Across the country, Brooklyn’s fantasy metal band Castle Rat is turning venues into living Dungeons & Dragons campaigns. Musicians in fantastical costumes meet crushing doom metal. On October 15, Chicago’s Concord Music Hall became “the Realm.” Four guardians ruled it: the Druid (drums), the Plague Doctor (bass), the Count (guitar), and the fierce Rat Queen (vocals). It sounds ridiculous, and it feels strange to write. It was also the coolest spectacle that stage has seen in a long time. This band carries itself with such confidence that you almost believe you’ve entered a fairytale land.
Epic guitar solos, sludgy riffs, wizard encounters, and sword fights prove Castle Rat is a force in metal.
I missed the first opener, Wraith Knight, but I caught Unto Others. Channeling Peter Steele’s voice with a dose of ’80s hair metal, the band warmed up the crowd under red lights. Shredding guitar solos and soaring vocals did the rest. Between sets, wolves howling over the speakers built anticipation. At 9:30 p.m., the lights went out. An epic showdown loomed.
A wizard and a wolf companion took the stage first. They told how a bestiary came to guard the Realm. Then the band arrived. All four members wore incredible costumes and opened with “Dagger Dragger.” Between songs, the Rat Queen charmed the audience with stories of the Realm. She introduced the characters on stage, including the unbelievably talented Count, who dressed as a vampire. His guitar playing made songs like “WIZARD” and “WOLF I” feel even more epic.
Each Castle Rat member got a chance to shine.
The simply terrifying Plague Doctor hypnotized the crowd with a bass solo for the ages. It led straight into “Feed the Dream.” The Count delivered a mesmerizing guitar solo under the stage lights. The Druid led the crowd in epic chants with his drum solos.
Everything with Castle Rat goes up to eleven. The musicianship is top tier, especially on “SERPENT” and “DRAGON.” Hints of Black Sabbath and Dio run through their doom metal catalog. The theatrics were overwhelmingly good. They peaked in a sword fight to save the Realm. The Rat Queen battled the Rat Reaperess, a rat who channels a scandalous Grim Reaper. The band’s confidence was palpable. It showed in the Rat Queen’s commanding femme presence and each member’s masterful playing. They did it all in full makeup (or, for the Plague Doctor, a full mask). The venue got hotter and hotter as the show went on.
By the time the night ended with “SIREN,” Castle Rat had nothing left to prove.
Fantasy and metal make an eternally epic combination that highlights the genre’s whimsical side. Screams filled the Concord as fans threw up their devil horns. Whimsy can be silly and still earn serious respect, and this band is living proof. Besides, what could be more heavy metal than sword fights and bloody makeup?
All photos by Oscar De Leon
