Castrator. The Death Metal band that didn’t quite make it onto our roster back in 2022 with their dime-a-dozen Extreme Metal regurgitation, Defiled in Oblivion. ‘Lost in the boonies, way too far into the mainstream, not much to see here..’, the old geezers at the review desk screamed. And for cause. In the run-up to this here review, the RMR crew listened to their debut record all over again. Old opinions duly confirmed.
Bears the question: Will their newest concoction, Coronation of the Grotesque, move past the sophomore slump AND excel in extended abject brutality? Down-in-the-pit Death Metal has been practiced for eons, and the genre has been invented and reinvented in all its gory, blood-soaked glory all over again. Yet, Castrator are on a mission this time and determined to take the hammer to this bunch of old farts. So, open the gates and witness the crowning of the unspeakable. And, in case you need some hints how this is going down, the album cover will provide. Hail the crimson goddess!
To set the record straight, Coronation is brought to you by an all-female band harvesting gruesome things in the murky Death Metal realm. And that’s a rare occurrence on the RMR zine. Usually, we get the ubiquitous burly, madly bearded musclemen strutting the scene like some crazed Metal King Kongs. Sometimes, these bands come garnished with a female vocalist or bass player, but it hardly goes beyond that.1 And boy, does this band pack a punch this time. Gone are the somewhat scratchy musings of their 2022 piece, and in comes raw power that some old, established Death Metal bands should have more of.
True, Castrator follow the path of the usual culprits. And how could they not? Cannibal Corpse, Dying Fetus, and their ilk darkly wave at you once the record lets loose. Coronation practically gorges on meaty, fat riffs, drunk on the rich vibes of wickedly rotten and traditional Death Metal. But two things really made the weary Travelers ov Metal over at the Review Desk raise their heads. The first one is this caustic penchant for Swedeath, launched at the audience in a way to make one Rogga Johansson emerge from his unusually busy schedule. The second one is the increase in intensity that sometimes borders on the pretty stellar performance Panzerchrist and their outstanding vocalist Sonja Rosenlund threw at us some time ago. In other words, Coronation of the Grotesque may still be lacking in aggression some, but still managed to twist the power levels somewhat fierce.
Clarissa Badini‘s pretty flexible vocal performance is as good as most of them out there. And there are excellent female growlers in the metal multiverse. But Castrator‘s new axe activist, Sara Loerlein, really took the cake. From typical Death Metal beats, over some thrash (Deviant Miscreant), to short excursions into dissonant land, she has got the goods. But she really excels in those expert solos that suddenly emerge. Sometimes wild and in yer face with others in a more pensive mood. This is next-level guitar work that even the ‘established’ bands may not deliver so easily.
But there’s also a downside for those wanting to go deeper with this piece. Coronation of the Grotesque‘s lyrics apparently touch upon some thorny subjects such as enuchization, violence, and needless killing. And this is all fine and good. Only, and I hate to break it to you, growls aren’t conducive to deeply felt discussion. Said differently, I didn’t understand a word, and without a spy sheet, I wouldn’t have had a clue what was being said.
In the end, Coronation of the Grotesque was a revelation. Castrator truly upped the ante to new heights. There’s new-found energy in their tune and a spring in their step. A leap forward compared to Defiled by Oblivion. So, did they beat the sophomore slump after all? In truth, this unwritten rule doesn’t apply to this act. If anything, this band just started to play in a much bigger league, going head-to-head with the established death metallists. And we have a feeling that they will go beyond all that once their next offering emerges.
Record Rating: 8/10 | Label: Dark Descent Records | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 15 August 2025
- Seems to be metal’s idea to get more girl power into their crusty world. -Ed.-↩