ::: . .:. :