New York/New Jersey metal band Castrofate is setting up to make a huge statement with their sophomore effort, Cataclysmic Insanity. A concept album about the destruction of the Earth and a group of survivors fighting to survive, the band is pulling out all the stops to make sure that they will be a force to be reckon with in the metal community. Led by lyricist/frontman/guitarist Dan Castro, Castrofate has crafted an album that is epic in nature, yet grounded enough to avoid sounding too bombastic, with a solid set of material to back the sci-fi story.
The story takes its time to build, and while we don’t get a sense of how many survivors there are or even get any names, the anxiety, confusion, and crippling depression they feel over the loss of everything they knew is clearly expressed by Castro’s lyrics and his vocal delivery. In my mind, the album’s story is split into three parts: the destruction of Earth and the survivors’ reaction, the “new hope” that the survivors find out about, and the result of it.
Cataclysmic Insanity shows that Castrofate has potential to become major figures in the metal community. Most of the songs are pulse-pounding thrash monsters, with some epics thrown in there to show off the band’s progressive nature. While the band does hit a few missteps with “Misguided Path” and some production issues, the core sound is one that holds potential for the future. Castrofate has recently solidified their line-up, adding Dave Matasavich on lead guitar and Tom Bradley on the drums. In the liner notes in the booklet, frontman Dan Castro says that their next album is “gonna be ten times MORE insane.” Judging by the quality story, songwriting, and fantastic guitar work on Cataclysmic Insanity, Castro might be right.
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