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Although plenty of musicians have borrowed from fantasy lore, only a handful have fully embraced the mythical lifestyle. Sure, they might embellish their album covers with ghouls, goblins, chained damsels and muscular warriors, but has an artist ever have to retrieve a lost horn from a unicorn from a wintry landscape in the midst of winter? Did a guitarist taken the time squinting in the back of a road transport, repairing their own chainmail?

Immersed in the Legend

Established in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have had to face both these scenarios and additional ones as they embody their epic fantasies. Starting with heraldic, memorable anthems to stunning performances, attire styling, videos and album art, they’re not just a rock act as a full immersive experience.

“Castle Rat wasn’t meant to be a costumed concept band,” states vocalist, guitarist, blade-handler and creative overlord Riley Pinkerton as the group’s vehicle travels from a packed show in Cologne to one more in another town – they have multiple performances in the UK this week. “Initially, we performed twice and got booked on a Halloween gig, where I decided spontaneously to wear a costume. Everything was super-DIY, but we had an amazing time and the atmosphere was incredible. I realized, ‘Imagine if we could have such enjoyment always?’”

Development of Castle Rat

Since then, the group – which features Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” joined by a plague doctor (low-end instrumentalist), proud bloodsucker (guitarist) and enigmatic nature priest (rhythm keeper) – never turned back. The Bestiary, the band’s second album, brings to mind of classic metal icons uniting to struggle onward through a heroic art landscape – a grand composition that places them on the brink of bigger achievements.

The Bestiary was a initial step for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her fellow members. “It made it a more powerful album,” she says of the group work. “It was challenging at first – I’d always felt a specific level of accomplishment being a woman in music doing everything solo. There’ve been numerous occasions where after a show and some guy will say, ‘The band write great riffs!’ and I think, ‘Hey – I composed all that.’”

Artistry and Imagination

As their fame has expanded, so has the breadth of their visual elements. “My motto is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton laughs. She was originally on track for a university studies in art before pulling back at the idea of so much debt. “The fun thing about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to demonstrate artistic expression,” she says. “From crafting disguises, outfit planning, figuring out video editing clips … these are all things I have no experience with, but it’s fun to figure it out as we go.”

As if developing the ensemble’s complex backstory (“Everyone’s urging me to document it because everything is stored,” Riley says, tapping her head) and stitching garments wasn’t enough, the singer learned on her own how to make chainmail – a difficult task, though she confessedly delegated her completely original reptilian-inspired outfit to a professional in the city. “It’s as if actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Audience Reaction and Challenges

As for audiences? They loved the fake blood, toy blades and crafted rodent bones with similar excitement as the band. “We performed a concert in the Motor City and it looked like a Renaissance fair,” remembers Riley fondly. “All attendees was in capes, wool garments, chainmail.”

However, this doesn’t mean, nevertheless, that traveling lifestyle as fantasy adventurers has been easy. “Each item is frequently damaged and gets duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Additionally I’ll have endless ideas as to how I desire the presentation, but we are on the move in a bus with only so much space. It’s an interesting challenge to give the sense like a mythic tale, then compress it into nothing.”

There have been other logistical problems that wouldn’t have troubled fictional warriors. “We experienced an ‘oh shit’ moment when we appeared at a Portuguese festival in the European country and my baggage – which had my blade in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “It was a nightmare, because we don’t have an backup plan of the performance where I don’t have a sword.”

Future Ambitions

Like a true warrior queen, Riley is gung-ho about the future. “My goal is to the top – I dream of huge arenas,” she says. “The only thing that’s truly essential to me is maintaining the DIY aesthetic, making sure everything is crafted by us. This is a feature I want to stay authentic to, no matter what we achieve. Plus, I want to appear on a unicorn every night. Think about how legends ride bikes on stage? That, but using a unicorn.”