Castle – Carrie Chains
Release Date: 4th September 2026
Label: Hammerheart Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Doom/Stoner Rock.
FFO: Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Danzig, Motorhead, Blue Oyster Cult, Tower, Lady Beast, Witchforce.
Review By: Mark Waight
Hailing from an overgrown fortress high above the cliffs of black, San Francisco based purveyors of doom Castle return with their seventh studio album “Carrie Chains.” With epic riffs echoing many of the past masters of the 70s and 80s Castle weave their own modern and intricate incantations to slowly reel you in, delicately entwine you and then ensnare you forever in their beautifully bleak and despairing world.
Castle is Liz Blackwell (bass & vocals), Mat Davis (guitar & vocals), and Mike Cotton (drums).
Barnstorming opener “Fooled Again” gets the joust on the road with a hot ‘n’ heavy, slow and thunderous riff to whet your whistle and leave you baying for more. Next up the deliciously dark “3 Knocks” bangs hard on the door of 80s metal by serving up a sweet slice of wow factor and a noticeable switch up in pace. Now we’re talking!
Almost title track “Carry Chains” is a sensational sing-along speaker blaster that is destined to raise your temperature and get your fists pumping. Total fire! I’m sure Lemmy met an “Evil Nun” or two back in the day and now you can get in the habit too by checking out this cracking tune with a proper old school Motörhead aura surrounding it.
Setting off at a frantically furious pace the pulsating “Truckgrinder” is one of those Hell Yeah moments in a metal album where resistance to shake your bloody head off is completely futile. If you loved a bit of head banging in the glory days of rock, then this is your moment to relive those magical memories once again. With a psychedelic vibe “Orb Weaver” has a distinct early 70s feel to it, albeit with a gorgeously grim and trippy edge. Heavy, man!
“Goat Vision” paints a haunting and vivid canvas in the image of 70s legends like Blue Oyster Cult. Castle have certainly captured the sound of the era with a modern groove to keep those hearth fires burning long into the future. Don’t “Burn the Messenger” when I say that “Carrie Chains” is a truly wicked album, worthy of further investigation because the final track states that fact in very large font and bold capital letters, ABSOLUTE CLASSIC!
If you are a fan of classic hard rock and traditional heavy metal “Carrie Chains” is a must have, must listen to album. So, hasten at once to lower your playlist drawbridge and allow metal minstrels Castle to cross your moat, into your Keep for a feast at the high table of the very best rock albums of 2026! Very highly recommended!
(4.5 / 5)
