Album Review: Castle Rat - The Bestiary
Reviewed by Sam Jones
When a band get talked about to such an extent, and the quality of their music justifies said talk, it’s only natural I’d want to check out their newest release. Formed in 2019 out of New York, United States, Castle Rat have garnered sweeping attention over their old school approach to doom/heavy metal where their debut album Into The Realm, unleashed only last year, turned heads quickly and saw the band become a household name in mere months. With a second album already primed for a September 19th release date and once again through King Volume Records, it’s time we have Castle Rat their due. Sporting imagery ripped right out of 1980s sword and sorcery tabletop campaigns, Castle Rat bear no illusions over what their style champions. I was more than curious and it was time to see what The Bestiary would offer.
Considering how Castle Rat perform a rather retro variation of doom metal I was surprised as to how coarse the basslines were. As early as opening instrumental Castle Rat offer bass work that’s far rougher than the otherwise clean guitar riffs. The bass therefore penetrates every aspect of the band’s performance and we’ll never be left wondering where or when the bass will be brought into play. Furthermore it gives Castle Rat an additional sense of activity because we understand the bass isn’t shadowing the exact path set by the riffs; the basslines are predominately their own force yet audiences can enjoy both guitar and bass at the same time all the while each carve their own route through each song. By giving the bass this cruder texture it seems to broaden the record’s scope as one can feel the bass acting as the furthest horizons the band may reach; in turn it helps solidify the album’s shape in our mind, cementing The Bestiary as a force with its own occupying space as opposed to something formless and intangible.
Castle Rat have been regarded as the exemplar of retro doom metal done right, but as you listen you’ll find they play at speeds much greater than doom metal is associated with. That's where the classic heavy metal aesthetic comes in, infusing Castle Rat with momentum strongly reminiscent to early Black Sabbath records. One just feels this adoration of the occult and all things sorcerous as they play yet I appreciate how they haven’t attempted to dial down on it too heavily; had they done so I feel its impact would severely hampered, instead Castle Rat run with the ideas, delve a little deeper when the songwriting requires such, but you won’t feel like they’re needing to slam it in your face. On the contrary they truly revel in it as the aesthetic they ooze reflects the subject matter they’re playing about. The fact that the tempo is neither trudging nor rapid works perfectly for Castle Rat’s intentions, as they're able to immerse you within this strange tome of witchcraft and devilry without indulging in the overtly extreme.
Much has already been commented on The Rat Queen, the pseudonym as used by frontwoman Riley McCurry, but her baritone vocals, that would not go amiss during a seance, are a crucial aspect of Castle Rat’s success. We’ve encountered a whole myriad of vocal style with retro doom metal but there’s certainly something special with McCurry’s vocals, for her timbre bespeaks something older, evoking tarot cards, voodoo and all things macabre and inexplicable. You'll also find her delivery is far from fast, as we’re given every chance to hang onto every word she utters especially once the instrumentation picks up speed and the cadence she puts on her words only pick up strength the more things proceed. Its worth stating too: this woman can genuinely sing, as demonstrated with “Unicorn”, whereby Castle Rat could theoretically release a record entirely featuring these more traditional vocals and I think people would still flock to them in droves. But her delivery is far from aggressive; The Rat Queen never outright aspires for aggression in her vocals. You really are drawn to her vocals as a siren entices ships to squander, particularly as he unleashes her cords upon sustained notes backed by the gradually mounting riffs reinforcing her.
There are more tracks here than usual, thirteen is a number not many would include on an album but Castle Rat remedy this by ensuring their structure is approachable and isn’t cause for people to turn off halfway through. The record has a smart composition; an initial opening, a mid-way break to give us that breather and then that concluding piece that closes the book on The Bestiary. If the album had been a full thirteen tracks of conventional songwriting I doubt the band would be worse off, but the audience’s engagement may begin waning prior to the end. By establishing a firm structure for their record, it gives audiences assurance they won’t need to keep sprinting the whole way through without a break. Granted, this record is far from anything extreme but it allows us to process it more efficiently than had it be a non-stop ride, carving The Bestiary’s duration into two clear parts.
Much like the Black Sabbath influence on record, I enjoyed how simple the songwriting was. It needs reminding: simple equals not poor or uninspired writing. With an act like Castle Rat, there isn’t need for extremity or guitar work that doesn’t immediately serve the vibe or progression that the band are after with their retro doom metal style. Listening to this it felt like the band removed anything fatty or wouldn’t directly contribute to the overall final product. There are tracks here that are extremely simple, possessing a single riff repeated with McCurry’s vocals working alongside as the drums keep time or perhaps the drums are entirely absent, but its enough to keep you tiding over until the next track. Not every piece Castle Rat put out needs to be this power-laden opus that knocks your socks off; sometimes, in conjunction where a track lies within the overarching structure, it acts as conduit between other tracks, though imbuing audiences with unique feelings and an essence removed from other contemporary doom bands.
In conclusion, after experiencing Castle Rat for myself I firmly understand the hype people have attributed to this band. After exploding onto the metal world late last year, Castle Rat return with a second album which delves into the mystic arts of black magic albeit with a maturity early in their career. The Bestiary is a near fifty-minute album but you’ll be amazed at just how quickly that time passes by; I attribute it to the number of varied tracks here as the band haven’t just applied one single style and replicated that thirteen times over. There are instrumental pieces, harder tracks with greater momentum, these serene and more introspective works that give McCurry a greater spotlight whilst giving us a needed respite etc. Its the kind of album you could stick on at any point and you’d receive quality entertainment, but the real jewel is in experiencing it like a book start to finish as you feel The Bestiary play out as the band intended. Castle Rat truly is retro doom metal done right and it never feels like they're emulating bands of old; The Bestiary is Castle Rat through and through. They really one of metal’s most exciting, growing names and I can’t wait to see them for myself come this year’s Damnation Festival in November. The hype is real.
