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/:: 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. ::
:: ::
:: . _ _ . ::
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