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Although plenty of rockers have taken inspiration from fantasy lore, few have fully embraced the mythical way of life. Admittedly, they could adorn their album sleeves with monsters, imps, chained damsels and brawny barbarians, but did a member ever been forced to retrieve a missing unicorn horn from a snowy field in the heart of winter? Did anyone taken the time peering in the rear of a road transport, fixing their own metal mesh?

Living the Fantasy

Established in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have dealt with these exact challenges and more as they embody their epic fantasies. Starting with heraldic, memorable songs to stunning live shows, outfit creation, videos and album art, they’re not just a metal band as a complete sensory journey.

“It wasn’t planned to be a themed musical group,” states singer, guitarist, sword-carrier and visionary Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport speeds from a full-capacity concert in Cologne to a second one in another town – they’re also doing five gigs in the UK this week. “We played two shows and were scheduled on a spooky event, where I decided spontaneously to put on an outfit. It was all super-DIY, but we had an amazing time and the energy was electric. I thought, ‘Imagine if we could have so much excitement at every show?’”

The Band’s Evolution

After that, the ensemble – which features Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” joined by a pestilence physician (bassist), aristocratic undead (lead guitarist) and enigmatic nature priest (percussionist) – haven’t looked back. Their latest album, the band’s second album, conjures visions of famous rock groups collaborating to struggle onward through a heroic art landscape – a heroic opus that sets them on the edge of greater success.

The Bestiary was a first for Pinkerton in that she opened the floor to her fellow members. “That contributed to a much better album,” she says of the group work. “I had difficulty at first – There was a sense of a certain amount of satisfaction being a woman in music working independently. I’ve had numerous occasions where I’ve got off stage and some guy will say, ‘Those guys create awesome guitar parts!’ and I respond, ‘Hey – I created all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

With their growing popularity has increased, so has the scope of their production design. “My motto is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. At first, she had been on track for a art school education before balking at the idea of financial burden. “What’s enjoyable about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to express artistic expression,” she says. “Be it creating face coverings, outfit planning, learning how to edit music videos … everything is I have no experience with, but it’s enjoyable to figure it out as we go.”

Even though building the group’s detailed mythology (“People are encouraging me to record it because everything is stored,” Riley says, pointing to her head) and making clothing were insufficient, the vocalist taught herself how to craft metal mesh – no mean feat, though she admittedly entrusted her brand-new scalemail look to a New York-based specialist. “It seems like actual armour,” she grins.

Audience Reaction and Challenges

As for audiences? They embraced the fake blood, foam swords and papier-mache rat skulls with equal enthusiasm as the band. “We played a concert in Detroit and it looked like a Renaissance fair,” reminisces Riley happily. “All attendees was in capes, animal hides, metal wear.”

However, this doesn’t mean, however, that touring existence as fantasy adventurers has been plain sailing. “Each item is always failing and ends up fixed temporarily,” Riley says. “Plus I come up with countless concepts as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we tour in a vehicle with only so much space. It’s an interesting challenge to give the sense like a larger-than-life story, then pack it down into a small space.”

We’ve encountered additional practical issues that wouldn’t have troubled legendary fantasy heroes. “We experienced an ‘disastrous’ moment when we appeared at a Portuguese festival in Portugal and my baggage – which had my blade in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “That was a terrible situation, because there is no an different option of the performance where I am without a blade.”

Upcoming Plans

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is eager about the days to come. “My goal is all the way – we should play huge arenas,” she says. “The main aspect that’s truly essential to me is keeping the self-crafted look, guaranteeing everything is handmade. It’s a component I want to keep true to, no matter what we scale to. Additionally, I desire to ride out on a magical horse each show. You know how some artists do the motorcycle thing? The same idea, but on a mythical creature.”