Description:
The debut 3-song EP clocking in at 18 minutes, 28 seconds, from South Dakota's newest metal powerhouse, CASTLE. While one cannot ignore the influence of bands such as ISIS and PELICAN have had on the band, CASTLE is certainly not to be lost in the sea of boring drone and doom bands that are currently flooding the hardcore scene. To the contrary, CASTLE keeps things interesting and original by maintaining their hardcore roots with fast parts and harsh screamed and growled vocals. The recording also features an ex-member of EXAMINATION OF THE and THE SPIRIT OF VERSAILLES. One time pressing of only 500 copies.

Pressing Info:
500 copies

out of print

Reviews:

Punknews.org:

"It just so happens that outside right now, it's a rainy and miserable scene. A dark and gloomy Wednesday afternoon, where barely a ray of light is able to seep into my window. From my speakers pulses a slow, powerful, and rhythmic assault. Devoid of melody, Castle offer instead a pulverizing assault even more bleak than the scene outside my window.

Relying far more on the aforementioned rhythm than any sort of vocal inclusion, Castle focus heavily on creating a fluid, but heavy sound that as weird as it may seem - is almost relaxing. The entrancing riffs call waves to mind, crashing harder and harder into the rocky shoreline. But on the cliffs up above, all that's known are the sounds of the sea, the smack of the water on the shore. It seems far less violent than it actually is, and that's exactly the way Electric Wolves operates.

The vocals offered by both bassist Mike Hutchins and guitarist Jeff Truckenmiller are deep and raspy, adding an extremely volatile element to a record that otherwise has none. Every sound is loud, and every song is punishing, but the fact of the matter is that the band could get away with not even having those two vocalists. They do add a different element to the music, and their delivery is extremely strong and fitting to the music below it, but there's a few moments on the record where terrific instrumental momentum was built up, only to become somewhat stagnated by the vocals coming in.

"Violate" comes the closest of the three songs to achieving just the right mix. Beginning with some raspy screams over the top of some slowly building riffs, the song quickly moves into a more fast-paced section without those screams - and that's when things really pick up. The riffs tower before plunging back down into the depths, only to once again begin a slow, churning ascent. Pounding ever louder, the song finally culminates with a few well-placed screams to carry the track to a close.

Aversionline.com:

"Oh yeah. "Electric Wolves" is the debut EP from Castle on Init Records - dropping a mere three tracks of pulsing, dissonant Neurosis-via-earlier-Isis poundings in about 19 minutes. This is great shit, too. Well recorded, well played, and well written - offering up a focused amalgam of straightforward crushing walls of power chords and harsh yells, discordant melodies, and subtly noisier undercurrents, among other attributes. It's a pretty quick listen, even considering that each track runs five to seven minutes, so there's not a great deal to say here, but I'm definitely left wanting more. I really dig the bleakness of the lyrics as well:

"Reach into the heavenly openness. Swallow my stride. I am the weak follower. No point can be made when there's no one left to follow. We are already dead. Sow, reap, repeat. Better to start with what will already be. Stabbed, wounded, and waiting in hell. This is my light, this is your day. I will be your shadow of chagrin."

New Scheme, The #15:
"Castle manages to take a number of related, but pretty divergent styles of hardcore and metal and meld them together smoothly. The most consistent, underlying sound harkens pretty strongly to Celestial-era Isis and other Hydra Head bands, especially Harkonen. But they also have more frantic sections throughout the songs, with remind me a bit more of Majority Rule or Pg.99 (though only in short burts). The guitar and bass riffs are well written, if not a bit unspectacular some of the time. They do work overall, with smooth transistions between well thought out parts. This makes for songs that don't really jump out at you on the first listen or two. But once they get a little time to sink in, they grew on me. The vocals are usually screamed, but occasionally growled sort of death metal-style. Though they aren't a liability any of the time, the vocal lines aren't a strength either (especially when growled). Electric Wolves sports only three songs, each of which is between five and seven minutes long. The whole thing comes in at just over 18 minutes, though it's actually a pretty suitable length for an introduction to the band. It's interesting and impressive that they're able to meld so many closely related, but separate sub-genres of hardcore and metal. This combination is uncommon, though not awkward or forced by any means. Somethings it almost seems like the songs are so well thought out, that they sort of just pass by you. But that is only the case some of the time, andoverall they're strong and well constructed."- Stuart Anderson

Give Me Back #51:
"Okay, so wolves are the shit. Electricity is also the shit. The name "Electric Wolves" may sound silly to come of you, but to me it's brilliant. Everything about this is unbearably heavy, but how to truly describe it? Take this stream of consciousness: crushing, linear, doom influenced rock 'n' sludge. They just may be South Dakota's best-kept secret."- Mikey T