With great pleasure, I present to you today the black metal greatness that is Castrum (Lat. “The Castle”) –  undoubtedly one of the greatest Croatian bands in history. Conceived as an idea in 1994 in Rijeka by the minds of multi-instrumentalist Insanus and vocalist Morsus Sordahl, the band gradually took shape in 1996 when vocalist and bassist Fra. Mortes Amalthea and drummer Hyperion joined its ranks.

The band speaks with nostalgia about those moments and shares a bit more about their philosophy:
“The idea of creating CASTRUM had existed since the winter of 1994, but it wasn’t easy to find people who shared the same attitude toward music. The four of us started on December 25, 1996: Morsus Sordahl – vocals, Insanus – guitar, Noctuvigilus – bass, and Set –  drums. A few months later, CASTRUM recorded their first demo tape ‘Nocturnal Eden Behind Serpents Eyes’, which was good enough for promotion across Europe. The reviews in the zines were very favorable. After the recording, Set left CASTRUM due to personal issues, and Noctuvigilus changed his name to Fra. Mortes. After a few months of promotion, CASTRUM decided to bring in a second guitarist. The new guitarist at the time was Dirgloch. We created several new songs and recorded them very professionally. This was our second demo tape, ‘Black Silhouette Enfolded In Sunrise’, which was made for distribution to labels. On this recording, Noctuvigilus (now Fra. Mortes Amalthea) acted as both bassist and drummer. All keyboard parts were composed and performed by Insanus. We would describe our music as Sympho-Epic-Black-Metal, which blends perfectly with nocturnal poetry. Our lyrics are dedicated to eternal vampiric love and the realms of dark nature, where we revere the enchantment of red wine and the grandeur of Luciferian virginity and purity.”

It’s worth emphasizing here that Insanus truly lives up to his nickname. The musician is a foundational figure in the Croatian underground scene and the driving force behind numerous other projects besides Castrum—some of which are still active today—including Ashes You Leave, Black Cult, Czaar, Hibernum, Suton, Zvijer, Svitogor, Unholy Inquisition, Kult Perunov, Death of Folk, Gorthaur’s Wrath, Balrog, and Rampl. His musical style is unique and always instantly recognizable.

Thus, brought together by musicians who clearly know how to create captivating music, and driven by a clear ideology and vision, Castrum released their debut demo “Nocturnal Eden Behind Serpent Eyes” in 1997. Recorded and produced at Brica Studio, the release was distributed the old-school way – audio cassettes in a limited run, passed from hand to hand. In addition to the band’s core lineup, this demo also features flute and female vocals performed by Dunja Radetić.

Listen to  “Nocturnal Eden Behind Serpent Eyes” below:

Having caught the attention of numerous music critics and zines, the band released their debut full-length album “Black Silhouette Enfolded in Sunrise” later the same year—once again in the form of a cassette demo. This time, however, the demo drew the interest of the label Folter Records, and in 1998, it was officially released on CD.

Listen to “Black Silhouette Enfolded in Sunrise” here:

After “Black Silhouette Enfolded in Sunrise”, the band took part in numerous live performances, and their name began to shine ever brighter in the darkness of the local and global underground scene. Not long after, Castrum entered the studio to record their second and final full-length album, “In the Horizons of the Dying Theatre”, which was released in 2000, once again through Folter Records.

Castrum officially disbanded in 2002. In 2019, Insanus (Dalibor Franjkić) founded the label InsArt Records, through which he reissued the band’s music. Their final album, “In the Horizons of the Dying Theatre”, was even re-released in 2020 with new cover art, once again created by Dalibor himself. Although he no longer resides permanently in Croatia, Dalibor remains active in several projects, including Ashes You Leave, Black Cult, Czaar, Hibernum, Suton, and Zvijer. Morsus Sordahl is no longer active as a musician, and Castrum remains the only band into which he ever poured his heart. Guitarist Dirgloch continues his musical endeavors with the bands Czaar and Old Night. Hyperion and Fra. Mortes Amalthea are no longer involved in music.

In the span of eight years, Castrum created a demo and two full-length albums that left a lasting mark on the Croatian underground. Their presence on stage sparked a new wave- one that had never been seen before in such a form within the local scene.

When it comes to the band’s live performances in Croatia over the years, the musicians share: “Yes, we played several concerts in Croatia, but not many, because there weren’t many clubs for this kind of music at that time. In our hometown Rijeka, around 250 people attended our shows each time because we were somewhat of a sensation. The musical throne belongs to us to this day. Concerts abroad are another story. We played many shows in Slovenia with some well-known bands like Setherial, In Battle, Ancient, Behemoth, Belfegor… which were amazing. In June 1998, we performed at the big festival ‘Under The Black Sun Festival’ in Leipzig, Germany, alongside Enslaved, Lord Belial, Nox Intempesta, Gehenna, Einherjer, Ragnarok, and Aeternus. Everything went great there. Regarding that performance, I heard that the German magazine Deftone named us one of the best bands at the festival and the biggest hope for the future. It was amazing to hear those things.”

And finally, Fra. Mortes Amalthea’s opinion on politics, philosophy, and religion: “I really hate politics because it’s disgusting. So let’s leave it aside. Regarding religion—the situation is clear. We believe that Christianity is long over and completely unnecessary. We believe in mythological beings (vampires) from the Carpathians—that’s exactly where we found ourselves. Today’s black metal scene is heavily marked by Satanism, and we have nothing against that. We are followers of the dark and evil side of the world—and we will remain true to that path, no matter what.”

Zapamtite ime (remember the name) – Castrum!