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Although numerous artists have taken inspiration from high fantasy, rarely any have truly lived the enchanted lifestyle. Certainly, they might adorn their album sleeves with creatures, goblins, chained damsels and brawny barbarians, but did a member ever have to retrieve a lost mythical horn from a snowy field in the depths 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 others as they live out their epic fantasies. Starting with heraldic, catchy anthems to stunning performances, costume design, music videos and album art, they’re more than a metal band as a full immersive experience.

“Castle Rat wasn’t meant to be a costumed concept band,” states vocalist, guitar player, blade-handler and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van drives from a sold-out gig in a German city to another in Aschaffenburg – they have five gigs in the UK now. “After a couple of performances and were scheduled on a spooky event, where I decided spontaneously to dress up. It was all super-DIY, but we had an amazing time and the energy was unforgettable. It occurred to me, ‘Imagine if we could have such enjoyment every time?’”

Development of Castle Rat

After that, the group – which features Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” together with a plague doctor (bass player), aristocratic undead (six-string player) and secretive shaman (drummer) – continued forward. The Bestiary, the group’s sophomore release, evokes images of legendary heavy bands joining forces to struggle onward through a heroic art landscape – a epic masterpiece that sets them on the brink of bigger achievements.

This album was a first for Pinkerton in that she opened the floor to her fellow members. “It made it a more powerful record,” she says of the team effort. “I struggled at first – I’d always felt a particular degree of accomplishment as a woman in music working independently. There’ve been numerous occasions where I finished performing and a person will say, ‘Those guys compose cool melodies!’ and I think, ‘Wait – I created all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

With their growing popularity has expanded, so has the breadth of their visual elements. “My motto is always that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. Initially, she was on track for a university studies in art before balking at the possibility of financial burden. “What’s enjoyable about Castle Rat is there’s various avenues to express creativity,” she says. “Whether it’s creating face coverings, outfit planning, figuring out video editing clips … it’s all stuff I don’t know how to do, but it’s exciting to figure it out as we go.”

Even though developing the ensemble’s complex backstory (“Everyone’s urging me to record it because everything is stored,” Riley says, indicating her head) and stitching garments were insufficient, the singer learned on her own how to make chainmail – no mean feat, though she admittedly entrusted her all-new scale armor design to a expert from NYC. “It seems like actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Fan Response and Obstacles

Regarding the fans? They took to the theatrical gore, soft weapons and papier-mache rat skulls with as much gusto as the band. “We had a show in the Motor City and it looked like a medieval event,” reminisces Riley fondly. “Everyone was in cloaks, wool garments, chainmail.”

That’s not to imply, nevertheless, that touring existence as mythical wanderers has been plain sailing. “All our gear is always failing and ends up fixed temporarily,” Riley says. “Additionally I get endless ideas as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we are on the move in a vehicle with restricted capacity. It’s a fascinating test to create the impression like a larger-than-life story, then store it into a small space.”

We’ve encountered other logistical problems that didn’t affect legendary fantasy heroes. “There was an ‘disastrous’ moment when we played a Portuguese festival in the European country and my suitcase – which had my weapon in it – went missing,” says Riley. “That was a worst-case scenario, because there is no an alternative version of the performance where I don’t have a blade.”

Upcoming Plans

Like a true warrior queen, Riley is eager about the future. “I aim to reach all the way – let’s do large venues,” she says. “The only thing that’s truly essential to me is preserving the handmade style, making sure everything is handmade. That’s an element I want to remain faithful to, whatever we grow into. Additionally, I want to appear on a mythical beast every night. Think about how legends use vehicles in concerts? The same idea, but on a mythical creature.”