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Although many rockers have borrowed from fantasy lore, rarely any have fully embraced the enchanted lifestyle. Sure, they might embellish their album covers with creatures, beasts, chained damsels and strong fighters, but has any musician ever needed to recover a missing horn from a unicorn from a snowy field in the heart of winter? Has a guitarist taken the time squinting in the back of a traveling vehicle, repairing their own metal mesh?

Living the Fantasy

Created in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have encountered such situations and more as they embody their epic fantasies. Starting with knightly, memorable songs to eye-popping concerts, costume design, visuals and cover artwork, they’re not so much a heavy metal group as a complete sensory journey.

“It wasn’t planned to be a themed musical group,” explains vocalist, guitarist, blade-handler and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the group’s vehicle speeds from a packed show in a German city to one more in Aschaffenburg – they have several shows in the UK currently. “Initially, we performed twice and got booked on a spooky event, where I made a last-minute decision to dress up. The entire setup was completely self-made, but we had so much fun and the energy was unforgettable. It occurred to me, ‘How about if we could have such enjoyment every time?’”

Development of Castle Rat

Since then, the ensemble – which includes Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” alongside a pestilence physician (bassist), proud bloodsucker (lead guitarist) and mysterious druid (drummer) – never turned back. The new record, the band’s second album, evokes images of classic metal icons collaborating to fight their path through a mythical painted realm – a grand composition that sets them on the verge of far grander things.

The Bestiary was a first for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her bandmates. “That contributed to a much better project,” she says of the team effort. “I struggled at first – I often experienced a particular degree of accomplishment as a woman in music working independently. There have been so many times where after a show and some guy will say, ‘The band create awesome guitar parts!’ and I respond, ‘Listen – I composed all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

As the band’s stature has grown, so has the scope of their production design. “The saying I live by is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton chuckles. She was originally on track for a university studies in art before hesitating at the possibility of financial burden. “What’s enjoyable about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to express artistry,” she says. “Whether it’s making masks, outfit planning, figuring out video editing music videos … it’s all stuff I have no experience with, but it’s enjoyable to figure it out as we go.”

As if building the band’s intricate lore (“People are encouraging me to write it down because all the ideas are,” Riley says, indicating her head) and stitching garments wasn’t enough, the vocalist learned on her own how to create armor – a difficult task, though she admittedly entrusted her brand-new scale armor design to a expert from NYC. “It feels like actual armour,” she beams.

Fan Response and Obstacles

What about the crowd? They took to the fake blood, soft weapons and crafted rodent bones with equal enthusiasm as the group. “We performed a concert in the Motor City and it seemed like a medieval event,” remembers Riley happily. “All attendees was in capes, wool garments, armor.”

This isn’t to say, however, that traveling lifestyle as mythical wanderers has been plain sailing. “All our gear is frequently damaged and ends up duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Plus I get numerous thoughts as to how I desire the presentation, but we’re traveling in a vehicle with restricted capacity. It’s a unique problem to give the sense like a mythic tale, then compress it into a small space.”

There have been additional practical issues that would never have plagued mythic characters. “There was an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we performed at SonicBlast festival in the European country and my luggage – which had my sword in it – went missing,” says Riley. “That was a nightmare, because there is no an alternative version of the concert where I don’t have a blade.”

Goals Ahead

As a genuine leader, Riley is eager about the what’s next. “I aim to reach all the way – we should play stadiums,” she says. “The only thing that’s really important 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 achieve. Plus, I desire to ride out on a magical horse every night. Think about how some artists do the motorcycle thing? Exactly that, but on a mythical creature.”