5th April 2025

Review: “Kháos” by Castiel

Klagenfurt in Austria is home to Downtempo Deathcore purveyors Castiel, a band who have trodden where Gods fear to tread since their 2013 inception. A string of waterfall released singles paved the way for their debut album “Blasphemy” in 2017 and six years late they brought Alan Grnja from Distant and Robby Estamuerto from Street to the Ocean for sophomore record “Shadowlands“. This time out six cuts make the grade without a single guest vocal appearance in sight, so how will the Austrians fare as they go it alone? Recorded, mixed and mastered by Maximilian Lackner the answer is found in “Kháos“…

Reaching a new level of depravity in the first few seconds “The Corruption” ripping the Blackened Deathcore world a new hole through which to bleed. Demonic vocals call from the void blending the shriller tones of a Gollum like being with the brutal force of bowel clenching lows, all the while spine juddering guitars twist and turn with ominous rhythms. Violent tempo changes shift like the ground beneath your feet during an earthquake from haunting sounds to blast beats as the thick gauge strings are played by calloused hands. They play out a tune to the symphony of the damned, from unhinged minds to unhinge minds while offering no sign of remorse or repent for doing so. “The Abyss” then drives home the concept with a hammer and an evil grin, down tuned chord progressions providing the summoning to a mosh pit that will mean teeth are getting knocked out and noses broken when the band play this live. Vocally and lyrically reminiscent of the work of Patryk Kolasa from Existentialist, this cut hits heavier than an anvil to the skull, the downtempo groove of the finale as arguably as brutal as this genre gets. If you thought the cover artwork was dark, lets just say the music is its perfect mirror. Moving into Slam territory “The Madness” pushes the blood gargling vocals to a whole new realm of pain while cutting them against a punishing blend of Beatdown Deathcore riffs and skull battering percussion. It’s almost as if the band grew up on a diet of nails washed down with white hot lava while listening to nothing but Old Wharf.

As if one punishment beating wasn’t enough Castiel reach inside themselves and pull out another venomous ripper in “The Void“. Pure unadulterated sonic abrasions rain down like broken glass, the menacing and sinister atmosphere creating a tension you could cut with a knife. A seething rage of malevolent thoughts is broken only by a couple of “Bleigh!” moments as the vocals spew forth cathartically, the downtempo gears grinding as the beast roars, struggling to escape the tar pit of primordial hatred. Gripping and intense with bleak lyrics this one cuts close to the bone as Castiel get increasingly heavy from a brutal starting point. Perhaps the surprise moment is the ambient introduction to “The Light“, offering a fleeting respite from the collective bludgeoning of the record like a shaft of light through black clouds overhead. Fleeting is the operative word because the song soon descends to the black depths with slow churning Deathcore grooves. Programming creeps in as the track fades to an inevitable conclusion, a prayer for self immolation met with a stern look by a wrathful overlord. Curiously closing instrumental “Divine” pushes the boundaries of this offering, leaning towards Progressive Death Metal with aching piano melodies and programming embellishing the guitars. That provides a melancholic foot note on which to muse, leaving the feeling that there is more to this band than meets the ear [8/10]

Track Listing