Heavy riffs, sword battles and fantastical creatures took over Worcester Palladium on October 20, 2026, as Castle Rat brought their Summon the Beast tour to Massachusetts alongside Unto Others and Wraith Knight.
Mark Kutzner captured the action at Worcester Palladium, and we’re sharing highlights from his review and photography for Rock DNA Magazine.
For the uninitiated, Castle Rat combines doom metal with an elaborate medieval fantasy world. The Brooklyn band’s headline performance gave Mark a fuller look at that production after he caught their shorter opening set in Boston earlier this year.
Wraith Knight opened with dark, medieval-inspired keyboard music, setting the atmosphere before Unto Others delivered an 11-song set blending gothic sounds and traditional heavy metal. Their performance included “Butterfly,” “Give Me to the Night,” “Heroin” and a cover of the Ramones’ “Pet Sematary.” Mark highlighted Gabriel Franco’s haunting vocals and Sebastian Silva’s energetic lead guitar work.
Then came The Rat Queen and her loyal subjects.
Led by vocalist and guitarist Riley Pinkerton, Castle Rat brought songs from Into the Realm and The Bestiary to life through rituals, theatrical combat and a procession of costumed characters. The Rat Reaperess, a towering wizard and other creatures made the performance as much a visual experience as a musical one.
Mark’s photography captures those encounters alongside the musicians driving the heavy riffs. His review describes a packed lower level, fans arriving in medieval attire and an audience so enthusiastic that even a guitar solo prompted crowd surfing.
An encore featuring “Cry for Me” and “Siren” closed the set before a recording of Blue Öyster Cult’s “Don’t Fear the Reaper” sent the crowd home.
https://www.rockdnamag.com/post/castle-rat-unto-others-worcester-palladium-review
Concert review and photography: Mark Kutzner / Rock DNA Magazine.
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