If you haven't heard of Castle Rat yet, the Summon the Beasts Tour this fall is a good place to start. If you have, you already know why this is worth paying attention to.

The NYC-based doom metal quartet are heading out on their biggest North American headline run to date this fall, a 20-date tour that hits Webster Hall in New York, The Belasco in Los Angeles, and for New England fans, The Palladium in Worcester on October 20th. Tickets are on sale now.

Castle Rat released The Bestiary in late 2025 to a wave of critical acclaim that put them on a lot of radars outside of the metal world. Rolling Stone named it one of the best metal albums of the year. NPR called it a stamp of longevity. The Guardian described the band as "not so much a metal band as a full immersive experience." That last one is probably the most accurate description of what you're walking into at one of their shows.

The live show is the thing. Castle Rat perform with full theatrical staging, costumes, lore, and a choreographed battle scene that has become something of a signature. The band, with Riley Pinkerton as The Rat Queen on rhythm guitar and vocals, Franco Vittore as The Count on lead guitar, Charley Ruddell as The Plague Doctor on bass, and Josh Strmic as The All-Seeing Druid on drums, are joined by their archnemesis Death, Herself, known as The Rat Reaperess. It sounds like a lot, and it is, in the best possible way. This spring alone they played in front of 75,000 people across headline shows, major rock festivals, and a tour with Amon Amarth and Dethklok before closing it out with a sold-out 1,400-cap headline show in Anaheim.

For the first time ever, the Summon the Beasts Tour will offer a VIP package that includes a live soundcheck featuring two songs, a meet and greet with signing, exclusive merch, early access to the merch booth, and a photo opportunity with the Rat Reaperess. Full details and VIP passes are available at Castle Rat's newly launched webstore, Castle Market.

Their sound sits somewhere between Black Sabbath's doom, Electric Wizard's fuzz, and stoner metal's open-road gallop, wrapped in medieval fantasy theatrics that should feel ridiculous, but instead feel completely committed. Revolver called it "medieval fantasy heavy metal mixed with Seventies-era stage theatrics." Kerrang! called them one of 2025's great underground success stories. Metal Hammer simply said "everything about this band rules hard."

Hard to argue with any of that.

Ticket are available here.

Summon the Beasts Tour Dates:

Sep 23 — Baltimore, MD — Baltimore Soundstage

Sep 25 — Charlotte, NC — Neighbourhood Theatre

Sep 26 — Atlanta, GA — The Masquerade

Sep 28 — Dallas, TX — The Studio at The Bomb Factory

Sep 30 — Mesa, AZ — The Nile Theater

Oct 1 — Los Angeles, CA — The Belasco

Oct 3 — Berkeley, CA — The UC Theatre

Oct 6 — Portland, OR — Roseland Theater

Oct 7 — Seattle, WA — The Showbox Market

Oct 9 — Spokane, WA — Knitting Factory

Oct 10 — Boise, ID — Shrine Social Club

Oct 11 — Salt Lake City, UT — The Grand

Oct 12 — Denver, CO — The Ogden Theatre

Oct 14 — Minneapolis, MN — Varsity Theater

Oct 15 — Chicago, IL — Concord Music Hall

Oct 16 — Detroit, MI — The Majestic Theatre

Oct 17 — Toronto, ON — The Opera House

Oct 19 — Montreal, QC — Théâtre Beanfield

Oct 20 — Worcester, MA — The Palladium

Oct 21 — New York, NY — Webster Hall

Castle Rat Are Bringing Their Must-See Live Show to North America This Fall on the Summon the Beasts Tour

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