Castrator – Coronation of the Grotesque: “Castrator’s fastest and most aggressive album to date.”
Castrator is the band death metal needs. Formed by legends Robin Mazen and Carolina Perez, Castrator holds its roots in classic death metal with their brutal and no-bullshit style. Their newest album, Coronation of the Grotesque, has everything a death metal album should: it’s fast, aggressive, and unleashes some killer solos. Sara Loerlein is the newest addition, and her guitar work takes Castrator up ten notches.
The album begins with “Fragments of Defiance.” It immediately takes me back to a classic Death style—very fitting, since bassist Robin Mazen is also in Gruesome. Loerlein unleashes barbaric solos throughout this song, which make this track even more unpredictable.
“Mortem Opeterie” is one of the fastest songs on the album. The riffs are swifter and the vocal lines are brief, but I’m most impressed with Perez’s inhuman drumming. The song has catchy time changes, but always returns to its rapid insanity. A mind-bending solo interjects toward the end, the melody breaking through the velocity.
“Psalm of the Beguiled” doesn’t hold back. The song starts with monstrous riffs and vocals, and the track becomes even more grisly as it progresses. Out of all the solos, this one has to be my favorite. It’s one of the most technical ones on the album, and is addictive to listen to.
The end of the album becomes more aggressive. A song like “Discordant Rumination” starts off strong with unique riffs and rapid drumming. Clarissa Badini’s vocals are as ferocious as ever, and perfectly match the heavy riffs and fast drumming. The riffs in this song are catchy but this track never loses its brutality. The beauty with this song is it never gets overly technical. The riffs are solid but only flashy when it fits. There are plenty of time changes and even a breakdown at the end that keeps things fresh. This is the definition of an excellent death metal song.
The album ends with a cover of Exodus’ classic “Metal Command.” Castrator did it their own death metal way, which gives it new life. There’s still enough of a thrash edge to where they still did the song justice.
Coronation of the Grotesque is Castrator’s fastest and most aggressive album to date. They don’t hold back with their classic death metal style fused with more technical guitar playing. I have a feeling Castrator’s entering their peak, and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for this band.
Rating: 9.5/10
Pre-order Castrator’s Coronation of the Grotesque here.
