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Although many musicians have drawn from high fantasy, only a handful have genuinely embodied the enchanted existence. Admittedly, they may embellish their album sleeves with creatures, goblins, manacled maidens and muscular warriors, but did a member ever have to recover a missing horn from a unicorn from a wintry landscape in the midst of winter? Did a guitarist spent time squinting in the rear of a tour bus, mending their own chainmail?

Embracing the Mythos

Established in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have had to face these exact challenges and additional ones as they act out their grand tales. From medieval-inspired, memorable anthems to stunning concerts, attire styling, music videos and album art, they’re not just a metal band as a complete sensory journey.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a outfit with characters,” states singer, guitar player, sword-wielder and creative overlord Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van speeds from a full-capacity concert in a German city to one more in another town – they have multiple performances in the UK currently. “We played two shows and received an offer on a October show, where I made a last-minute decision to wear a costume. Everything was super-DIY, but we had so much fun and the feeling in the room was incredible. It occurred to me, ‘What if we could have this much fun always?’”

Development of Castle Rat

From that point on, the ensemble – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Rat Queen” together with a medic from history (bass player), haughty vampire (lead guitarist) and secretive shaman (rhythm keeper) – continued forward. The Bestiary, the band’s second album, evokes images of famous rock groups collaborating to struggle onward through a heroic art landscape – a heroic opus that positions them on the verge of far grander things.

The release was a new experience for Pinkerton in that she opened the floor to her collaborators. “This helped a much better record,” she says of the collaborative process. “It was challenging at first – There was a sense of a certain amount of satisfaction as a female in music doing everything solo. There have been multiple instances where after a show and an audience member will say, ‘The other members write great riffs!’ and I’m like, ‘Hey – I created all that.’”

Artistry and Imagination

As their fame has grown, so has the scale of their stage presentation. “My philosophy is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. At first, she had been on path for a art school education before pulling back at the prospect of financial burden. “The fun thing about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to apply artistic expression,” she says. “Be it creating face coverings, outfit planning, mastering post-production song visuals … it’s all stuff I don’t know how to do, but it’s fun to discover on the fly.”

Even though building the group’s detailed mythology (“The team is pushing me to document it because all the ideas are,” Riley says, tapping her head) and sewing costumes wasn’t enough, the singer taught herself how to create armor – no mean feat, though she confessedly delegated her all-new scalemail look to a New York-based specialist. “It’s as if actual armour,” she beams.

Fan Response and Obstacles

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

This isn’t to say, though, that life on the road as fantasy adventurers has been plain sailing. “All our gear is always failing and ends up fixed temporarily,” Riley says. “Plus I’ll have numerous thoughts as to how I want things to look, but we tour in a van with only so much space. It’s an interesting challenge to create the impression like a larger-than-life story, then compress it into minimal luggage.”

We’ve encountered further organizational challenges that didn’t affect legendary fantasy heroes. “We did have an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we performed at a music event in Portugal and my baggage – which had my weapon in it – got lost,” says Riley. “That was a terrible situation, because we don’t have an backup plan of the concert where I lack a sword.”

Upcoming Plans

Like a true warrior queen, Riley is enthusiastic about the days to come. “I want to go as far as possible – I dream of stadiums,” she says. “The key element that’s truly essential to me is maintaining the handmade style, guaranteeing each detail is handmade. It’s a component I want to remain faithful to, whatever we achieve. Additionally, I want to make an entrance on a unicorn each show. Think about how legends ride bikes on stage? That, but using a unicorn.”