Dark Castle

Florida’s musical legacy, as far as those of us who walk the left-hand path are concerned, has always lain within the murky depths of death metal, spawned decades ago by the godless noise mongers of Death, Morbid Angel, Deicide and more. It’s fitting, then, that the two musicians behind Florida’s most crushing new export, DARK CASTLE, have spent most of their lives playing in metal bands and honing the tools of their trade.

Currently based in St. Augustine, Florida, drummer/vocalist Rob Shaffer and guitarist/vocalist Stevie Floyd met in 2005 and bonded over a shared musical vision (and love for Death). They immediately began writing the music that would, over time, form the skeleton of their first release. Heavily inspired by spirituality, nature and the flow of creation and life itself, DARK CASTLE incorporate multicultural scales (particularly Hungarian and Japanese) and the kind of innovative time signatures that doom metal has always yearned for to create something new, exciting but always conscious of its bloody roots and the all-important groove.

Drawing upon their artistic backgrounds (both Stevie and Rob are accomplished tattoo artists) and D.I.Y. know-how, DARK CASTLE self-released the handmade, limited edition Flight of Pegasus EP in 2007. Their forward-thinking, psychedelia-laced doom epics caught the attention of At a Loss Records, who signed on to release their debut full-length, Spirited Migration in June 2009. Since the band’s inception, they have shared stages and toured with the likes of Baroness, Pentagram, Zoroaster, Rwake, Weedeater, Black Tusk, Sourvein and Jucifer and took the continent by storm on their first ever European tour with Kylesa in the spring of 2010. On stage, bathed in glowing red light and billowing smoke, DARK CASTLE summon the power to open minds and move mountains using only a guitar, a drum kit, two voices, two minds and a bottomless well of earth-shaking riffs.

DARK CASTLE is currently preparing to wage musical warfare upon yet another army of strangers this summer on several high-profile tours. In the spring of 2011 they unleashed a brand new album, entitled ‘Surrender To All Life Beyond Form’, recorded and produced by Sanford Parker (Nachtmystium, Zoroaster, Pelican).

Check out their official Facebook page here