Castle Rat - Into the Realm (2024)

★★

I’ve tried for a long while to understand the appeal of this band. I’ve watched live footage, read reviews of their shows, and listened to their singles… but nothing really stuck out to me. In a time where so many awesome modern doom bands exist, why would you choose this one? I understand that may sound vehemently negative, but if you look at who’s raving around CASTLE RAT’s music, you’ll start to understand my viewpoint. The people who adore this band are the same people who listen to bottom-of-the-barrel music and constantly want to shove it down the throats of others. It’s just not that good, plain and simple. These riffs are outdated, the grooves are lacking, and quite honestly, CASTLE RAT is really just a boring bargain bin version of Purification – a band actually worth listening to. In search of highlights, I will say that the vocals of Riley McCurry are brilliant – I just wish the rest of the band was on that same level. Coming in at a short 32 minutes, you could spend your time listening to other, better releases, but do what you feel!

FAVORITE TRACKS: “Red Sands,” “Cry for Me”

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Originally published in April '24 (Issue No. 3)