If I were to say Castrovalva had loud, catchy riffs combined with heavy drums then you’d probably think they are a metal outfit. If you thought this you would be wrong, this duo rocks out to the beat of progressive with a little bit of a dance twist thrown in.
Played with only a bass guitar and drums this self-titled album is music stripped down to the bare essentials. Being in the vein of bands such as Death From Above 1979 and Lightning Bolt. A few years ago this record would have been completely original, however due to the emergence of bands like Death From Above the genre is already thriving. Although the music isn’t original its definitely a great representation, encompassing all that’s right with progressive rock.
Every song is insanely catchy and you can’t help but tap your feet along to the rhythms. The bass and drums fuse together to create a deep, droney sound that works extremely well. The distortion on the bass makes the noise fuzzy, which adds to the character of the music. If they threw in an electric guitar over the top the music would probably sound like Metallica in the black album era. So you know you’re dealing with great riffs that have been brought down to the minimal.
All sorts of music fans can appreciate Castrovalva. If you like progressive music then you’ll certainly dig them. You may also like it if you’re a fan of down tuned doom metal, as the music has a dark edge too it. The infectious beat that runs through the songs may even bring in fans of more dance oriented “indie.” The sounds are contagious and could definitely fill a dance floor.
Castrovalva certainly cover a wide spectrum of music, especially when you know that it’s just a bass and a guitar. This 8 track record should definitely be at the forefront of progressive rock and if you give it a chance you won’t be disappointed. Out now on Brew Records.
Jonathan Teggert