I have been a Dark Castle fan for a minute, so when I heard they had a new record coming out I was stoked, but at the same time I had very high expectations. With the release of their new album Surrender To All Life Beyond Form, out now via Profound Lore, they fucking blew my mind. Dark Castle has stretched what we call doom & sludge to encompass many more layers that are not usually associated with these genres. I knew something was different by the way the first track, “Surrender To All Life Beyond Form,” started. It begins with this killer dirge bit, then this almost 1st Nations chant comes in, and then on a wave of strange feedback, super distorted blackened vocals kick in – from that point, they had me. Surrender To All Life Beyond Form is a real dark tapestry of sonics, so you will hear something new every time. At certain points when I listen to this album I get the sense as though the songs are alive & breathing, & are trying to tell me something. Dark Castle is heavy as ever on this album, but they are using space as an effect unto itself – they allow the effects they create to transform many times before they introduce another effect. The song “Learning To Unlearn” is haunting experimental doom that explores the textures of bleeps, piano & cavernous vocals that manifest their apocalyptic visions. The emotional impact that the song “To Hide Is To Die” has is fucking transcendental, & Stevie’s singing voice on this track is sublime. With this album, Dark Castle have done what I like to hear bands do – take chances & develop their imagination outside of their comfort zone. The next time I see this band in person I’m going to walk up to them, give them a huge hug & say job well freaking done!
Dark Castle : Seeing Through Time
[audio:http://staging.cvltnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/02-Stare-Into-Absence.mp3|titles=DARK CASTLE Stare Into Absence]
[audio:http://staging.cvltnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/04-Seeing-Through-Time.mp3|titles=DARK CASTLE Seeing Through Time]
[audio:http://staging.cvltnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/09-Learning-To-Unlearn.mp3|titles=DARK CASTLE Learning To Unlearn]
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