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While numerous rockers have borrowed from fantasy lore, rarely any have fully embraced the mythical existence. Admittedly, they could adorn their record jackets with ghouls, goblins, chained damsels and strong fighters, but has any musician ever needed to find a lost unicorn horn from a snowy field in the midst of winter? Did a guitarist devoted hours squinting in the rear of a tour bus, repairing their own metal mesh?

Living the Fantasy

Formed in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have dealt with these exact challenges and more as they live out their heroic dreams. From knightly, memorable songs to stunning performances, attire styling, visuals and record designs, they’re more than a metal band as a total artistic immersion.

“Castle Rat wasn’t meant to be a costumed concept band,” explains singer, guitar player, blade-handler and creative overlord Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van travels from a packed show in Cologne to another in another town – they are playing five gigs in the UK this week. “Initially, we performed twice and were scheduled on a October show, where I chose at the final moment to put on an outfit. It was all highly handmade, but we had so much fun and the atmosphere was incredible. I realized, ‘How about if we could have such enjoyment at every show?’”

Development of Castle Rat

After that, the group – which includes Pinkerton as the “Rat Queen” together with a plague doctor (low-end instrumentalist), aristocratic undead (lead guitarist) and secretive shaman (rhythm keeper) – never turned back. The new record, the band’s second album, conjures visions of classic metal icons collaborating to fight their path through a Frank Frazetta fantasy world – a heroic opus that sets them on the verge of far grander things.

The Bestiary was a initial step for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her collaborators. “It made it a more powerful record,” she says of the collaborative process. “I had difficulty at first – There was a sense of a specific level of accomplishment as a female in music working independently. There’ve been so many times where after a show and some guy will say, ‘The other members write great riffs!’ and I’m like, ‘Hey – I created all that.’”

Artistry and Imagination

As their fame has increased, so has the breadth of their visual elements. “My philosophy is always that if something is valuable, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton chuckles. Initially, she was on path for a art school education before hesitating at the idea of so much debt. “What’s enjoyable about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to demonstrate creativity,” she says. “Whether it’s crafting disguises, attire creation, learning how to edit song visuals … everything is I have no experience with, but it’s enjoyable to learn as we go.”

As if building the band’s intricate lore (“Everyone’s urging me to document it because everything is stored,” Riley says, pointing to her head) and sewing costumes didn’t suffice, the vocalist self-educated how to create armor – a difficult task, though she admittedly entrusted her completely original scale armor design to a expert from NYC. “It feels like actual armour,” she grins.

Fan Response and Obstacles

What about the crowd? They took to the stage blood, foam swords and crafted rodent bones with similar excitement as the musicians. “We played a concert in Detroit and it seemed like a historical festival,” reminisces Riley with affection. “All attendees was in cloaks, sheepskin, metal wear.”

That’s not to imply, though, that life on the road as mythical wanderers has been plain sailing. “All our gear is frequently damaged and gets duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Moreover I’ll have countless concepts as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we are on the move in a vehicle with restricted capacity. It’s a unique problem to make it feel like a larger-than-life story, then pack it down into minimal luggage.”

There have been additional practical issues that wouldn’t have troubled mythic characters. “There was an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we appeared at SonicBlast festival in the European country and my luggage – which had my weapon in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “This became a worst-case scenario, because there’s not an alternative version of the performance where I am without a weapon.”

Goals Ahead

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is gung-ho about the days to come. “I want to go to the top – I dream of huge arenas,” she says. “The main aspect that’s deeply meaningful to me is keeping the self-crafted look, guaranteeing all elements is custom-made. It’s a component I want to stay authentic to, regardless of we scale to. Additionally, I wish to ride out on a magical horse each show. Remember how famous musicians do the motorcycle thing? The same idea, but using a unicorn.”