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Although numerous rockers have borrowed from high fantasy, rarely any have fully embraced the enchanted existence. Certainly, they could decorate their album covers with monsters, beasts, captive women and strong fighters, but has any musician ever have to recover a misplaced horn from a unicorn from a snowy field in the heart of winter? Did anyone taken the time straining their eyes in the back of a road transport, mending their own metal mesh?

Living the Fantasy

Created in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have dealt with both these scenarios and more as they embody their epic fantasies. Starting with medieval-inspired, memorable anthems to breathtaking concerts, costume design, visuals and album art, they’re not so much a heavy metal group as a total artistic immersion.

“It wasn’t planned to be a outfit with characters,” says vocalist, guitarist, sword-wielder and creative overlord Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport speeds from a sold-out gig in a German city to one more in Aschaffenburg – they’re also doing several shows in the UK currently. “Initially, we performed twice and got booked on a spooky event, where I decided spontaneously to dress up. It was all super-DIY, but we had so much fun and the feeling in the room was incredible. I realized, ‘Imagine if we could have such enjoyment at every show?’”

Development of Castle Rat

Since then, the ensemble – which includes Pinkerton as the “Rat Queen” joined by a pestilence physician (low-end instrumentalist), aristocratic undead (lead guitarist) and secretive shaman (drummer) – never turned back. Their latest album, the band’s second album, brings to mind of famous rock groups collaborating to struggle onward through a heroic art landscape – a heroic opus that positions them on the verge of bigger achievements.

This album was a first for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her collaborators. “That contributed to a more powerful record,” she says of the team effort. “I struggled at first – I often experienced a certain amount of pride being a woman in music doing everything solo. There’ve been so many times where after a show and an audience member will say, ‘The band create awesome guitar parts!’ and I’m like, ‘Hey – I created all that.’”

Artistry and Imagination

As their fame has grown, so has the scope of their stage presentation. “My motto is always that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. At first, she had been on course for a art school education before hesitating at the possibility of so much debt. “What’s enjoyable about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to express artistry,” she says. “From crafting disguises, costume design, learning how to edit music videos … these are all things I have no experience with, but it’s fun to figure it out on the fly.”

As if building the ensemble’s complex backstory (“The team is pushing me to record it because everything is stored,” Riley says, pointing to her head) and stitching garments didn’t suffice, the vocalist self-educated how to craft metal mesh – a challenging endeavor, though she confessedly delegated her completely original scalemail look to a expert from NYC. “It’s as if actual armour,” she beams.

Audience Reaction and Challenges

Regarding the fans? They took to the fake blood, foam swords and papier-mache rat skulls with equal enthusiasm as the group. “We had a concert in Detroit and it seemed like a Renaissance fair,” reminisces Riley happily. “All attendees was in robes, sheepskin, metal wear.”

That’s not to imply, though, that life on the road as mythical wanderers has been smooth. “Each item is frequently damaged and ends up repaired with tape,” Riley says. “Moreover I get countless concepts as to how I want things to look, but we tour in a van with limited room. It’s a unique problem to make it feel like a mythic tale, then pack it down into a small space.”

There have been further organizational challenges that wouldn’t have troubled fictional warriors. “There was an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we played a Portuguese festival in Portugal and my suitcase – which had my blade in it – went missing,” says Riley. “This became a worst-case scenario, because there’s not an different option of the performance where I am without a weapon.”

Goals Ahead

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is enthusiastic about the future. “I aim to reach to the top – I dream of huge arenas,” she says. “The only thing that’s deeply meaningful to me is keeping the self-crafted look, guaranteeing each detail is custom-made. That’s an element I want to stay authentic to, whatever we grow into. Additionally, I desire to ride out on a unicorn each show. Remember how famous musicians use vehicles in concerts? The same idea, but using a unicorn.”