“there were no gimmicks in making this record. It was recorded live, almost completely analogue, in this big church and it’s more or less what we sound like on stage.”
Brooklyn, New York’s emerging doom metal outfit, Castle Rat, are gearing up to unveil their debut full-length album, Into The Realm, slated for release on April 12th. Signed to King Volume Records, the band is set to distribute their inaugural record in a variety of formats, including CD, 12″ vinyl, and cassette. In a recent conversation with Bass Empire, The Plague Doctor, the band’s bassist donning the iconic beak-like mask reminiscent of those worn in the Western world during plague times, shed light on the instrumental choices and creative processes that shaped the album’s sound.
When asked about his primary instrument for the album, The Plague Doctor revealed, “This was hardly a choice at all. I played my 1974 Fender Precision bass tuned to drop C with standard La Bella flatwounds for the entire record. This instrument might as well be my left arm and is used on nearly every session I’ve played for over a decade. I was nervous to tune down this low with a standard scale instrument, but with a lighter touch and a bit of vibrato (check out ‘Nightblood’), I haven’t really had any serious intonation issues. It helps that on most Castle Rat songs, we’re all doubling the riff!”
Exploring the sonic armory that Castle Rat wielded to craft their medieval fantasy doom metal odyssey, The Plague Doctor elaborated on the gear that breathed life into Into The Realm. The narrative follows the Rat Queen and her loyal band – The Count, The Plague Doctor, and The Druid – as they defend and expand ‘The Realm’ against the formidable onslaught of their arch-nemesis: Death Herself. “On the record, I went direct into a ’71 Ampeg V4B and 410 cab. Davis Shubbs (producer) and Thomas Johnsen (engineer) chose a Spectra Sonics 610 Compressor and a Universal Audio channel strip for my DI signal. I can’t remember if I bothered with any distortion pedals, but if I did, it would have been my Moog MF Drive pedal. Live, I do much more and use reverb, delay, and phase shifter pedals to set a drone while the Rat Queen speaks. You can also hear some big dive bomb / revving sounds toward the end of ‘Red Sands’. I used a Moog Chorus pedal set really slow and deep to get that sound. It’s another trick I use live and on tons of recording sessions.”
“The real secret sauce for this record was the derelict church sanctuary that we recorded in.”
While his live setup includes a variety of effects, the recording process focused more on the raw tones and the unique ambiance provided by the recording location, which played a pivotal role in the album’s sound: “The real secret sauce for this record was the derelict church sanctuary that we recorded in. We lined up the amps in a row, turned them up all the way, and just ran down the tunes in this room with ~100 ft ceilings. During mixing, the space became a crucial part of the sound. There is also the Resurrection Potion made of Vampyric blood caked into the neck of my bass from the countless times that I’ve had to resurrect the Rat Queen before she escapes to another dimension. That must affect the bass tone somewhat…”
Regarding his approach to crafting bass lines for Into The Realm, The Plague Doctor stated, “Easy… just play the riff. 9/10 times, just play the riff. Anything beyond that, you just pretend you’re Geezer Butler. I tried to find ways to play with the octaves, so that I’m still doubling the riff but using a different texture. Check out the verse in ‘Feed the Dream’ for an example of this.”
When reflecting on what sets Into The Realm apart within the doom metal genre, The Plague Doctor emphasized the band’s dedication to musicianship and the compelling narrative woven throughout their music. “I think the fans come for the visual spectacle but stay when they realize we can play our asses off,” he noted. “And that it’s evident there is a story to be told. The Rat Queen’s songs are deeply personal, but delivered through the lore of the Realm. I think that people will see a photo or hear a clip of Castle Rat and realise that there is a whole universe that they are being beckoned to join. Our fans appreciate the rawness of our sound because there were no gimmicks in making this record. It was recorded live, almost completely analogue, in this big church and it’s more or less what we sound like on stage.”
Into The Realm is now available for pre-order and will be released on April 12th by King Volume Records.
