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Although many rockers have borrowed from fantasy lore, rarely any have truly lived the mythical existence. Sure, they may decorate their album sleeves with monsters, imps, manacled maidens and brawny barbarians, but has any musician ever have to retrieve a misplaced mythical horn from a wintry landscape in the heart of winter? Did anyone taken the time squinting in the rear of a traveling vehicle, mending their own chainmail?

Living the Fantasy

Established in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have had to face these exact challenges and others as they embody their grand tales. Starting with heraldic, memorable tunes to stunning performances, costume design, videos and cover artwork, they’re more than a metal band as a full immersive experience.

“It wasn’t planned to be a costumed concept band,” says vocalist, guitar player, sword-carrier and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport travels from a full-capacity concert in Cologne to another in Aschaffenburg – they are playing multiple performances in the UK currently. “We played two shows and got booked on a October show, where I made a last-minute decision to put on an outfit. The entire setup was super-DIY, but we had a blast and the energy was incredible. I realized, ‘Imagine if we could have so much excitement always?’”

The Band’s Evolution

After that, the band – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Rat Queen” alongside a pestilence physician (bassist), proud bloodsucker (guitarist) and enigmatic nature priest (percussionist) – continued forward. The new record, the group’s sophomore release, conjures visions of famous rock groups joining forces to battle their way through a heroic art landscape – a heroic opus that positions them on the verge of bigger achievements.

The release was a new experience for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her collaborators. “That contributed to a lot stronger record,” she says of the collaborative process. “I had difficulty at first – I’d always felt a particular degree of accomplishment being a woman in music working independently. There’ve been numerous occasions where I finished performing and a person will say, ‘Those guys compose cool melodies!’ and I think, ‘Hey – I created all that.’”

Creative Output and Ideas

As their fame has grown, so has the scale of their stage presentation. “The saying I live by is always that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton chuckles. She was originally on course for a university studies in art before pulling back at the idea of heavy loans. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to express creativity,” she says. “Whether it’s creating face coverings, costume design, learning how to edit clips … these are all things I don’t know how to do, but it’s fun to learn on the fly.”

As if developing the band’s intricate lore (“The team is pushing me to document it because it’s all in here,” Riley says, tapping her head) and making clothing were insufficient, the vocalist learned on her own how to make chainmail – a difficult task, though she confessedly left her completely original scale armor design to a New York-based specialist. “It’s as if actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

What about the crowd? They embraced the theatrical gore, toy blades and papier-mache rat skulls with similar excitement as the band. “We played a gig in the Motor City and it looked like a Renaissance fair,” reminisces Riley happily. “The whole crowd was in cloaks, sheepskin, armor.”

That’s not to imply, though, that touring existence as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been plain sailing. “All our gear is frequently damaged and gets duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Additionally I’ll have numerous thoughts as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we tour in a vehicle with only so much space. It’s a unique problem to give the sense like a grand epic, then compress it into nothing.”

There have been other logistical problems that would never have plagued legendary fantasy heroes. “We experienced an ‘oh shit’ moment when we appeared at SonicBlast festival in the European country and my suitcase – which had my sword in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “That was a worst-case scenario, because there’s not an alternative version of the performance where I am without a sword.”

Goals Ahead

As a genuine leader, Riley is eager about the what’s next. “I want to go to the top – we should play huge arenas,” she says. “The only thing that’s deeply meaningful to me is keeping the self-crafted look, making sure all elements is custom-made. That’s an element I want to remain faithful to, regardless of we grow into. Plus, I desire to ride out on a unicorn every night. Remember how some artists do the motorcycle thing? Exactly that, but using a unicorn.”