I was checking through a promotional music site one evening to see what was available and the cover to this caught my attention and I immediately thought “what is a sexist cover like this doing here in 2026, I thought they disappeared in the Eighties!”. Of course I had to look further and soon discovered the person riding the horse is lead singer and rhythm guitarist Riley Pinkerton (“The Rat Queen”). It quickly became apparent that all of the band play roles with Franco Vittore (“The Count”) on lead guitar and backing vocals, Charley Ruddell (“The Plague Doctor”) on bass, Joshua Strmic (“The All-Seeing Druid”) on drums with either Alexandra Blair or Madeline Wright playing a role onstage as “The Rat Reaperess”. It also appears they are taking note of GWAR in that there have been others taking the role of both “The Count” and “The Plague Doctor”, and this is their second album.
They describe themselves as mystical metal warriors, and they are out on the road with Amon Amarth and Dethlok, so are they serious musicians or is this just a way of hiding poor music behind costume? They certainly will not be the first to do that but having listened to this a few times it is definitely growing on me. Recorded by Randall Dunn (Sunn O))), Wolves in the Throne Room, Björk) and mixed by Jonathan Nuñez (Torche, Restless Spirit), here is an album which shows a mix of influences from Sabbath and Maiden through to Twisted Sister and NWOBHM with very much an Eighties feel about it. Riley dresses very provocatively indeed, but it is not to try to get people to ignore her vocals as she is a very good singer indeed, powerful and certainly not afraid to hold long notes without a quaver. They are approaching commercial metal from a doom and stoner lens, and there is no doubt that fans of QOTSA will be interested, but so will fans of the aforementioned while even classic Rainbow might be seen as an influence.
They do run the risk of being seen as a novelty act which will soon fade, but I would not be surprised if they gradually morph into something else, as this band definitely show promise.
Rating: 7/10
Links:
https://castlerat.com/
https://www.lomavistarecordings.com/