Castrofate - "Castrofate"

 Castrofate kick off their self titled and 5th overall album with their namesake song "Castrofate". Distorted, galloping riffs, accompanied by soaring lead guitar set the tone for this classic Metallica styled thrash fest. Those familiar with the band know Castrofate hold Metallica in high regard and the Bay Area metallers are a huge influence on Castrofate's sound, although Castrofate are very adept at taking their influence and putting their own original spin on it as evident on their past albums and in this newest release as well. There's everything the old school thrash metal fan wants here, catchy verses, anthemic choruses, ferocious riffing and lots of "Venom"-ous speed. "New Religion" rages along with tons of frantic guitar picking more akin to early Exodus and infectious verses that have an almost surf rock meets thrash vibe, not unlike something you'd hear in Municipal Waste's repertoire of riffery. Frontman Dan Castro and drummer Dima work extremely well together, fusing together pulsating rythms with chugging, militant stomps and keeping the listener on our toes with lots of frequent changes in tempo and vibe on "Chemical Scythe", a song which should go over well with those of us who liked the direction Metallica went with their latest offering "Death Magnetic". Lots of bouncy, modern groove with an underlying helping of the classic west coast thrash sound mixed in. "Shattered Soul" is Castrofate's version of the classic thrash ballad. Melancholy lyrics, sung over smooth, clean chords with a heavy chorus that pounds through the speakers and punches the listener in the gut with emotion. Add in the epic lead guitar section and Castrofate serve up the goods beyond worthy enough to keep the torch burning that Testament handed down when they wrote their classic "The Legacy". There's a great pro shot video for this tune up on youtube, so go check that out here www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-7w7vNLlWY "United" lifts the mood with it's motivational lyrics and epic music. "Stay strong and have each others back" is the message here as Dan harshly barks his words over a thunderous, swaying verse and chorus that sounds like it was written for a viking march...do I hear a little Amon Amarth influence creeping around? "Banished To Earth" opens with a creepy riff and a bit more of a technical or even progressive vibe. This tune definitely has some Alex Skolnick influence in it and Dima does a great job behind the kit adding lots of great fills and helping to build onto the overall paranoid ambience of the song musically. Dan steps away from the mic and lets his axe do the talking for "Silent Obscurity". This one has a great straight up rock and roll vibe with it's main "verse" riff recalling early Danzig. This track sounds like 4 guys jamming in the garage on great riffs and having fun doing so, slowing things down in the middle for a couple beautiful chords then taking us off with a classic Maiden-esque gallop. "Shark Sustenence" closes the album out in frenzied fashion, this one is a classic lesson in speed metal ala Metallica's "Damage Inc." or the Exodus classic "Strike Of The Beast". Castrofate hit yet another homerun for thrashing heavy metal with their new self titled album, these guys prove their all about keeping it heavy and waving the flag for the old school sound. This is metal for the old guard who like their metal straight up with no filler, and for the new kids just falling in love with the classic Bay Area sound. Headbangers, horn throwers and circle pitters will thrash out this album over and over again in between spins of their favorite Anthrax and Slayer albums and you can order your own copy by visiting www.castrofatepictures.com and grabbing one for only $5. You can also get t-shirts and copies of their earlier releases while they last. Please give the band a "Like" and keep up with their current goings on and upcoming live gigs at www.facebook.com/castrofate. You can hear cuts from this album and other awesome underground bands every Monday morning from 10am to 1pm EST at www.brutalexistenceradio.net.