Castle Rat Announce New Album ‘The Bestiary’ and U.S./Europe Touring Plans
Fantasy heavy metal outfit Castle Rat have busted down the doors on their future plans, as they not only announced the release date for their sophomore album The Bestiary, but they also unveiled a long run of tour dates in the U.S. and U.K/Europe.
For those that don’t know, this New York-based act plays really cool, fuzzy medieval fantasy doom metal. Helmed by The Rat Queen (aka Riley Pinkerton), they play with a sexy swagger while talking about rogues and daggers. There are swords, “spells”, and at the end of the day, hopefully some vanquished evil.
The Bestiary will feature 13 new songs. The full album will be released on September 19 via King Volume Records here in the U.S. or Blues Funeral Recordings in the U.K. and Europe. According to The Rat Queen, this one’s got a wealth of knowledge stashed away in it.
“The Bestiary is a conceptual book of beasts containing a collection of mystical creatures from a world forgotten. The last remaining souls of each have been gathered and preserved by ‘The Wizard.’ Cautionary tales of each beast and The Wizard himself are woven through the power of traditional heavy metal song and spell.”
As for their tour plans, they’ll be kicking off their European run next week in Antwerp, Belgium on May 14 and will continue on until August 8 in Ancora, Portugal for Sonic Blast Fest. Their U.S. plans will start on September 5 in Boston and will come to end on October 5 in Brooklyn, New York.
You can find the full list of dates, as well as tracklist info of the new album, below.
THE BESTIARY TRACKLIST
- PHOENIX I: Ardent
- WOLF I: Tooth & Blade
- WIZARD: Crystal Heart
- SIREN: The Pull of Promise
- UNICORN: Carnage and Ice
- PATH OF MOSS
- CRYSTAL CAVE: Enshrined
- SERPENT: Coiled Figure
- WOLF II: Celestial Beast
- DRAGON: Lord of The Sky
- SUMMONING SPELL
- SUN SONG: Behold The Flame
- PHOENIX II: Cinerous
Spring European tour 2025
May 14 – Antwerp, BE – Kavka
May 15 – Haarlem, NL – Patronaat
May 16 – Paris, FR – La Boule Noire
May 18 – London, UK – Desertfest London
May 19 – Newcastle, UK – Castle
May 20 – Edinburgh, UK – Legends
May 21 – Glasgow, UK – Ivory Blacks
May 22 – Derbyshire, UK – Bearded Theory Festival
May 23 – The Hague, NL – Sniester Festival
May 24 – Berlin, DE – Desertfest Berlin
May 27 – Malmö, SE – Plan B
May 28 – Stockholm, SE – Kollektivet Livet
May 29 – Oslo, NO – Goldie
May 30 – Smaland, SE – Muskelrock Festival
June 1 – Helsinki, FIN – On The Rocks
June 3 – Kaunaus, LIT – Lemmy Bar
June 4 – Gdansk, PL – Mystic Festival
June 7 – Dresden, DE – Gockelscreak Festival
June 8 – Wiesbaden, DE – Schlachthof
June 10 – Bochum, DE – Die Trompete
June 11 – Munich, DE – Feierwerk
June 12 – Hradec Kralove, CZ – Rock For People
June 13 – Vienna, AT – Arena
June 14 – Winterthur, CH – Heavy Psych Sounds Festival
June 15 – Basel, CH – Quaterdeck
June 17 – Bologna, IT – Freakout Club
June 18 – Torino, IT – Blah Blah Club
June 20 – Clisson, FR – Hellfest Open Air
June 21 – Copenhagen, DK – Copenhell
August 8 – Âncora, PT – Sonic Blast Fest
Fall US tour 2025
Sep 5 – Boston, MA – Sonia
Sep 6 – Elizabethtown, NY – Otis
Sep 7 – Montreal, QC – Piranha Bar
Sep 8 – Toronto, ON – Lee’s Palace
Sep 9 – Columbus, OH – Ace of Cups
Sep 10 – Chicago, IL – Reggies
Sep 12 – Kansas City, MO – The Ship
Sep 13 – Colorado Springs, CO – What’s Left Fest
Sep 14 – Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge
Sep 16 – Seattle, WA – Clockout Lounge
Sep 17 – Portland, OR – Star Theater
Sep 18 – Austin, TX – Fantastic Fest
Sep 20 – Berkeley, CA – Cornerstone
Sep 21 – Los Angeles, CA – Zebulon
Sep 22 – San Diego, CA – The Casbah
Sep 23 – Phoenix, AZ – Last Exit
Sep 24 – Albuquerque, NM – Sister
Sep 27 – Houston, TX – Last Concert
Sep 28 – New Orleans, LA – Gasa Gasa
Sep 30 – Atlanta, GA – The Earl
Oct 1 – Asheville, NC – Eulogy
Oct 2 – Raleigh, NC – Chapel of Bones
Oct 3 – Charlottesville, VA – Southern Cafe
Oct 4 – Baltimore, MD – Ottobar
Oct 5 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
