Band: STORM THE CASTLE
Album Name: The Free of CHARGE Demo.
Best Element: Creativity
Genre: Progressive Rock/Metal
Website: www.stormthecastle.org
Label: N/A
Band E-mail: STCbandmail@stormthecastle.org
From the opening notes of “Where is my Crossbow?” I quickly realized that I was going to be in for a treat. Storm the Castle is an eclectic Arkansas-based band fusing Metal riffs with rock-style vocals and added progressive elements, overall leaving a truly refreshing taste on your aural palette.
The comical, Viking-based imagery that is associated with their album and website is as discerning as it is entertaining and comical, especially since these cats certainly aren’t Viking or Black Metal. I have to admire a band that can produce good quality music and still have a keen sense of humor about what they are doing. Just a glimpse at their song names is sure to make one chuckle with their witty titles…
More importantly, their musical abilities should be taken 100% seriously, blending highly melodic guitar work with a strong, vibrant, rhythm section. Just listen to the instrumental breakdown in “Lost in the Goddamazon”, for this is a clear testament to their musical ability, showcasing their ability to transcend musical borders with nice start/stop rhythms and unique time signatures. The vocals did take me a while a to warm up to, but in all honesty it is what sets their sound apart from many other metal/hardcore bands (Well, that and their fantastic song writing… but we’ll address that in a moment). Thankfully, the vocalist is not doing self-indulgent, generic, emo/screamo or attempting to produce a mere guttural growl.
As I was saying above, fantastic songwriting! And these guys have it. You won’t find the generic chug-chug breakdowns or trendy power-pop choruses here…STC are able to avoid the typical clichés of much modern heavy music. Each song is a wealth of skillful song writing and musical ability, as there is no filler on this 5 song EP. Even the instrumental track, “Victory, but at what cost?” is a well-composed score of European-inspired guitar harmonies.
Above all else, STC has done what many other bands are scared to do: make music for themselves first, and let the masses cast their judgment later. As a reviewer and a musician I can not only appreciate this, but also truly enjoy their music. A band this unique can only come from a strong vision. Hopefully they can keep their focus in the future. These guys have tons of potential and I cannot wait to see what their future holds.
CHARGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Josh Hogan
-Josh@orchidscurse.com