Review CASTLE “Evil Remains”

Doom metal enthusiasts Castle release with “Evil Remains” their first studio album in six years. The new record is also the sixth release after the 2018 album “Deal Thy Fate”. So there are a lot of ‘6’ connected to this record.

Castle is mainly Mat Davis and Elizabeth Blackwell, who founded the band in 2009. For the latest album, the duo is joined by Mike Cotton on drums and this line-up recorded eight songs that represent the track list for “Evil Remains”.

For no particular reason I hadn’t heard of the band earlier and so I was curious about what I was going to get to hear after pressing the start button. What comes out of the speakers is energetic doom metal that doesn’t only rely on snail-paced songs.

The mystical opener “Queen Of Death” is held in a slower pace, and it is a Sabbathian riff that gives the track a lot of horsepower. Some stoner references are also present, and it is this fusion that is the fuel for “Nosferatu Nights” as well. It’s a throbbing bass that kicks off the next track on the album. “Deja Voodoo” starts off very much built around the vocals of Elizabeth Blackwell before the fascination of doom riffing is a mesmerizing experience. These first songs pretty much capture what you can expect from this longplayer. Heavy rock and doom metal is what the album offers, while some more traditional heavy metal is also present. “Black Spell” is a rather blistering metal anthem with a great chorus. Simplicity rules over complexity and it is this direct approach that makes “Black Spell” shine.

Dark and sinister is “100 Eyes” and while listening to this song you can feel the 100 eyes staring right at you. “Cold Grave” is the closer of the album and reflects the dark rock vibe that Castle also embeds in the music.

“Evil Remains” is a great album and I wonder how I could have overlooked this band until now. Castle combine the heaviness of doom riffs with the power of rock and the ferocity of metal. This blend works perfectly on an album that has that underground spirit we often talk about. It has that authentic metal vibe that drives each of these eight songs and you should not hesitate to give this album a chance.