Castle Rat: The Bestiary - Album Review
When word first leaked about a band called Castle Rat, fronted by someone calling themselves The Rat Queen, I thought it had to be a piss-take. Another gimmick act trying too hard. But then I saw them, plague masks, medieval lunacy, riffs heavy enough to smash through the Brooklyn subway ceiling, and suddenly I was headbanging. Their debut full-length, The Bestiary, finally claws its way out on September 19th 2025 and we’re here for it!
Castle Rat are four lunatics raised in New York’s concrete jungle but dreaming in medieval nightmares. The Rat Queen herself (Riley Pinkerton) snarls and sings while thrashing on guitar, pulling the whole circus along. The Count (Franco Vittore) slices leads that sound like Mercyful Fate swallowed a bong. The Plague Doctor (Ronnie Lanzilotta III) rumbles the bass with this swampy doom sludge. And The All-Seeing Druid (Josh Strmic) batters drums like he’s summoning Ragnarok. Together, they don’t play shows, they stage rituals.
Enter The Bestiary
So what’s the deal with The Bestiary? It’s an epic journey that, much like pinhead, may very well tear your soul apart. Dragons, wolves, sirens, wizards, they all come to life in riffs, fuzz, and pounding doom. It’s both deadly serious and gloriously ridiculous.
The opener Phoenix I rises loudly and cinematically. It’s a slow-burning intro that sets the tone for the madness to come. By the time Wolf I kicks in, you’re already chest-deep in heavy doom grooves, where every chord makes you wanna stomp harder. Wizard brings that epic stoner swagger, while Siren is slinkier, creeping with hooks that almost lull you before knocking you over the head again. Tracks like Wizard and Siren prove that Castle Rat are more than just riff machines. They know how to layer melody and atmosphere without diluting the sheer brute force of their sound.
Dragon is a real spectacle though. It’s epic and destructive but also sneakily melodic, so it offers a twist. It’s chaotic in the best way, and the sort of metal you can lose yourself, like that brilliant Eminem song!
The Sound/Production
The production by Randall Dunn is pretty tooooight!. Every instrument has space, every note resonates, and you can hear the subtleties buried under the onslaught of riffs. It’s cinematic without being pretentious, and it makes every beast feel real, every spell and claw strike palpable. Castle Rat balances the epic with the brutal, and Dunn’s touch ensures the album never becomes a muddled mess of noise. There’s texture, there’s air, and there’s this sense that every riff exists for a reason beyond just sounding heavy, which is exactly what you want from a band like this.
Why The Bestiary Works
This album succeeds because Castle Rat isn’t trying to fit into a genre checklist. They take doom, stoner rock, and heavy metal and infuse it with a story. Every track is a chapter, every riff fits right, and the narrative sneaks in without ever feeling forced. But it’s also intense, immersive, and occasionally absurd and that combination is what makes it so damn fun.
Riley Pinkerton’s vocals are commanding, sometimes chaotic, and perfectly in tune with the rest of the band’s madness. Franco Vittore’s leads soar and dive unpredictably, Ronnie Lanzilotta III’s bass grounds the chaos while keeping the groove alive, and Josh Strmic hits like a drumming tornado. This is metal played by people who know their way around a riff and aren’t afraid to get weird.
HMC Verdict
Fans of Candlemass, early Metallica, and doom-tinged stoner metal will find plenty to enjoy here. But even if you don’t usually care about fantasy metal concept albums, The Bestiary will grab you by the throat.
The Bestiary is an album that deserves to be blasted at maximum volume while you play dungeons and dragons with your fat, bald, unemployed friends! You can collectively imagine wizards, and wolves tearing through your basement judging you for your life choices. It’s heavy, funny, and chaotic in the way only metal can be. Castle Rat has proven that they can create a fully immersive, headbang-worthy experience while still making you smile at the absurdity of it all.
If you want epic riffs, towering atmosphere, and just enough lunacy to keep you guessing, this album is for you. Grab your copy, raise a fist, and let the Rat Queen guide you through her kingdom of beasts.
