In the history of Death Metal, a solid debut album is a must. Bands have lived and died on the quality of that crucial first release, and luckily for international, all-female collective Castrator, they have a brutal as fuck first release that is like a Venom Prison-styled punch to the gut. Not a knockoff by any means, Castrator has pulled an incredible slab of Death Metal out of their pockets, and I’m here to tell you about it.

Opening with “Dawa of Yousafzai” is like a boulder to the cranium, with deep, guttural vocals from Clarissa Badini. Each track heaves with malice, they’re like small, heavily armed minions trudging out to battle. Tracks like “Tormented by Atrocities”, “Inquisition Sins” and “Sinister Mind” are steel gauntlets with claws punches to the face. The Venom cover at the end is ultra-tasty, as well.

Speaking of production, its BIG. Think Hate Eternal, Morbid Angel sized production especially the Inferno and Kingdoms Disdained, respectively. “Defiled in Oblivion” sounds great on a car stereo by the way. Crazy confession, but I sort of gauge how much I like an album by how it sounds in my car, rolling double bass, sickle sharp guitars. That’s what I look for, especially in a Death Metal album. I recommend this highly, particularly for you folks that like Venom Prison, Hate Eternal, Morbid Angel and even Decapitated.

Overall, I enjoyed listening to and absorbing the tornado of brutality that Castrator has created in their debut album. I’ll be anxiously awaiting a second release from these absolutely insane women. I mentioned Venom Prison throughout this review because of Castrator’s lyrical themes: feminism and violence against Women. They deliver this message in a savage and concise way, that hits the guts and grabs your attention in the fastest way possible, Death Metal fury.

[Visit the band's website]

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