On the unofficial list of things that are very, very metal indeed, the artwork of Barry Windsor-Smith sits proudly at the pointy end. Castle Rat are so joyously authentic and true-to-the-bone that they appear to have stepped directly out of his posters for kitsch sword-and-sorcery classic Red Sonja, with frontwoman The Rat Queen (Riley Pinkerton to her friends) fulfilling the role of that movie’s titular heroine.
Everything about this band rules hard. Last year’s Into The Realm debut was a potent warning shot, as the Brooklyn crew’s fantasy doom stretched out a tentacle or three, capturing and rejuvenating the old-school spirit, and slapping as hard as Conan The Barbarian’s broadsword. Barely a year later, The Bestiary seals the deal and proclaims the irresistible evolution of one of the most exciting new bands on our godforsaken planet.
Drenched in otherworldly atmosphere and straightforwardly crushing, these songs are the perfect response to a metal mainstream gone mad. Deeply entrenched in traditional doom, battle-ready epic metal and the psychedelic trappings of the late 60s, songs such as recent singles Wolf I: Tooth & Blade and Wizard: Crystal Heart know their heritage and celebrate it.
More adventurous material like the darkly mystical Crystal Cave: Enshrined and languorous epic Sun Song: Behold The Flame indicate that Castle Rat have plenty of imagination to enhance their nostalgic passions, and acoustic interludes Path Of Moss and Summoning Spell provide the cinematic, folk-fuelled glue that binds this determinedly cohesive record together.
The Rat Queen is a riveting, charismatic presence throughout, her cut-glass bellow telling tales of mysterious creatures from forgotten worlds and making every word sound like an edict from the gods. The production is monstrous, the artwork is spellbinding, and Castle Rat will be harvesting willing souls for the foreseeable future.
The Bestiary is out September 19 via Blues Funeral Recordings. Castle Rat are on tour in the US now and tour the UK from November 4, including an appearance at Damnation Festival and High On Fire support at London's Electric Ballroom on November 6. For the full list of dates, visit their official website.
