REVIEW: Castle Rat: Live at The Masquerade (Heaven) - ATL
The theatrical metal outfit tells tall tales at their biggest Atlanta headliner yet
"Now is forever!" screamed the Rat Queen on stage. Nearly 1,500 fans replied, "In this realm!" in unison. The band is Castle Rat, a medieval fantasy doom metal band from Brooklyn that has developed a massive following over the last year. The band's cultish fanbase has propelled them from playing Atlanta staples like The Drunken Unicorn and The EARL in 2025 to The Masquerade's largest venue, Heaven. Their music is heavily inspired by metal bands like Black Sabbath while their two albums tell a story of a mystical realm and the battle to control its creatures. While the script was largely unchanged from last year's show at The EARL, it felt more polished on the large stage of Heaven. The EARL’s intimacy was unmatched, but the cramped stage inevitably constrained their production. Holding nearly five times the capacity, Heaven felt like the room where they always belonged, giving the band space to expand their epic tale with new characters, props, and costumes.
The story centers on a battle between life and death, rather than good and evil. The show started with a ten-foot-tall wizard with glowing yellow eyes carrying the Bestiary onto the stage. The Bestiary held the souls of all the mystical creatures from a dying world, preserved by the wizard. In character as the Rat Queen, the band's singer and guitarist, Riley Pinkerton, narrated the story. The Rat Queen vowed to protect the creatures, while the Rat Reaperess wanted to consume the souls from the book. Sporting black leather, fishnets, and a massive rat skull helmet, the Reaperess wielded a scythe as she stalked the realm. On one side of the stage was the Plague Doctor (Charley Ruddell), the bassist and healer of the band, dressed in all black with a leather mask covering his entire face. Opposite stood guitarist Franco Vittore, adopting the role of the Count. The Reaperess struck down the Count early in the night, only for a potion to resurrect him as a vampire. The Count, Doctor, and Queen had fantastic chemistry on stage, not just with each other, but also with the room. They took advantage of the large stage, moving around frequently and synchronizing their headbanging. At the back of the stage was the drummer, Joshua Strmic, as the Druid. His moment in the spotlight arrived during an extended drum solo, proving that sitting behind the kit did not make him any less engaging than his more mobile bandmates.
The climax of the story came when the Rat Queen traded her guitar for a sword and shield and battled the Rat Reaperess to the death. The Rat Queen was initially triumphant, but death itself could not be so easily defeated. The Reaperess struck back with her scythe, cutting down the Rat Queen and leaving her lifeless on the floorboards. With the heroine's apparent demise leaving the room silent and in shock, the Plague Doctor poured a potion into her mouth. The Rat Queen slowly came back to life, stumbling around before spitting up a giant mouthful of blood onto the stage while the crowd cheered her return. This was the signature moment that Castle Rat had become known for. It was also the moment I realized how thoroughly I had bought into the fantasy. I have seen hundreds of bands live, but rarely does a performance deliver a theatrical twist that genuinely catches me off guard.
Castle Rat has attracted a diverse following over the past year, all drawn in for different reasons. Some came for the music, which was good enough to stand on its own. Others came for the theatrics, dressing up in rat costumes or armor. No matter what brought fans out to Heaven on Saturday, the band delivered an unforgettable night of heavy riffs and medieval battles.
Article and photos by Joe Chiarella. Please credit @joe.takes.pictures or @art.seen.atl if reposting on social media.
