Castrated, not to be confused with UKDM legends Kastrated are four piece band featuring ex-members of Horrific Demise, Sarcophagy and Architectural Genocide to name but a few. So it’s quite clear this band boasts some strong pedigree. Given their accolades it’s no surprise that their debut EP Surgical Vicissitude should be dropping through Comatose Records a label renowned amongst the Brutal Death community, but is this first effort up to scratch?

The EP opens up with Deranged Manifestations, displaying the classic fruits of Brutal Death, fast paced drums, manic guitars and bass, and of course guttural vocals. From this outset it would appear that this is a somewhat generic release, but nonetheless it is executed with utter precision and contains pretty much all the elements which make the genre so great. The title track follows on adding more to the mix, the riffs in this track are truly huge. The variation in vocal range becomes more apparent too, I certainly wouldn’t call it Deathcore in that sense but there are more ‘screaming’ nods here and there. More than anything I would liken the vocals to a modern OSDM sound. Forcible Oral Sodomy comes next and it is here that I have to say whilst the EP does have a degree of Slam about it I could do with more and slower. It feels (particularly in this song) that the Slamming notion is teased without full climax. I can’t knock the music itself but that would be one of my more minor grievances. After a seedy and creepy sample we’re into Propagate The Subservient yet another banger where those OSDM vocals boulder through. I particularly enjoy the bass on this one too, real strong stuff. Finally it’s Sterilized Contrition, pretty much more of the same but as generic as it may appear I honestly cannot complain, this really is a group of great musicians further upping their game.

Overall this is a powerful debut feat, I would expect nothing less from a band with such a strong past history but it’s still great to hear. I don’t really see any reason for fellow or new BDM fans to rush out and listen, but I would say at least keep the name of Castrated in mind, I’m very keen to hear a full length record at some point, hopefully in the not too distant future.

(8/10 George Caley)

https://www.facebook.com/officiallycastrated

https://comatosemusic.bandcamp.com/track/surgical-vicissitude