New York’s fantasy heavy metal purveyors Castle Rat on European tour now!

Photo by Peter Beste

NYC queen and kings of fantasy heavy metal Castle Rat just embarked on a full European and UK tour!

Helmed by The Rat Queen, the band brings to life a world full of battle maidens, mystical beings and a killer prowling metal soundtrack delivered with power and flair – their live performances are something to behold! This tour will lead them to convert masses at Hellfest, Mystic Festival, Copenhell, Desertfest and more.

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
Jun 1 – Helsinki, FI – On The Rocks
Jun 3 – Kaunaus, LT – Lemmy Bar
Jun 4 – Gdansk, PL – Mystic Festival
Jun 7 – Dresden, DE – Gockelscreak Festival
Jun 8 – Wiesbaden, DE – Schlachthof
Jun 10 – Bochum, DE – Die Trompete
Jun 11 – Munich, DE – Feierwerk
Jun 12 – Hradec Kralove, CZ – Rock For People
Jun 13 – Vienna, AT – Arena
Jun 14 – Winterthur, CH – Heavy Psych Sounds Festival
Jun 15 – Basel, CH – Quaterdeck
Jun 17 – Bologna, IT – Freakout Club
Jun 18 – Torino, IT – Blah Blah Club
Jun 20 – Clisson, FR – Hellfest Open Air
Jun 21 – Copenhagen, DK – Copenhell
Aug 8 – Âncora, PT – Sonic Blast Fest

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 »The Bestiary« will arrive in September 2025 through King Volume Records (USA) and Blues Funeral Recordings (EU), followed by a two-month tour across the US and Europe.

Courtesy of Purple Sage PR

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