Sounds | Castle Rat - WIZARD
- John Van de Mergel
- 11 jun
- 2 minuten om te lezen
Wat als…
Wat als Black Sabbath in 1983 gewoon Red Sonja aan boord had gehaald als vervanger van Dio? Dat moeten de leden van Castle Rat in 2019 gedacht hebben.
Op Wizard, de eerste single van hun tweede album, trekken ze de NWOBHM-tarotkaart meer dan op debuut Into the Realm, maar fuzzy stoner/doomklanken blijven hun geluid bepalen.
En dat geluid mag er zijn: onder leiding van zangeres Riley 'Rat Queen' Pinkerton vliegen de lome riffs je rond de oren, terwijl de drums zo weggeplukt lijken uit een goed verstopte Judas Priest-parel.
Please come soon to a festival near me.
The Bestiary verschijnt op 19 september via Funeral Recordings.
Luister ook naar
Lees
The otherworldly outliers introduce fans to the protagonist in their forthcoming saga, the Wizard, setting an ominous and heavy tone for one of metal's most bewitching odysseys.
Regarding the new single, Charley Ruddell (Plague Doctor) states: “Musically, ‘WIZARD’ was a big step in a new direction for us as a band. We found ourselves collaborating more closely with each other and piecing together ideas more intricately than on previous songs. We channeled the new wave of British heavy metal; the galloping drum break and harmonized guitar leads were largely inspired by Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. Franco’s solo at the end - which was recorded in one take - was inspired by ‘Electric Eye'.
Since their formation in 2019, CASTLE RAT have created a vivid labyrinth of fantasy lore led by "The Rat Queen" (aka guitarist and vocalist Riley Pinkerton). Together with "The Count", "The Plague Doctor" and "The All-Seeing Druid", the group has carried out countless battles against "The Rat Reaperess" with riffs, swords and spells on stages across the country.
Recorded by Randall Dunn (Sunn O))), Wolves in the Throne Room, Björk) and mixed by Jonathan Nuñez (Torche, Restless Spirit), the band's latest odyssey features 13 spellbinding tracks of epic carnage and mystical metal.
Commenting on the new album, The Rat Queen says: "The Bestiary' is a conceptual book of beasts containing a collection of mystical creatures from a world forgotten. The last remaining souls of each have been gathered and preserved by 'The Wizard.' Cautionary tales of each beast and The Wizard himself are woven through the power of traditional heavy metal song and spell."
