Skip to content

I Don't Know

The death of Ozzy Osbourne seems like the perfect opportunity to highlight an up-and-coming doom metal band.

Robert Rackley
Robert Rackley
— 1 min read

The occasion of Ozzy Osbourne’s death should not have been surprising. In fact, it wouldn’t have been surprising if the legendary metal singer had died twenty years ago. It was something of a miracle that he lasted this long, given the state of his health for the last few decades (who would have thought Prince Nelson Rogers would repose before the Prince of Darkness). Osbourne played his final show though—just weeks ago—which was by most accounts an impressive affair, and then exited this world gracefully as if he’d done what he came to do.

Recent events have provided the perfect opportunity for a reminder about Black Sabbath doom metal disciples Castle Rat and their new songs. Castle Rat’s upcoming album The Bestiary already has two publicly available tracks, “Wolf I” and “Wizard.” The tracks represent growth in complexity from those on their debut album as well as a more polished sound. On “Wizard,” guitarist Franco “The Count” Vittore finally gets to stretch out with an epic solo that brings to mind 80s metal maximalism.

Castle Rat - The Bestiary

King Volume Records | Bandcamp

• • •

The Bestiary is set to release on September 19, 2025.

Noise
Robert Rackley

Robert Rackley

Mere Christian, aspiring minimalist, inveterate notetaker, budget audiophile and paper airplane mechanic.

Related Posts

Members Public

No Carbon Copies

Damon Krukowski from Galaxie 500 writes about the vitality of live music — not just music experienced in person, but also live albums. I started collecting live albums— bootlegs in particular — because they helped me hear how musicians actually play their instruments. Growing up in the heyday of 1960s and ’70s

No Carbon Copies
Members Public

Let Me Take You Out

Listening to “Let Me Take You Out” by Class Actress in 2025 feels like hearing the sound of promise unfulfilled. When the single from their first EP, Journal of Ardency came out in 2010, it seemed like the start of a band destined to make a mark. The song was

Members Public

Long After Midnight

Few musicians are as prolific as Jenn Wasner, the creative force behind Flock of Dimes. She has made much critically acclaimed music as both as Wye Oak and Flock of Dimes as well as collaborating with a host of others on their tunes My favorite project of hers is the