This week’s Meet The Band features the New York death metal band Castrator. They recently released their full-length debut Defiled In Oblivion. Drummer Carolina Perez introduces us to her band.
Chad Bowar: Give us a brief history of Castrator.
Carolina Perez: Castrator was formed back in 2007 in NYC. It started as an idea that pretty much was wanting to form an all- female death metal band Cannibal Corpse style. It was very hard to find an all-female lineup that met the standards that we were looking for. We have been through a few lineup changes but feel like it was all worth it. We love our current lineup!
Describe the songwriting process for Defiled In Oblivion.
Defiled In Oblivion took 7 years to make. I don’t really want to get into all the different lineup changes, scratched recordings, friendships ruined, and money spent; at the end we were very happy with the result. The songs were all written and worked on remotely and that was also a big part of why it took so long. The lyrics,
titles, concept, and solos were last.
What will be your strongest memory of the recording of the album?
There are so many good and bad memories of the recording of this album. Two highlights for me were listening to the songs with Clarissa’s awesome vocals and finally hearing the masters… the final payoff to such hard work! I don’t really want to talk about the bad.
How has your sound evolved from your 2015 EP No Victim?
We released a demo back in 2015 that was a bit different from what the album is going to be because it’s a different vocalist and guitar player but we believe that we have finally found our sound. The demo was more of a primitive sound trying to find our style.
What led you to cover Venom’s “Countess Bathory,” and how did you approach your arrangement of it?
Venom is a Legendary band and “Countess Bathory” is a classic that has not been covered enough. We [layed a Festival back in 2015 in Texas and we didn’t have enough material for a full set, so we decided to play a cover which was that song and we made it sound like our style. We liked it so much that we decided we had to
incorporate it in the album. Also, bands use to have cover songs all the time, bands don’t do it enough lately.
How did you come to sign with Dark Descent Records?
We were shopping for labels, we were talking to a few different ones, we had a few options but Dark Descent was the best option for us so we decided to go with them and it has been a great experience. Matt is a great guy and we love working with him. We got the contact through Ross Dolan from Immolation.
What are your goals and expectations for the album?
We knew we wanted better structuring and sound vocally and a better guitar sound. We also knew we wanted to use all the material we had and there are songs like “Sinister Mind,” the very first song Robin and I wrote back in 2015 to more complex ones like “Dawa Of Yousafzai” or “Tyrant’s Verdict” that were written more recently.
Our goal was to have a more OSDM sound.
What has been your most memorable Castrator live show?
We haven’t played many shows, but I would say Death Nexus was rad!
What are your upcoming show/tour plans?
We are working on doing a short run in September and then a full US tour in the fall/winter. Stay tuned for more news.
LPs of Defiled In Oblivion are being released as well. Are you a vinyl collector?
We are stoked about that! I personally love vinyl and have a some, but I would not call myself a collector. I follow some Vinyl collectors on socials and I live vicariously through them.
How did you get started in music?
I got started at the age of 13 when hormones started kicking in and I was back in Colombia. I started playing with my brother, then we had a band, migrated to the United States and we continued our music journey. It has been a journey ever since and I am not planning on stopping any time soon.
Who were your early influences and inspirations?
My early inspirations were Igor Cavalera, Pete Sandoval, Nick Barker, Tony Laureano, Alex Marquez, Steve Asheim and all the good local drummers that I shared the stage with amongst every drummer out there doing what they
love!
What was the first metal concert you attended?
My memory is very foggy on that one, I want to say it was Ozzfest back in 2000.
What was your first band, and what style of music did they play?
My first band was with my brother. We called it Sabottage (yes with two T’s) and we played metal and a few shows around NYC.
What are some of your non-musical interests and hobbies?
I love biking! I wish I could ride my bike all year round outdoors, but I can’t because I live in Ohio so in the winter when I must stay indoors, I make and edit videos. I also love baking and making jewelry. I am also going to quote Albert Einstein on this one because I Identify with it: “I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.”
Anything else you’d like to mention or promote?
Make sure you check out our videos, I edited most of them myself, you can find them in our socials and YouTube channel. Also make sure you grab some merch if you can! We really appreciate the support!
(interview published July 30, 2022)
