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While plenty of rockers have taken inspiration from epic fantasy, few have fully embraced the enchanted lifestyle. Admittedly, they may embellish their album covers with ghouls, goblins, manacled maidens and muscular warriors, but has an artist ever have to recover a missing horn from a unicorn from a snowy field in the heart of winter? Did a guitarist devoted hours peering in the back of a traveling vehicle, repairing their own metal mesh?

Immersed in the Legend

Formed in 2019, New York’s Castle Rat have encountered such situations and additional ones as they live out their epic fantasies. From heraldic, catchy tunes to breathtaking performances, costume design, videos and album art, they’re more than a heavy metal group as a complete sensory journey.

“Castle Rat wasn’t meant to be a outfit with characters,” explains vocalist, guitar player, sword-carrier and creative overlord Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport travels from a full-capacity concert in a German city to a second one in Aschaffenburg – they are playing several shows in the UK currently. “Initially, we performed twice and were scheduled on a spooky event, where I chose at the final moment to put on an outfit. Everything was completely self-made, but we had a blast and the feeling in the room was incredible. It occurred to me, ‘Imagine if we could have so much excitement always?’”

Development of Castle Rat

After that, the band – which features Pinkerton as the “Rat Queen” together with a pestilence physician (bassist), proud bloodsucker (lead guitarist) and mysterious druid (drummer) – continued forward. The Bestiary, the follow-up record, conjures visions of famous rock groups joining forces to fight their path through a mythical painted realm – a grand composition that positions them on the verge of far grander things.

The release was a initial step for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her fellow members. “That contributed to a more powerful record,” she says of the collaborative process. “I had difficulty at first – I’d always felt a specific level of pride as a woman in music doing everything solo. I’ve had multiple instances where I finished performing and an audience member will say, ‘The band compose cool melodies!’ and I’m like, ‘Listen – I created all that.’”

Artistry and Imagination

With their growing popularity has expanded, so has the scope of their production design. “The saying I live by is always that if something is valuable, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton laughs. Initially, she was on course for a art school education before balking at the possibility of heavy loans. “What’s enjoyable about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to express artistry,” she says. “Be it creating face coverings, outfit planning, learning how to edit song visuals … it’s all stuff I have no experience with, but it’s fun to learn on the fly.”

As if creating the band’s intricate lore (“Everyone’s urging me to write it down because everything is stored,” Riley says, indicating her head) and stitching garments wasn’t enough, the singer learned on her own how to make chainmail – no mean feat, though she admittedly entrusted her all-new reptilian-inspired outfit to a professional in the city. “It’s as if actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Audience Reaction and Challenges

Regarding the fans? They took to the stage blood, toy blades and handmade props with similar excitement as the group. “We played a gig in the Motor City and it looked like a historical festival,” recalls Riley fondly. “Everyone was in robes, sheepskin, armor.”

That’s not to imply, though, that traveling lifestyle as fantasy adventurers has been smooth. “All our gear is frequently damaged and gets duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Moreover I’ll have numerous thoughts as to how I desire the presentation, but we tour in a bus with limited room. It’s an interesting challenge to give the sense like a mythic tale, then compress it into nothing.”

We’ve encountered additional practical issues that didn’t affect mythic characters. “We experienced an ‘oh shit’ moment when we appeared at SonicBlast festival in Portugal and my luggage – which had my sword in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “This became a terrible situation, because there’s not an different option of the show where I don’t have a weapon.”

Goals Ahead

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is gung-ho about the future. “My goal is as far as possible – we should play stadiums,” she says. “The only thing that’s deeply meaningful to me is maintaining the DIY aesthetic, guaranteeing everything is crafted by us. This is a feature I want to stay authentic to, no matter what we grow into. Plus, I wish to make an entrance on a unicorn each show. Remember how famous musicians use vehicles in concerts? Exactly that, but with a unicorn.”