Album Review: Castrator – Coronation of the Grotesque (Dark Descent Records)

Three years after their crushing debut ‘Defiled in Oblivion’, Castrator returns with ‘Coronation of the Grotesque’, out August 15th, 2025, via Dark Descent Records.

Death metal in its rawest and most refined form, Castrator have certainly distilled their sound into a more robust and focused style of extreme here. Crafting a record that is hot, heavy, and harsh as expected (like an infection), but also one that has nuance. Resulting in a more interesting listen overall.

Sure, it’s not reinventing the wheel, but that doesn’t mean it lacks value. Not when an opener like Fragments of Defiance comes with so much high-powered heaviness and speed. Not when a track like I Am Eunuch has so much measured vitriol on offer, and not when a track like Covenant of Deceit comes with such hellish fury. Castrator’s intensity on show across a trio of tracks that will have all fans of extreme gurning with delight.

Bar set, it’s simply about meeting it for Castrator and ensuring that desensitisation doesn’t sink in, which in this genre, is very possible.

Thankfully, the aforementioned nuance to their death metal sound keeps things sounding fresh. Evident on the varied tempos that give Mortem Opeterie some groove, evident on the vocal trading that gives Remnants of Chaos even more bite, and evident on the violent technical touches of Deviant Miscreant. It really does make the difference, even if at its core, it’s all about death metal.

Which Castrator really do so well, standing out from the crowd already and sounding like a band that can only get better with time and experience. For now, we can all enjoy banging our heads to meaty and manic efforts like Psalm of Beguiled and its screaming guitar solo. We can all go a bit wild to the cacophony of chaos that is Blood Bind’s Curse and how mean this one gets at the end. Hell, we can lose all sense of reason with the aptly title Discordant Rumination and the straight-up explosive thrashy infusion of Metal Command.

Why the f**k not!? Castrator have the soundtrack to ugly, mean, and harsh sounding mania, you just have to be willing to let it in.

Castrator – Coronation of the Grotesque Track Listing:

1. Fragments of Defiance
2. I Am Eunuch
3. Covenant of Deceit
4. Mortem Opeterie
5. Remnants of Chaos
6. Deviant Miscreant
7. Psalm of Beguiled
8. Blood Bind’s Curse
9. Discordant Rumination
10. Metal Command

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