“If it sounds heavy on a classical guitar, then it will sound even heavier once I’m plugged in”: Foam swords, steel riffs – and medieval raga? Meet the queen of fantasy doom metal guitar, Castle Rat’s Riley Pinkerton

When it comes to Castle Rat’s onstage arsenal, the fantasy outfit’s axes are mightier than their swords.

Though founding vocalist-guitarist Riley Pinkerton (a.k.a. the Rat Queen) is often swinging a big broadsword in photoshoots and music videos, she explains that their concerts actually have her wielding a foam weapon, so as to not “accidentally kill my bandmates on stage.”

Nevertheless, she and co-guitarist Franco Vittore (a.k.a. the Count) are cleaving through crowds with an epic heaviness inspired by Black Sabbath songs and Red Sonja comics.

As such, The Bestiary – Castle Rat’s sophomore full-length – was primarily cut using the Mexican-made Fender Strat the Count’s been playing since his teens, and the Queen’s more recently Reverb-acquired pearl white Gibson SG. Considering the New York City quintet are also self-stitching their furs-and-metals-heavy battlewear, Pinkerton notes that her Gibson has a mean-looking chainmail rash stretching across its back.

Castle Rat’s latest release expands upon the world-building mysticism of the band’s 2024 debut album, Into the Realm. Sonically, it ups the fantastical ante with ’70s metal-summoning swagger (Wizard), hypnotically hefty unison riffs (Wolf I, Unicorn), and chunkily doom-driven swings (the Manic Depression-esque Dragon).

Though now generally cranked to the max, Pinkerton says she got her start on guitar as a 15-year-old folk fiend. This is reflected subtly in her go-to open-C tuning (Vittore’s in E standard), but more obviously through acoustic Bestiary piece Wolf II, an eerily chimed medieval raga. Castle Rat songs also always get their start on an acoustic.

Castle Rat - “Fresh Fur” (Official Music Video) - YouTube

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“My theory behind that has always been that if it sounds heavy on a classical guitar, then it will probably sound even heavier once I’m plugged in,” she says.

Mutual friends introduced Castle Rat to The Bestiary boardsmith Randall Dunn (Sunn O))), Boris). They instantly bonded over a shared love of metal and barbaric Frank Frazetta paintings.

While the Queen and the Count report that they’re running modelers on stage, Dunn helped the pair mine meaty tones at Saugerties, New York’s Applehead Recording with a coterie of Sunn and Marshall amps, signal-juicing stompboxes and the wind-warping Leslie rotary speaker Vittore uses on Crystal Cave and Serpent.

For the latter, the Count says his solo is snaking through a more ’80s-indebted approach, explaining that its fiery flat nine arpeggios, harmonic minor runs and frenzied G-string pull-offs are conjuring Alcatrazz-era Malmsteen.

Castle Rat - “WIZARD” (Official Music Video) - YouTube

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In addition to collabing on amp tones with Dunn, Castle Rat tapped into a more naturally cooperative spirit throughout the making of The Bestiary.

While Pinkerton had penned Into the Realm on her own, songs like Wizard were feverishly spell-cast together in their practice space. The Rat Queen admits she had anxieties over ceding creative control, but these were ultimately quelled as the gang continued banging out their Bestiary.

“I was freaking out about it, but I’m really glad we pushed through,” she says of opening up the group dynamic. “I’m so proud of what we’ve done together. And I feel like the shiniest moments on the album are when we’re collaborating.”

• The Bestiary is out now via King Volume.
• This article first appeared in Guitar World. Subscribe and save.