Release date: 19th September 2025
In case you’ve never heard of Castle Rat – the rising stars among the way-too-vast sea of mostly mediocre modern metal music… what rock have you been living under? And just in case you really, really don’t know what’s the deal with this medieval-looking, armor-wielding quintet: they’ve got a pretty solid album coming up.
Castle Rat, led by the mesmerizing Riley Pinkton – aka the Rat Queen – have been cooking up their newest record for an entire year. The lead-up to a full album has been, so far, nothing short of promising. What’s more, they’ve managed to shroud this upcoming addition to their already astonishing discography in a sense of urgency, making fans all over the world desperate and restless to finally hear it.
If you’ve already heard Rat’s latest singles – “Wizard,” “Wolf I,” and “Serpent” – you might already have a feel for the overall vibe and tone of the album. The Bestiary doesn’t just sound like a name of a long-forgotten story book – it is one. And kid me not. Maybe not literally but… bear with me.
The album itself feels less like a collection of songs and more like a realm. One you don’t just listen to, but traverse. Slowly. Deliberately. And I absolutely let it claw me inside its den.
Review
Phoenix I
The story starts as a prologue. My vivid imagination immediatelly tossed me in distant lands, places I‘ve never stepped foot in before. There, I stumbled upon a Phoenix. The glowing bird of molten fire appeared as an omen in the sky, lighting up a path to unfold. I felt as I didn’t know what to expect from this adventure, yet the sound painted the atmosphere so perfectly, I surrendered.
An epic guitar melody, both mysterious and familiar, lured me in like a siren seducing lone sailors. This track certainly doesn’t feel like just an intro. It’s a beckoning. The riff carries a sense of grandeur, but it’s restrained, almost cautious in a way, like the very first flicker of flame before the blaze. And I thought to myself: “What is it that’s waiting for me on this path?”
Wolf I
Upon a trail forgotten, a beast before me passing. I glimpsed it in a life before, just as silver, quick, and flashing. The first chapter. The introduction. Riley’s haunting wail, paired with a repetitive melody, that feels like a warning, draws me deeper – until I come face to face with the Wolf.
The overal atmosphere here is absolutely huge. I can immediately picture the entire landscape – from the dense clouds to the frost below my feet, which sparkles and shimmers as I walk. The track is executed with precision – it’s epic in the best possible sense, and it feels strikingly fresh.
Wizard
Many strange creatures dwell within the realm of The Bestiary. One of them is The Wizard. Chosen as the very first single, the first horseman, it arrived as a glimpse into the world Castle Rat was about to unveil. The track pushes the atmosphere even further. It feels witchy, electric, and absolutely steeped in magic. The riffs crackle like sparks from a cauldron, while the vocals weave a wicked spell that is both alluring and dangerous. It’s as if the song itself is a ritual, opening a portal into the album’s arcane heart.
Siren
As the path twists and turns, I suddenly find myself at the edge of a cliff, looking down into a raging, storming sea. The waves crash violently against the rocks, spraying salt into the air, as the ominous cry of the Siren rises from below. Her voice coils around me, desperate to draw me off the edge and into the dark, foaming depths. It’s a temptation as beautiful as it is deadly.
Musically, the delivery shifts a bit here. Faster, sharper, more venomous. The atmosphere trades the previous grandeur for raw urgency, yet the epic quality still lingers. The riffs slash forward with malicious intent, and the vocals carry an evil charm, as if daring me to surrender. This track feels like a confrontation with something wild and unrelenting, testing whether I will resist or fall to the call.
Unicorn
As I slowly distanced myself from the ominous cliff, my eyes couldn’t help but catch a sight of something graceful. Elegant. Carrying itself in a way that feels innocent, yet untouchable. Untameable. With each of my slow, deliberate steps, the tempo shifts in response: the chaos of storming waves fades into a measured, almost ceremonial stride. The melody mirrors this change, treading carefully, as if not to startle the hauntingly beautiful creature before me. Its fur is snow-white and pristine, its golden eyes glowing with otherworldly light, and its mane drifts low enough to brush against the frozen ground.
Path of Moss
This intermezzo felt like the end of a long day after that lengthy journey. As the sun set behind the distant horizon, I, astride the now-tamed unicorn (just like on the cover art) wandered into the distance. The frozen ground turned soft and lush green, leading to who-knows-where. The creature’s steps were so quiet, almost inaudible on the pillow of moss. And so we wandered afar, until we stood before the crystal cave.
Crystal Cave
Millions of stars shine above us as we travel. Their light reflects off… something. That something glitters and flashes in the dark… a Crystal Cave. Who knows how deep it runs, or what might be waiting inside. The atmosphere of the song shifts with this discovery: from the serenity of a soft, starlit night into the unease of approaching the unknown. The violin cuts through like sudden slashes – no, more like blinding flashes of light. Every push and pull in the dynamics feels intentional, as though the music itself is guiding me deeper into the cave’s mystery.
Serpent
The pounding tempo drives forward like a racing heartbeat, filled with adrenaline. The first true battle. The melody hints at something evil, yet strangely seductive, pulling me closer to danger. It feels as though the Crystal Cave is guarded. From the shadows, something slithers and hisses, its presence heavy and intimidating. As the beautiful guitar harmony emerges, the Serpent strikes fearlessly. Venom dripping from its fangs, red eyes flashing with malice. My hand grips an imaginary sword, and the fight begins. The music gallops and pulses, every note like a clash of cold steel. And as the track slowly fades, the serpent collapses, defeated.
Wolf II
Written like something straight out of the Middle Ages. The track feels as if I’ve come upon a group of bards gathered around a campfire, singing their tale of a beast. And I realise I know it. Of course I do. They sing of the wolf, scarred yet fierce, the one I’ve encountered before. The melody, carried almost entirely by acoustic guitar and chant, has a timeless, almost sacred quality. It lulls like a ritual, steady and hypnotic, until the crackle of the fire and the weight of their song guide me into a quiet, dreamlike slumber.
Dragon
This track carries a very dreamlike quality. I imagine myself asleep by the campfire, lost in a vision of a dragon… and of fearlessly bringing it down. The music paints not only the creature’s sheer monstrosity, but also the vastness of its lair. The solo darts like my own movements, as if I were dodging its relentless strikes. The atmosphere races ahead, feeling way faster than the actual tempo, heightening the sense of danger that pulses throughout the dream.
Summoning Spell
Blinded. That’s how this track begins for me. Struck by an unknown, magical force, a brilliance so bright it overwhelms and blinds. It truly feels like the casting of a spell, and I can do nothing but surrender to its pull. The music unfolds with a cinematic weight that’s impossible to ignore. As the spell takes hold, it feels as though I’ve been cast out of reality itself, suspended in an alternate space between time. Drifting, floating, I wander through a realm caught between two worlds. Dazzling, intoxicating, and entirely unreal.
Sun Song
The sun is rising again. Its first warm rays touch my face, stirring me from sleep. But somehow… everyone and everything is gone. The realization falls over me, heavy as the melody itself. The atmosphere here is absolutely colossal, like the fiery orb blazing in the sky. A scorching sun rises behind distant mountains, piercing the clouds with its searing light.
I see myself alone by the woods, dizzy with confusion, unable to comprehend why. Was it a dream? Was it real? Something insists that this experience is… real. The drums pound with relentless force, carrying me along the sunbeams like a galloping pack of wild stallions. Which I can see. Somewhere in the distant hills.
Phoenix II
With a brand new day, I see the phoenix rising once again. Just like I’ve seen it before. But today, it has completed it’s cycle. It’s getting ready to be reborn once again. And as the epilogue unfolds, carried by a mysterious melody – one that’s very familiar, yet softer. Calmer. It doesn’t rush anywhere – It slowly dissipates. Just like the wind finding it’s way through the trees.
Conclusion
What a HELL of an album. And let me elaborate on that. I absolutely love highly structured pieces that feel like a book. Or a theater play. A movie. Whatever.
Without a doubt, the band poured their entire hearts into this album and crafted an absolute masterpiece in musical form. It shares some qualities with The Crimson Idol by W.A.S.P., as that one is a rock opera, yet the narrative here feels more abstract, less straightforward. And while the music itself is incredible, it wouldn’t have been fair to review this album based solely on that. Its beauty lies as much in the atmosphere it creates, the worlds it opens, the stories it tells, and the journey it takes the listener on.
This album feels as if it was crafted especially for lovers of D&D or, basically, any kind of fantasy geeks. Every track is a passage into a living, breathing realm, full of wonder, danger, and magic. Absolutely no flaws here. Nothing less than a straight 10, and that’s not up for discussion!
TheNwothm score: 10/10
The Nwothm 
Leave a comment