Album Review - "The Bestiary" by Castle Rat

 


Holy shit - Am I buying a kickass fantasy novel , or a kickass sludgy metal album ?

BOTH

The answer is BOTH.

Surface level - you're immediately struck with the image of a sword wielding woman in armor, riding a UNICORN with a wizard in the background either casting a SPELL OF DECEPTION or one of PROTECTION. This could go in either direction... On the backdrop of frozen tundra!

Mom always said "don't judge a book by its cover" but in this case, you can !

All of these things on their own kick ass. Together of course - they just kick more ass.

This is my FIRST listen to Castle Rat. My interest was peaked by not only their now viral videos of their live performances, but also their upcoming visit to Toronto which I'll be attending. 

Sonically I'm greeted with a concept record that reaches in to the old-school . Shades of Black Sabbath, Electric Wizard, High On Fire and Kyuss are laid over a bed of soaring vocals which are rolled in to a delicious heavy metal burrito.. One which was prepared in THE DARK CAVERNS OF A DUNGEON.. of course.

The record has lots of heavy, dirty, sludgy unapologetic riffs (Wolf I, Serpent, Dragon) Sandwiched between moments of clarity and beauty (Path Of Moss, Crystal Cave, Summoning Spell) Path Of Moss specifically reminding me of moments in Rush's seminal album 2112.

The flow of the album reminds me of LP's of old, where the listener best benefits from listening to both sides without skipping a track. This was clearly meant to be listened to as a full AV package from start to finish. I'm looking forward to holding a physical copy, slipping the headphones on and following along with the lyrics and artwork.

Behind the image and theme of the band are big riffs and well written music. Their attention towards composing is evident with this cohesive and well thought out sonic offering. 

Although the year is still young, this stands out as one of the frontrunners for my favorite album thus far of 2026.

Overall a very solid 8.5 / 10




 


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