_ _______ _ ...:... _ _______ _ ___ / .:::::::::::. \ ___ | / .. (:::::::::::::) .. \ | | . .:::::.`:::::::::::'.:::::. . | | .::.. `:::.::':::`::.:::' ..::. | _ _______ | .::' ::::':::::`:::: `::. | _______ _ \\ | | :: `' ::':`:: `' :: | | // \ | | `:. .::' . `::. .:' | | / . | | .::::::..::::' ... `::::..::::::. | | . | | `:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::' | | .... | | `:' `::::: :: :: :::::' `:' | | .... | ' | : `. ': :: :: :: :: :` .' : | ` | |.....: . .......: :: :: :: :: : ...... . : ....| . ...................: : :: :: :: :: : : ................. . _____________:_____________ _____________:_____________ _ ___\` __ /_\` _______/_\` __ _/_\` /___ _ // __ / (/ ___/ (/ _ (/ /_______/\ _ _ /_________ ___________ ______/\ _ ______________/\__/_ _ \\\\\_________\__/\_________\__/\_____/\_____/\____________/f3!/// - -\-\-----------\__/----------\__/-------\_____/---------------/-/- - - -------------------: : :. ..:: :: . :------------------ - : : :......: :: :` ': :: : .....: : : ___ _ | | : ` ' : | | _ ___ _\---------- : | -------- : B E R C : -------- | : ----------/_ /_\ . : . ..:.. ..:.. . : . /_\ /// . . : : . . \\\ /: :\ /:: Artist :: Castle ::\ :: Album :: In Witch Order :: :: Year :: 2011 :: :: __ _ _ __ :: -:--\\-----------------------------------------------------------------//--:- :: \ / :: :: . Genre :: Metal Source :: CDDA . :: :: Label :: Van Records R.date :: 14.02.2014 :: _::__ Cat.nr. :: VAN059 Size :: 90,10 MB __::_ ::// \\:: ::/---------------------------------------------------------------------\:: :: :: /: Encoder :: LAME 3.98.4 -V0 :\ ..: Bitrate :: avg. 284kbps : . . Quality :: 44,1kHz/Joint-Stereo . . . Website :: http://www.heavycastle.com/ __ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __ .\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////. +/ -\------- | | ----\ tracklist /---- | | -------/- \+ /: . : : . :\ /:: ::\ :: 01. Descent of Man 04:23 :: :: 02. Fire in the Sky 04:07 :: :: 03. Slaves of the Pharaoh 04:05 :: :: 04. Knife in the Temple 03:44 :: :: 05. Total Betrayal 02:55 :: :: 06. Spellbinder 03:41 :: :: 07. Lost Queen 04:37 :: :: 08. Shaman Wars 04:22 :: :: 09. Sleeping Giant 03:56 :: :: 10. Butcher of Los Angeles 03:10 :: :: 11. Devils Castle 05:44 :: :: ------- :: .. >> 44:44 min .. __ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __ .\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////. +/ -\------- | | ----\ release notes /---- | | -------/- \+ /: . : : . :\ /:: ::\ :: :: :: Raucous, aggressive doom metal with female vocals? Sure, :: :: why the hell not. Joining such similar female fronted acts :: :: as Jex Thoth and Blood Ceremony, San Francisco's power trio :: :: Castle have arrived to carve out their own slice of the :: :: retro doom pie (which is pumpkin in case you were :: :: wondering). Their debut In Witch Order is a surprisingly :: :: refreshing platter that harkins back to the glory days of :: :: Witchfinder General and Trouble with just a pinch of :: :: Cathedral tossed in like an eye of newt. That last :: :: ingredient may be the most important and unlike the others :: :: in this niche genre, Castle brings down the witch hammer :: :: hard with slashing, bruising riffs and a go-for-the-jugular :: :: approach that almost seems untoward for a doom troupe. All :: :: I can say is, it works well and makes In Witch Order :: :: another happy surprise in a year full of them. :: :: :: :: You'll see what I mean about the hammer as soon as "Descent :: :: of Man" kicks off. Its a straight forward barn burner with :: :: relentless heavy doom riffing courtesy of Mat Davis. :: :: Elizabeth Blackwell's vocals alternate between a menacing :: :: snarl and more melodic but still edgy singing. Her delivery :: :: instantly reminded me of Tam Simpson of the mega-obscure :: :: U.K. doomsters Sacrilege and Castleæs overall sound and :: :: style is very similar to the one they employed on their :: :: exceptional 87? release Within the Prophecy (which is very :: :: much worth hunting down for fans of rough edged doom). The :: :: main riff pattern in "Descent" is great and they just beat :: :: you silly with it as Ms. Blackwell goes back and forth :: :: between evil and mysterious. "Fire in the Sky" has a more :: :: traditional, grinding doom style that maintains their :: :: rough-hewn, ugly ethos and the vocals really elevate the :: :: song. The best moments come with the one-two punch of :: :: "Slaves of the Pharaoh" and "Knife in the Temple" which are :: :: both outstanding heavy doom numbers with a great deal of :: :: heft, punch and power. Impressive riff work abounds and the :: :: vocal trade offs between Blackwell and one of her male :: :: counterparts (I'm unsure who it is) are well done. The :: :: vocals on "Knife in the Temple" are particularly effective :: :: and chilling at times. These folks know the way to write :: :: compelling, emotional doom with a hard edge and as I always :: :: say, songcraft is the one true king. OK, I never said that :: :: exact phrase but I'm gonna from now on. :: :: :: :: Probably the next best feature here besides the songcraft :: :: is the raw, old school production. Its a tad muddled, a bit :: :: soupy and a scosche messy but damn, it fits the music so :: :: well. The guitar tone is lethal and there's a fat low end :: :: rumble that really kicks up the power quotient. The :: :: crudeness of the mix won't impair your enjoyment at all, :: :: its not that kind of bad. Its the good kind of bad that :: :: makes heavy music seem heavier. :: :: :: :: On the negative side, while the second half of In Witch :: :: Order has a few gems ("Shaman Wars," "Devil's Castle"), :: :: there are some tracks that aren't quite up to the standards :: :: of the above mentioned highlights. While nothing is filler, :: :: some are a little underwhelming ("Total Betrayal," "Butcher :: :: of Los Angeles"). Its still a fun listen and the more :: :: pedestrian tracks are still enjoyable. :: :: :: :: Castle have done themselves proud with their debut and :: :: leave me looking forward to hearing more. I love their :: :: sound and when they hit the mark, they approach greatness. :: :: More fun than a village witch burning (bring the :: :: marshmallows for the kiddies) and suitable for all aspiring :: :: Witchfinder Generals, witch hunters and warlocks, Castle is :: :: the real deal in doom. :: :: :: :: . _ _ . :: \: :. \\ ___________ . ___________ // .: :/ __\____ :: ____ ___\ _ / BERC : 2014 \ _ /___ ____ :: ____/__ \\\f3! :: \\\ __ _/_________i_________\ /___/ /// :: cRO/// \ :: :\-\___________\_ ___ / _ _/___________/-/: :: / :: | . . _ _ _/ __/ . \_ _ _ . . | :: : :::::::: | | \\\\\/ _______\____|\ \///// | | :::::::: : :: | | -\-\/____/-------------\____\/-/- | | :: :: | | \ :|: / | | :: : : | . ` ::: ' . | : : . . | : ::: : | . . | :::....:::....::: | : ::::::::::::::::: : . :::''``:::''``::: . : ::: : . ::: . .:. :