Fantasy heavy metal purveyors Castle Rat shares »Wolf I« music video; new album »The Bestiary« out soon on King Volume Records & Blues Funeral Recordings!

New York’s fantasy heavy metal band Castle Rat shares new music video for »Wolf I« taken from their upcoming album, »The Bestiary«, set to release on September 19th, 2025 via King Volume Records and Blues Funeral Recordings.

»Wolf I« is available now on all major streaming platforms!

Tracklist:
01. Phoenix I: Ardent
02. Wolf I: Tooth & Blade
03. Wizard: Crystal Heart
04. Siren: The Pull Of Promise
05. Unicorn: Carnage And Ice
06. Path Of Moss
07. Crystal Cave: Enshrined
08. Serpent: Coiled Figure
09. Wolf II: Celestial Beast
10. Dragon: Lord Of The Sky
11. Summoning Spell
12. Sun Song: Behold The Flame
13. Phoenix II: Cinerous

Courtesy of Purple Sage PR:

Emerging from New York’s vile, creature-infested underground, fantasy heavy metal purveyors Castle Rat have announced details of their impending sophomore album »The Bestiary«, to be released on September 19th by King Volume Records (North America) and Blues Funeral Recordings (UK/Europe). The band will be touring Europe extensively this spring and announced a full US tour in the fall.

Since their formation in 2019, Castle Rat have created a vivid labyrinth of fantasy lore led by “The Rat Queen” aka Riley Pinkerton. Together with “The Count”, “The Plague Doctor” and “The All-Seeing Druid”, the group has carried out countless battles against “The Rat Reaperess” with riffs, swords and spells on stages across the country.

Recorded by Randall Dunn (Sunn O))), Wolves In The Throne Room, Björk) and mixed by Jonathan Nuñez (Torche, Restless Spirit), the band’s latest odyssey features 13 spellbinding tracks of epic carnage and mystical metal. Commenting on the album, The Rat Queen states: “»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.”

Photo by Peter Beste

Castle Rat »The Bestiary« out September 19th on King Volume Records (USA) and Blues Funeral Recordings (UK/Europe)

Castle Rat is a medieval fantasy doom metal band hailing from NYC, led by “The Rat Queen”, Riley Pinkerton, on rhythm guitar and lead vocals. On her mission to expand and defend “The Realm” from those who seek to destroy it, The Rat Queen is joined by “The Count” (Franco Vittore), on lead guitar and backing vocals; “The Plague Doctor” (Charley Ruddell), on bass; and “The All-Seeing Druid” (Joshua Strmic) on drums. Together they face the relentless wrath of their archnemesis: Death, Herself – “The Rat Reaperess.”

Along their journey, Castle Rat have played in support of Monolord, Acid King, Green Lung and appeared at festivals such as Desertfest NYC, RPM Fest and Hopsmoker. Since the band’s pre-plague inception in October 2019, Castle Rat have released their debut album »Into The Realm« with King Volume Records in April 2024, which has racked up over one million Spotify streams and held the post as the #1 Best-Selling Hard Rock/All Rock Album on Bandcamp upon its release.

The band has cultivated a fiercely loyal following by curating a riveting, interactive, lore-laden live performance, complete with a choreographed battle scene, recruiting fans who crave swords & sorcery; stoner & doom; battle-babes & beasts; Frazetta & Sabbath.

2025 began with an explosive start. Castle Rat launched a record-breaking Kickstarter to fund their second album, fully funding the campaign in just 37 minutes. The month-long fundraiser went on to be the most successful metal Kickstarter in over a decade, closing out at $139K. Just days after the campaign, the band entered the studio to record their second album with producer Randall Dunn (Sunn O))), Wolves In The Throne Room, Björk).

Following two sold-out tours in late 2024, the band undertook a headlining US tour in March 2025, followed by a six-week stint in Europe featuring numerous festival appearances and performances supporting Conan set to kick off in May 2025. Castle Rat’s second full-length album will arrive in September 2025, followed by a two-month tour across the US and Europe.

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

European Tour Dates:
Oct 16 – Prague, CZ – Cafe V Lese
Oct 17 – Leipzig, DE – Werk 2
Oct 18 – Arnhem, NL – Willemeen
Oct 19 – Antwerp, BE – Desertfest
Oct 21 – Cologne, DE – Volta
Oct 22 – Aschaffenburg, DE – Colos-saal
Oct 23 – Berlin, DE – Lido
Oct 24 – Copenhagen, DE – Copenhell Metal Cruise
Oct 25 – Copenhagen, DE – Copenhell Metal Cruise
Oct 27 – Hamburg, DE – Indra
Oct 28 – Karlsruhe, DE – Stadtmitte
Oct 30 – Barcelona, ES – Upload
Oct 31 – Lyon, FR – Les Subs
Nov 1 – Vellet, FR – Westill Festival
Nov 2 – Lille, FR – La Bulle Cafe
Nov 4 – Brighton, UK – Green Door Store
Nov 6 – London, UK – Electric Ballroom
Nov 7 – Nottingham, UK – Bodega
Nov 8 – Manchester, UK – Damnation Festival

Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well