Castle Rat Announces Special 2026 Headline Shows
Mystical metal warriors Castle Rat will embark on a monumental tour with Amon Amarth and Dethklok this spring, and have now announced two special, headlining shows in Grand Rapids, MI at The Pyramid Scheme on April 26th (w/Sacred Leather) and in Anaheim, CA at House of Blues on May 24th with Death Chant). Tickets are available here.
Castle Rat 2026 North American Tour Dates with Amon Amarth, and Dethklok:
4/15/26: Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Financial Theatre
4/17/26: San Antonio, TX – Boeing Center At Tech Port
4/18/26: Houston, TX – 713 Music Hall
4/20/26: Oklahoma City, OK – The Criterion
4/21/26: Kansas City, MO – The Midland Theatre
4/22/26: Chesterfield, MO – The Factory
4/24/26: Minneapolis, MN – Armory
4/25/26: Waukee, IA – Vibrant Music Hall
4/26/26: Grand Rapids, MI – The Pyramid Scheme
4/28/26: Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Paramount
4/29/26: Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall at Fenway
5/1/26: Toronto, ON – The Theatre at Great Canadian Casino Resort
5/2/26: Montreal, QC – Centre Bell
5/5/26: Oxon Hill, MD – The Theater at MGM National Harbor
5/7/26: Daytona Beach, FL – Welcome To Rockville Pre-Party
5/9/26: Atlanta, GA – Coca-Cola Roxy
5/10/26: Nashville, TN – The Pinnacle
5/12/26: Johnstown, PA – 1st Summit Arena
5/13/26: Detroit, MI – Fox Theatre Detroit
5/16/26: Milwaukee, WI – Landmark Credit Union Live
5/17/26: Columbus, OH – Sonic Temple Art & Music
5/19/26: Denver, CO – The Junkyard
5/20/26: Salt Lake City, UT – The Union Event Center
5/21/26: Las Vegas, NV – Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino
5/24/26: Anaheim, CA – House of Blues
With the new headlining shows comes the announcement of Castle Rat’s first cover feature with Metal Hammer UK. Behold the sword wielding Rat Queen in all her glory as they continue to slay their way to the top! Purchase your copy here.
Castle Rat is currently on the road in support of their critically acclaimed new album, The Bestiary, that’s available now from King Volume Records (US) and Blues Funeral Recordings (UK/Europe). Named one of 2025’s best metal albums by Rolling Stone, NPR, Decibel, and All Music, The Bestiary is an epic tale of mysticism, magic, and maleficence set in a mythical world and told through the heavy metal offerings of band members “The Rat Queen,” “The Count,” “The Plague Doctor,” and “The All-Seeing Druid.”
The Bestiary Tracklist:
1. Phoenix I
2. Wolf I
3. Wizard
4. Siren
5. Unicorn
6. Path Of Moss
7. Crystal Cave
8. Serpent
9. Wolf Ii
10. Dragon
11. Summoning Spell
12. Sun Song
13. Phoenix II
About Castle Rat:
Castle Rat is a Medieval Fantasy Heavy 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 (SE), Acid King (CA), Green Lung (UK), and appeared at festivals included Desertfest NYC, RPM Fest, and Hopsmoker, among others. 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, with a six week stint in Europe featuring numerous festival appearances including Desertfest, Hellfest, and Copenhell.
Castle Rat’s second full length album, The Bestiary, was released in late 2025, and received mass critical acclaim, launching the band into unprecedented realms of heavy music.
Castle Rat at Substation Seattle, WA January 2026 | Photo by Samantha Jones
