Castle Rat at the Ship, Kansas City (September 12, 2025)

Castle Rat Setlist

PHOENIX I
DRAGON
WIZARD
Feed the Dream
WOLF I
UNICORN
Fresh Fur
Serpent
Dagger Dragger
SUN SONG
— Encore —
Cry for Me
SIREN

We drove 10 hours to catch Castle Rat on their Book of Beasts tour. A four-band lineup of very capable doom metal acts made sure our effort was worthwhile.

The show opened with Hooded Grave, a local doom metal band from Kansas City. Hooded Grave consists of A.E. Archbishop (vocals, guitars), N. Krieg (lead guitar), J. Hayte (guitar), Seasnake (bass), and St. Thraknar (drums).

We had been listening to their first release, an EP titled From the Cages of Mortal Metal (2024), in the weeks leading up to the show and on the drive down, and we were eager to hear it live. The band did not disappoint.

Their set began after a minor delay filled by the antics of their very charismatic drummer—my concert-going crew decided he was the very embodiment of Animal from The Muppets. The rest of the band joined in and matched his energy, and the crowd responded with cheer and metal horns to greet their local opening band.

Classic Doom blended with a dark edge and spectral vocals, I definitely recommend supporting this promising band; I know I’ll be following them to see where they go.

Second on stage was Cobranoid, a self-proclaimed (and aptly so) “Speed Doom” band from Denver, Colorado. Cobranoid is a trio consisting of Kyle Gaso (vocals, guitar), Logan O’Connor (bass), and Kevin Wylie (drums).

I was already excited to see them after listening to their self-titled EP Cobranoid (2024). Take doom and crank it up to thrash velocity… then nail the execution? There was no way I wasn’t going to love this band.

The vocalist told us they’d been loading their van in the early morning hours to leave at 5 a.m., armed only with coffee and a bag of grapes. Clearly it was fuel enough to get them to Kansas City and whip the crowd into a frenzy. This is band number two you need to check out.

Third onto the stage was They Watch Us, From the Moon! Bandcamp describes them as psychedelic doom metal, though I’m more inclined to agree with a fellow concert-goer’s description: Doom Metal meets Pink Floyd. Another Kansas City band, they released an EP, Moon Doom! in 2020 and a full-length LP, Cosmic Chronicles, Act 1: The Ascension, in 2023. Officially listed members are: Luna Nemesis: Lauren Mayhew (lead vocals), Nova 10101001: Chelsy Larson (vocal harmonies), The General Shane Thirteen (guitar and vocals), Angel Adrian: Adryon Prahktaur (drums), Zakkatron (bass), and R. Benjamin Black (lead guitar and vocals).

Luna and Nova were absent for this performance, but the crowd embraced a young new vocalist named Salem, who added her shimmering vocals to an already talented band (I’m told these are long-standing, active musicians in the Kansas City metal scene). Their set started out with deep ethereal riffs and atmospheric samples, then picked up the pace on their third song, leading the crowd right with them. With no weak links in this lineup, it’s another call to action to look up this band and check out their album.

Headlining was Castle Rat, delivering a powerful blend of Doom Metal, fantasy storytelling, and… sword fighting! Did I mention they’re theatrical? On lead vocals and rhythm guitar is the Rat Queen and all-around renaissance woman herself, Riley Pinkerton, backed by a band of fantasy characters: The Count (Franco Vittore, lead guitar/backing vocals), The Plague Doctor (Charley Ruddel, bass), The Druid (Josh Strmic, drums), and the Rat Reapress—not a musician, but a performer and antagonist to our heroic musicians (Rebecca Corrigan).

Nostalgic clean vocals, Sabbath worthy bass lines, all the riffs you could want, gripping guitar solos, and a maniac of a drummer that I still won’t stop talking about… that’s a recipe for success on its own. Now add in a story line woven through the albums and into the stage show and a call to action for the crowd to assist the band in saving The Realm… the crowd went insane for this band.

Castle Rat is out supporting their new album The Bestiary, a much-anticipated follow-up to their debut Into the Realm (2024). They’re causing quite a stir, and I highly recommend seeing them in smaller venues while you still can. This show confirmed that it may have been our last chance before they’re playing much larger rooms. If you’re lucky enough to be near a show that hasn’t sold out, grab a ticket now… and order that new album as well.

Remaining Tour dates: