Article to be printed in the first issue of Kink Magazine (2008)!

By Midwest Nailgun Records and Hangnail Productions.

 

 

 

 

 

Awakening of the Beast Review

By John Baylor:

 

Castrofate -Awaking of the Beast Tracklisting:

 

1. Awakening of the Beast -10/10

2. Serpentine - 10/10

3. Punishment - 11/10

4. Death Throes - 10/10

5. Silent Agony -10/10

6. Time Horror - 10/10

7. Crossing Infinity - 11/10

8. Moment of Cataclysm - 10/10

 

I received in the mail back in late April from my friend Dan Castro with his own band Castrofate with the debut Awakening of the Beast. Just pure heavy, melodic, old school, and evil Thrash Metal at the highest level with no weak vocals. The style of Castrofate is derived from the influence of Early Iced Earth (Rawness), Metallica (riffs style & some Vocals), Pantera (Groove), Slayer (singing style), Death (Detail layout & Growls), Black Sabbath (Doom vibe), VoiVod (Lyrics style), & Iron Maiden (Rhythm section). Dan Castro rules at guitar & vocals brings mind of with both guitar, Bass & Vocals of James Hetfield, Jon Schaffer (When he does sings), Tom Araya (both bass style & high range), & Late Legends that died before their time: Dimebag Darrel (Killer groove) & Chuck Schuldiner (Detailed music). The Rythym section by Dan & his cousin/Ex-drummer Rob Menak brings the mind of Iron Maiden& Iced Earth mixed with Pantera with perfect play off. The lyrics have an Iced Earth/VoiVod Sci-Fi theme that rare today. All the songs are godly with no weak tracks at all & I can't wait to hear the 2nd cd when it comes out. They need to get signed now.

 

Performance: 10

Songwriting: 10

Originality: 10

Production: 10

 

 

 

 

Awakening of the Beast Review

By Old School Records (www.oldschoolrecords.net):

 

Coming straight out of the New York heavy metal scene Castrofate is one of the new kids on the block, but don't let that fool you. With influences like Metallica, Pantera, Slayer, Death, Black Sabbath, and Iron Maiden these guys bring it hard and heavy. This is their first ever release and this summer will see the band share the stage at the Brooklyn Metal Fest 2 with some of the biggest names in New York Metal. Look for these guys to make their mark on the metal scene. Check out the song clips and decide for yourself.

 

 

 

 

Awakening of the Beast Review

By Classic Metal Festival:

I just recieved in the mail today from dan castro his new cd CASTROFATE : Awakening of the Beast

 

I just finished listening to this cd and it a great mix of thrash and powermetal. Awsome 80's sound if I didn't know I would have thought it came out in the 80's. Good use of vocals you can understand them, not clean like alot of pussy singers, rough and aggressive good powermetal vocals. I have only listened to it once so far but the song that stood out the best to me is PUNISHMENT. Holy shit this song kicks ass. Every song was awsome and I can't wait to play this thing again. One hell of a ride from start to finish, great music to drink and headbang to. And since its friday night I might just have to get some beer and friends together tonight to listen to this. So check this band out right away you will be very happy.

 

blog.myspace.com/classicmetalfest

www.myspace.com/classicmetalfest

 

 

 

 

Awakening of the Beast Review

By Anthony DeLuca:

CASTROFATE Awakening Of The Beast

(c) 2007 Independent

 

Track One: Awakening Of The Beast

Wasting NO time with atmospheric intros, Castrofate BLAST into the title track "Awakening Of The Beast" with a SHREDDING guitar riff. In case you haven't heard, the former axe man of Twilight Odyssey / current bassist of Magus Beast and rhythm guitarist of Gothic Knights has unleashed a long overdue dose of Thrash Metal madness. Always a big fan of Thrash, main songwriter and composer Dan "Kuzin Dan" Castro seems to have NO problem shining on each track presented here. Imagine if Death and Venom fused together...the outcome is what we have presented here. Add in a little touch of Cowboys From Hell era Pantera and you've got all the ingredients of heavy, melodic, old school, and evil Thrash Metal!! Fast riffs, chugging guitar, and screaming solos are delivered on top of Dan's raspy, angry vocals. The addiction has begun....

 

Track Two: Serpentine

Form Sticking to his roots, Castro continues his relentless assault of good old Thrash Metal. In "Serpentine Form", we have al little dose of Death Metal vocals that compliment this song very well. The guitar riff is a very groovy kind of melody that reminds me of something I'd hear from Pantera's "Walk". Drummer Rob "Kuzin Rob" Menak pounds that shit out of his drums. I am curious to see if he will incorporate any double bass drum work going further, as I feel this will really give the music a certain crunch.

 

Track Three: Punishment

This song has got to be the BEST on the album....one listen and you'll find yourself reaching for the REPEAT button on your CD player. Fast, melodic guitar dominates the listener into thrashing fury..this song is packed with a strong punch along the fast aggression I have now come to expect from Castrofate. The lyrics are brutal, as seen especially in the chorus: I'll have my revenge / It's burning deep inside me / I have the power / Retribution, pumping through my veins. The solos here are amazing, compliments of Dan and his guest musician: the one and only John Rup of Magus Beast. "Punishment" is pure Metal Madness!

 

Track Four: Death Throes

The melodies here seem to "jump" at you...this is really the best way to describe it. The fast guitar and angry vocals one again rule, and the added evil Death Metal vocals are placed in the right places. The bass finally sees a little of the spotlight after the three-minute mark. Flange effect lead into a GREAT solo, which brings this song full circle with its chorus and "jumpy" melody. Watch out for the pit on this song!

 

Track Five: Silent Agony

Semi-acoustic, echoed guitar opens this Death/Testament influenced musical, showcasing Dan's abilities on guitar. Packed with riffs and heavy guitar, "Silent Agony" is on no way a silent statement. Make room for the next Chuck Shundler (..well, almost. NO ONE can replace good old Chuck!!)

 

Track Six: Time Horror

The chugging guitar and riffs in "Time Horror" hammer the constant reminder that Castrofate is pure NYC Thrash Metal!!! This song deals with time travel, and it's too bad Castrofate couldn't indeed do just that, as I'm sure their brand of metal would shine "back in the day". Dan's guitar playing reminds me of something I'd hear from a Death album...this is classic shit!!!

 

Track Seven: Crossing Infinity

Stretching out to over nine minutes in playing time, "Crossing Infinity" is the longest song on this album. Despite its length, I really enjoyed this song. I am glad that this song was placed this far into the album; such a long song looses attention if it's placed in the beginning of an album. Having been warmed up to Castrofate, "Crossing Infinity" was a nice treat with all the expected metal riffs I now yearned to hear, rather than being some boring, drawn out song from an unfamiliar band. Kudos guys! Check out the excellent guitar work after the last verse...it kicks ass over and over again. The song is rounded and ended by the chorus.

 

Track Eight: Moment of Cataclysm

The final track on Awakening the Beast offers another fast paced Thrash Metal riff greeting us in the beginning of the song. This riff remains dominate throughout the song alongside Kuzin Rob's fast drum work (still no double bass..this would have sounded great here). "Moment of Cataclysm" is a riff oriented, fast paced Thrash Metal ride through hell. The soaring guitar solo toward the end of the song RIPS!!! Influences of Maiden, Kreator, and Death all show their faces here. Hold on...for "The moment of cataclysm has come"!!!!

 

Finally, Mr. Castro and co. have unleashed their long awaited brand of Thrash Metal. Just think: what I've just heard here is the columniation of the efforts of two musicians. Dan Castro performed all guitars, bass, and vocals and Rob Menak performed all drums. A live band is being assembled as I write this review, and I cannot wait to see this shit live (check out my reviews on Magus Beast live..you'll see). After really checking out the lyrical content, I realized that this album is a concept album. Despite the fact, each song can stand strongly by itself. With all that said, I feel Dan needs to tweek his vocals a bit and come into his own....then he'll really devestate!! Complete with eight tracks, a pro job on the packaging, and a great mix on the sound, Awakening Of The Beast is a bone-crushing tempest of Thrash Metal fury!!!