Doom is as old as metal itself— after all, Black Sabbath themselves were pioneering the subgenre all the way back in 1970. Despite that history though, it’s not a style that often dominates popular discourse. The genre has long been in need of a new pioneer to bear the torch and usher those slow, grumbling riffs into the modern era of metal: as prophesied, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have stepped up to the plate, dragging their old school doom sound into the public eye in 2025. For anyone who likes their metal cut-and-dry, new record ‘The Bestiary’ should be right up your alley— it’s compared to the offerings of more ambitious groups that Castle Rat’s second album fails to impress.

At first glance, ‘The Bestiary’ might appear to be an album of far grander scale and scope than the ‘cut-and-dry’ descriptor might imply— in many ways, the record has more in common with your average power metal romp than with the likes of 1971’s ‘Master of Reality.’ Castle Rat’s aesthetic lies squarely within the realm of epic fantasy, with their latest release compiling tales of valiant beasts and treacherous monsters: if the white horse, sword and wizard on its cover weren’t enough to tip you off, the band have a penchant for the dramatic. ‘The Bestiary’ takes several detours across its runtime to indulge in bombastic fanfare— from the approaching drum hits and triumphant lead lines of opener ‘PHOENIX I,’ the intention becomes very clear. As far as the execution of that idea goes though, Castle Rat do very little to spice up a somewhat mundane formula.

The production of ‘The Bestiary’ keeps well away from the sharp tones and processed layering that continue to dominate much of modern metal— the record has an old-school feel to it, working with fuzzy guitar tones and vocal doubling ripped straight from the 70s. What the mix gains in authenticity though, it loses in heft: every sound on the album is so soft, so round, that the listener is left looking in on this collection of songs, rather than sinking straight into the groove. Take ‘DRAGON,’ which has all its momentum and drive ripped away by its muddy textures and overly plain presentation. For all the talk of magic and adventure across ‘The Bestiary,’ the album really fails to capture that larger-than-life aesthetic. Even as far as performances are concerned, Castle Rat are more akin to the far-off witches of Macbeth than the go-getters in the Fellowship of the Ring— the drumming of The Droid and vocals from The Rat Queen both suffice, but don’t bring enough power or charm to sell these stories.

Beneath its fantastical theming, ‘The Bestiary’ takes a back-to-basics approach on the writing front: ironically enough, its best moments tend to come when the band push all theatrics to the side and deliver some sweet sweet doom metal riffs. Even if the vocal melody of ‘WIZARD’ feels a little obvious, the cut has all the same appeal that Black Sabbath’s debut had, more than fifty years ago: those simple guitar grooves can be infectious, lending the song a feeling of victory by its conclusion. When Castle Rat can get you head banging, as they undoubtedly do via the mysterious mood and driving rhythm of ‘SERPENT,’ all is well with the record. The group even earn themselves a moment of true Tolkien-esque wonder of ‘CRYSTAL CAVE,’ where the stars finally align— it’s here, where the orchestration, the simple drum pattern and the ascending melodies finally coalesce, that things begin to point in the right direction.

With writing that leaves so little to the imagination, it’s easy to see how ‘The Bestiary’ might wind up feeling fairly unmemorable: stacked up against near anyone, from the claustrophobic melancholy of Paradise Lost to the overpowering weight of Hamferð, Castle Rat are fighting an uphill battle. The new record is stuffed with interludes and moments of mysticism— ultimately though, the likes of ‘PATH OF MOSS,’ ‘SUMMONING SPELL’ and ‘PHOENIX II’ serve little purpose when the songs around them aren’t altogether interesting themselves. Cuts like ‘WOLF I’ and ‘SIREN’ are fine enough additions to the tracklist, but they just can’t escape the ever-present feeling that there should be more on offer here: Castle Rat seem to think they’re bringing something huge, something grand to the table, but the group’s writing and presentation prove to be a disappointing mix. For the most part, ‘The Bestiary’ succeeds at bringing some nostalgic doom metal riffs— that really is all you can latch onto though.

In some ways, it’s no wonder that Castle Rat are growing in the doom metal scene: they’re a band that stick to the genre’s core tenants, and execute upon them with consistency. That’s simply not enough to cut it in the overcrowded landscape of modern day metal though, and neither are the band’s misguided attempts to convert the fantasy genre into something musical. ‘The Bestiary’ has its moments of inspiration, but they’re not enough to really get us invested in the project— if there’s potential for some pioneering doom metal here, Castle Rat still have us waiting to see it burst into fruition.