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CASTLE
Evil Remains

Hammerheart (2024)
Rating: 7/10

Way back in the early 90s I was entranced by the mysterious Netherlands death-doom quintet Castle. Unfortunately, Evil Remains is not the work of that particular act but I wanted to shoehorn them into this review in the hope that someone out there will follow my recommendation, and also not get them mixed up with a few other acts of the same name.

Anyway, Evil Remains is the sixth full-length outing from the twosome of Elizabeth Blackwell (vocals and bass) and Mat Davis (guitar) who formed in 2009, from San Francisco, California and Toronto, Ontario respectively. While not a brutally loyal customer of their music, I did speak highly of their 2018 opus Deal Thy Fate which boasted some interesting Slayer-esque nods and plods. I can’t believe it’s been that long since Castle released a full-length. Although not a great deal has changed, the duo still offers up plenty of mid-tempo gloominess epitomised by the ghoulish cover art.

Evil Remains is reasonably atmospheric in its stodge if generic, but it entertains all the same as ‘Queen Of Death’ lumbers forlornly on trudging riffs which creak like black wings of impending doom as they anchor to the dual vocal delivery. Moodily aligned and nostalgically bewitching, this album never strays from its initial set up of rolling doom which is rooted with the likes of Pentagram, Saint Vitus and of course Black Sabbath.

This is relatively simplistic material, although when the band veers into a faster style it’s far more hypnotic, as showcased with the latter stages of ‘Nosferatu Nights’. Elsewhere, ‘Deja Voodoo’ begins with stark chords before again those Sabbath-styled monoliths hit like grey waves ’neath leaden skies. It’s steady stuff, stormy in guise and yet too raw to be haunting. The title track is very doomy heavy metal of more contemporary design; fluid and effortless but rarely striking with any sort of menace, although the drums pack quite a wallop.

At their fullest, Castle churn out a track like ‘Black Spell’; a rigorous and tight heavy roller hinting at The Obsessed with oily riffs which leak from some back alley biker bar, stinking of leather, piss and warm beer.

The leads of Davis are of note throughout, particularly on the melodic ‘Cold Grave’ as flashes of New Wave Of British Heavy Metal entwine with echoes of doom. And that’s where this album sits, somewhat underwhelming but maintaining enough steady grooves to comfort as the dull clouds gather above.

Neil Arnold

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