Castle Rat

Castle Rat

Castle Rat is an American doom metal band from Brooklyn, New York, active since 2019. The group’s sound sits within doom metal and also overlaps with hard rock, heavy metal, occult rock and stoner metal.

Formation and concept

Castle Rat forms around a medieval fantasy theme based on the Middle Ages. The band uses character roles as part of its presentation, with the Rat Queen on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, the Count on lead guitar, the Plague Doctor on bass, and the “All-Seeing” Druid on drums. Madeline Wright appears on stage as the Rat Reaperess, the band’s arch nemesis, and is regarded as a member despite not playing an instrument.

The group first performs live in Brooklyn in 2019, with its debut concert taking place at Sunnyvale. The early lineup includes Riley Pinkerton, Henry Black, Ron Lanzilotta, Josh Strmic and Madeline Wright. Pinkerton performs as the Rat Queen, Black as the Count, Lanzilotta as the Plague Doctor, and Strmic as the All-Seeing Druid.

Membership

Current members include Henry Black, Ronnie Lanzilotta, Charley Ruddell, Franco Vittore, Riley Pinkerton, Joshua Strmic and Madeline Wright. The lineup changes later, with Charley Ruddell replacing Lanzilotta on bass and Franco Vittore taking the lead guitar role from Black.

Releases

Castle Rat releases its music through Castle Rat LLC. After issuing several singles, the band releases its debut album, Into the Realm, in 2024. The album is recorded in two days in an abandoned church in Philadelphia that the band temporarily turns into a studio, and it receives mixed reviews.

The band’s second studio album, The Bestiary, appears in 2025. Castle Rat supports the album with the Book of Beasts tour.