Angry Metal Guy
With Burdizzo‘s ready, New York’s female death metal foursome Castrator are back to crush spermatic cords and eviscerate eardrums with their second album, Coronation of the Grotesque. Despite forming in 2013, Castrator didn’t release Defiled in Oblivion until 2022, that debut finding its way into the hairy palms and ears of our very own, stun baton-wielding overlord Steel, who gave it a respectable 3.0/5.0. While founding drummer Carolina Peréz (Hypoxia, Mama Killa), bassist Robin Mazen (Derkéta, Gruesome), and Defiled in Oblivion vocalist Clarissa Badini (Vicious Blade) return for another go-round, guitarist Kimberly Orellana, lauded by Steel as one of Castrator’s biggest assets, was replaced by Sara Loerlein from The Breathing Process. With some concern about the impact this lineup change would have, I soldiered on to determine if Coronation of the Grotesque finds Castrator at their most vicious, or serves as a signal this beast needs spayed.
Clinging to many of the ’80s and ’90s death metal tropes that fueled the fires of their debut, Castrator didn’t steer Coronation of the Grotesque into any new, uncharted territory. Still sonically sliced from the same loins as Cannibal Corpse, Deicide, and Morbid Angel, the formula repeats as bludgeoning bass lines and battering ram drumming set the boundaries within which all the brutal riffs, shredding solos, chugging breakdowns, and bestial vocals do their work—standard fare, yes, but excellently executed. Within seconds of the opening throat punch that is “Fragments of Defiance,” a barbarous ballbuster full of powerhouse riffage and lots of Rick Rozz-inspired whammy dives, it’s apparent that Castrator has upped their game. Clarissa Badini, in particular, has further refined her technique, inflections of David Vincent and traces of Glen Benton intact; her gutturals are even more rib-rattling, and when positioned against or layered under her higher-pitched raspy screams, the effect is absolute devastation. Bucking the predominantly masculine milieu in which they operate, Castrator continues their march toward the death metal elite, and Coronation of the Grotesque is the staircase they ascend.
Coronation of the Grotesque by Castrator
From performance to production, each aspect of Coronation of the Grotesque improves on Castrator’s past. As good as Orellana was on Defiled in Oblivion, Sara Loerlein completely shreds her way through Coronation of the Grotesque’s thirty-seven-minute runtime. From the frenzied, dissonant leads and Deicide-ic chugs of “I Am Eunuch” to the thrashy, speedy riffs and Celtic Frost-ian breakdowns of “Deviant Miscreant,” Loerlein proves an upgrade, and her soloing, whether melodically melancholic (“Remnants of Chaos”) or full-on fretboard furious (“Blood Bind’s Curse,” “Mortem Opeterie”), is excellent. Spotlighted in its space by Noah Buchanan’s great production work, which also manages to bring more power to Pérez’s drums and allows Manzen’s bass work to shine through in a way it never did on Defiled in Oblivion. Castrator infused Coronation of the Grotesque with an altogether better flow as well, filled with stronger songwriting.
From the tragic, ruthless killing of Mahsa Amini to the abhorrent deeds of predator Naasón Joaquín García (“Covenant of Deceit”) and the ancient Sumerian eunuchization of males meant for slavery and servitude (“I Am Eunuch”), Castrator forgoes pedestrian blood-n-guts to focus more on the societal ills of injustice and human suffering, which adds a layer of gravitas and intelligence to the proceedings. Coronation of the Grotesque packs a walloping punch, and my quibbles with it are few, my biggest being what seems to be Castrator’s habit of tacking a cover song on the end of their albums. Defiled in Oblivion’s version of “Countess Bathory” was fine but unnecessary, as too is the superfluous inclusion of Castrator’s version of Exodus’ excellent “Metal Command” here. I didn’t find it engaging at all, and it diminished what could have been a more visceral conclusion had “Discordant Rumination,” with its final bits sounding reminiscent of the mid-section in Pantera’s “Strength Beyond Strength,” ushered things to a close.
I walked away from Coronation of the Grotesque with the same “Fuck yah!” feeling I had when watching that scene from G.I. Jane, when a bloodied and beaten Demi Moore raises her battered head to scream “Suck my dick!” at her domineering master chief. Castrator are legit, no doubt, and their excellence shouldn’t be any more impressive because they’re all female, but it is, and I am here for it. If you liked Defiled in Oblivion, you’ll love this. If you’re hearing about Castrator for the first time, Coronation of the Grotesque is definitely worth spinning. I can’t wait to see what they do next.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320kbps mp3
Label: Dark Descent Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: August 15th, 2025
The post Castrator – Coronation of the Grotesque Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.
Mon Aug 11 16:41:26 GMT 2025