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While numerous artists have borrowed from epic fantasy, few have truly lived the enchanted lifestyle. Certainly, they could decorate their album sleeves with creatures, imps, captive women and muscular warriors, but has any musician ever needed to find a misplaced horn from a unicorn from a snowy field in the depths of winter? Has a guitarist devoted hours squinting in the interior of a road transport, repairing their own armor?

Immersed in the Legend

Established in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have encountered such situations and additional ones as they embody their epic fantasies. Starting with knightly, earworm-heavy anthems to eye-popping performances, outfit creation, music videos and record designs, they’re more than a heavy metal group as a full immersive experience.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a outfit with characters,” states vocalist, guitarist, sword-wielder and creative overlord Riley Pinkerton as the group’s vehicle drives from a sold-out gig in Cologne to a second one in another town – they have multiple performances in the UK now. “After a couple of performances and got booked on a October show, where I decided spontaneously to wear a costume. Everything was highly handmade, but we had a blast and the energy was unforgettable. I realized, ‘How about if we could have this much fun always?’”

Development of Castle Rat

After that, the ensemble – which features Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” joined by a plague doctor (bassist), aristocratic undead (lead guitarist) and mysterious druid (drummer) – haven’t looked back. The Bestiary, the follow-up record, brings to mind of famous rock groups collaborating to fight their path through a mythical painted realm – a epic masterpiece that positions them on the brink of bigger achievements.

The Bestiary was a initial step for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her bandmates. “This helped a more powerful project,” she says of the collaborative process. “I struggled at first – There was a sense of a particular degree of satisfaction as a female in music working independently. There have been so many times where I finished performing and an audience member will say, ‘Those guys create awesome guitar parts!’ and I respond, ‘Listen – I created all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

As the band’s stature has expanded, so has the breadth of their visual elements. “The saying I live by is always that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton chuckles. Initially, she was on track for a art school education before balking at the prospect of heavy loans. “The fun thing about Castle Rat is there’s various avenues to demonstrate artistry,” she says. “From crafting disguises, costume design, figuring out video editing music videos … everything is I am unfamiliar with, but it’s enjoyable to discover as we go.”

As if creating the band’s intricate lore (“People are encouraging me to write it down because it’s all in here,” Riley says, pointing to her head) and stitching garments didn’t suffice, the singer learned on her own how to craft metal mesh – no mean feat, though she confessedly entrusted her all-new scalemail look to a expert from NYC. “It seems like actual armour,” she beams.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

What about the crowd? They loved the stage blood, foam swords and handmade props with equal enthusiasm as the musicians. “We had a show in Detroit and it seemed like a medieval event,” remembers Riley with affection. “All attendees was in robes, animal hides, armor.”

However, this doesn’t mean, nevertheless, that touring existence as fantasy adventurers has been smooth. “All our gear is always failing and ends up fixed temporarily,” Riley says. “Plus I get countless concepts as to how I want things to look, but we are on the move in a vehicle with limited room. It’s an interesting challenge to create the impression like a mythic tale, then store it into a small space.”

There have been additional practical issues that didn’t affect mythic characters. “There was an ‘disastrous’ moment when we performed at a Portuguese festival in Portugal and my luggage – which had my blade in it – went missing,” says Riley. “This became a terrible situation, because we don’t have an different option of the show where I don’t have a sword.”

Goals Ahead

Like a true warrior queen, Riley is gung-ho about the what’s next. “My goal is as far as possible – I dream of large venues,” she says. “The key element that’s deeply meaningful to me is keeping the DIY aesthetic, ensuring each detail is crafted by us. It’s a component I want to stay authentic to, whatever we scale to. Oh, and I want to appear on a magical horse every night. Remember how famous musicians use vehicles in concerts? Exactly that, but on a mythical creature.”