The Opera House located at Queen Street East in Toronto, is a 110-year-old historic theatre with it’s plaster arches, and Victorian looking balconies. Hosted Brooklyn’s favourite fantasy Doom Metalers, Castle Rat, bringing their “Summon the Beasts North American Tour”.
The Opening acts:
Many of us gathered early to enjoy an evening of Doom Metal, & Gothic Rock, staring up with Wraith Knight a solo dungeon synth by Nick Superchi that deliver for about 45 mins his dungeon synth and to warm up things and even though his set was short the attendees responded very energetic during his performance.
After a short break Unto Others emerged from backstage and right away started their set. The band is originally from Portland, Oregon being formed since 2017 lead by Gabriel Franco in vocals, and rhythm guitar, Sebastian Silva displayed a fantastic stage performance in in lead guitars, Brandon Hill in bass, and Colin Vranizan behind drums
Unto Others showed off their key songs from their repertoire from their 2019 “Mana” (as Idle Hands), 2021 album “Strength”, 2024’s “Never, Neverland”. Definitely a band that you should check out!
Setlist:
Over Western Shores
Give Me to the Night
Butterfly
Nightfall
Can You Hear the Rain
Jackie
It Doesn’t Really Matter
Heroin
When Will God’s Work Be Done
I Feel Nothing
No Children Laughing Now
Castle Rat: The Spectacle & Stagecraft
From the opening notes of “Phoenix I,” the venue was jammed packed and stage was a whirlwind of Frank Frazetta-inspired mood with a tinge of Dungeon and Dragons, Magic The Gathering Stage imagery and heavy doom metal theater. Frontwoman Riley Pinkerton (The Rat Queen) commanded the room with a Medieval story telling vocal performance that swung seamlessly between ethereal folk-doom harmonies and guttural stage declarations.
Her particular appearance resembled a strong female warrior combined with her beautiful face paintings, leather boots, and full medieval regalia—turning every track into a miniature chapter of lore during her set.
The Battle Scenarios & Extraordinary Theatrics:
During their entire set stage a combat erupted between The Rat Queen and dual-character performers, including stage-fights against giant rat beasts and spectral foes, during those rituals the band didn’t hold back on interactive props—complete with stage smoke, drawn steel broadswords, and ritualistic potion taking that saved the good guys from the evil spirits. What an amazing live spectacle.
Beyond the theatrics lies a shockingly tight heavy metal outfit performing the band delivered from strong guitar sounds provided by Franco Vittore (The Count) bridged the gap between classic NWOBHM speed and sludge-laden doom riffs. At the same time “The Plague Doctor” delivered a seamless deep sound on bass, with extraordinary drumming sounds by Joshua Strmic “The Druid”. Each band member was in charge as well to perform a Solo act during the evening.
Tracks off Into the Realm and The Bestiary took on a far more dynamic, aggressive shape in a live venue compared to their studio counterparts. Solo passages were expanded into searing, extended leads while maintaining clean, punchy live sound dynamics throughout.
Final Verdict:
Ending the night with a thunderous encore featuring “Cry For Me” and “Siren,” Castle Rat proved why they’ve quickly risen from underground New York obscurity to filling iconic North American venues. They offer a rare, uninhibited commitment to escapist fantasy storytelling without ever sacrificing musical chops. Toronto left bruised, blood-stained, and completely sold on The Realm.
It was my first time seeing this band and I was absolutely blown away by their performance and theatrics. I now understand why there’s been so much buzz around this band and many hardcore fans have been following Castle Rat from their inception, definitely a show that you should not miss at all.
Setlist
Dagger Dragger
WIZARD
WOLF I
Bass Solo
Feed the Dream
UNICORN
Fresh Fur
Guitar Solo
CRYSTAL CAVE
DRAGON
Drum Solo
SERPENT
Encore:
Cry for Me
SIREN
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