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While many musicians have taken inspiration from high fantasy, only a handful have fully embraced the mythical way of life. Sure, they may adorn their record jackets with ghouls, beasts, manacled maidens and muscular warriors, but did a member ever been forced to find a misplaced unicorn horn from a snowy field in the heart of winter? Has a performer taken the time squinting in the rear of a traveling vehicle, fixing their own metal mesh?

Immersed in the Legend

Formed in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have encountered both these scenarios and others as they live out their grand tales. Starting with heraldic, catchy tunes to eye-popping performances, costume design, videos and cover artwork, they’re not just a metal band as a complete sensory journey.

“Castle Rat wasn’t meant to be a themed musical group,” says vocalist, guitar player, sword-carrier and visionary Riley Pinkerton as the group’s vehicle speeds from a full-capacity concert in Cologne to a second one in Aschaffenburg – they’re also doing five gigs in the UK this week. “After a couple of performances and got booked on a Halloween gig, where I made a last-minute decision to dress up. It was all highly handmade, but we had an amazing time and the feeling in the room was incredible. I thought, ‘How about if we could have such enjoyment every time?’”

Development of Castle Rat

From that point on, the band – which includes Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” joined by a pestilence physician (bassist), haughty vampire (lead guitarist) and enigmatic nature priest (percussionist) – haven’t looked back. The new record, the group’s sophomore release, conjures visions of famous rock groups uniting to fight their path through a Frank Frazetta fantasy world – a heroic opus that places them on the brink of bigger achievements.

The Bestiary was a first for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her bandmates. “This helped a lot stronger project,” she says of the collaborative process. “I had difficulty at first – I often experienced a specific level of satisfaction as a woman in music working independently. There have been multiple instances where after a show and some guy will say, ‘The other members create awesome guitar parts!’ and I respond, ‘Wait – I composed all that.’”

Artistry and Imagination

As the band’s stature has increased, so has the scope of their stage presentation. “The saying I live by is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton laughs. At first, she had been on course for a fine art degree before pulling back at the prospect of so much debt. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to express artistic expression,” she says. “Whether it’s crafting disguises, costume design, mastering post-production music videos … these are all things I don’t know how to do, but it’s enjoyable to discover in the moment.”

As if creating the band’s intricate lore (“The team is pushing me to record it because it’s all in here,” Riley says, indicating her head) and stitching garments didn’t suffice, the vocalist learned on her own how to create armor – a difficult task, though she confessedly left her completely original scalemail look to a New York-based specialist. “It’s as if actual armour,” she beams.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

What about the crowd? They embraced the stage blood, toy blades and crafted rodent bones with equal enthusiasm as the musicians. “We performed a concert in Detroit and it seemed like a historical festival,” remembers Riley happily. “All attendees was in robes, wool garments, chainmail.”

That’s not to imply, nevertheless, that touring existence as fantasy adventurers has been smooth. “All our gear is constantly breaking and gets fixed temporarily,” Riley says. “Moreover I come up with countless concepts as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we tour in a vehicle with only so much space. It’s an interesting challenge to give the sense like a mythic tale, then store it into a small space.”

We’ve encountered other logistical problems that would never have plagued fictional warriors. “We did have 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’s not an alternative version of the performance where I lack a weapon.”

Upcoming Plans

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is enthusiastic about the what’s next. “I want to go all the way – let’s do large venues,” she says. “The main aspect that’s really important to me is maintaining the self-crafted look, making sure all elements is custom-made. This is a feature I want to stay authentic to, no matter what we grow into. Oh, and I desire to appear on a magical horse at all performances. Think about how some artists do the motorcycle thing? That, but using a unicorn.”