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Although many rockers have drawn from high fantasy, few have truly lived the enchanted lifestyle. Admittedly, they may embellish their record jackets with monsters, beasts, captive women and strong fighters, but did a member ever have to recover a missing horn from a unicorn from a snowy field in the depths of winter? Has a guitarist taken the time squinting in the interior of a tour bus, mending their own metal mesh?

Immersed in the Legend

Formed in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have dealt with both these scenarios and additional ones as they act out their grand tales. Starting with medieval-inspired, earworm-heavy anthems to breathtaking concerts, attire styling, music videos and album art, they’re not so much a metal band as a complete sensory journey.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a outfit with characters,” says vocalist, guitar player, sword-carrier and visionary Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport drives from a sold-out gig in Cologne to one more in another town – they’re also doing five gigs in the UK this week. “We played two shows and received an offer on a spooky event, where I made a last-minute decision to wear a costume. The entire setup was super-DIY, but we had so much fun and the atmosphere was unforgettable. I realized, ‘How about if we could have such enjoyment every time?’”

Development of Castle Rat

Since then, the band – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Rat Queen” joined by a medic from history (low-end instrumentalist), haughty vampire (six-string player) and secretive shaman (rhythm keeper) – continued forward. The new record, the band’s second album, brings to mind of classic metal icons joining forces to battle their way through a mythical painted realm – a epic masterpiece that sets them on the verge of greater success.

The Bestiary was a initial step for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her bandmates. “That contributed to a lot stronger record,” she says of the group work. “I struggled at first – I often experienced a specific level of accomplishment as a woman in music working independently. There have been so many times where I’ve got off stage and a person will say, ‘Those guys create awesome guitar parts!’ and I respond, ‘Listen – I wrote all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

As their fame has increased, so has the scope of their production design. “The saying I live by is always that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton laughs. Initially, she was on course for a fine art degree before hesitating at the prospect of so much debt. “What’s enjoyable about Castle Rat is there’s various avenues to express artistry,” she says. “Be it making masks, costume design, learning how to edit song visuals … everything is I am unfamiliar with, but it’s exciting to figure it out on the fly.”

Even though creating the ensemble’s complex backstory (“People are encouraging me to document it because all the ideas are,” Riley says, pointing to her head) and sewing costumes wasn’t enough, the singer self-educated how to craft metal mesh – no mean feat, though she confessedly delegated her all-new scale armor design to a New York-based specialist. “It’s as if actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Fan Response and Obstacles

Regarding the fans? They loved the stage blood, toy blades and handmade props with equal enthusiasm as the musicians. “We played a concert in Detroit and it seemed like a historical festival,” reminisces Riley with affection. “All attendees was in cloaks, animal hides, armor.”

That’s not to imply, though, that traveling lifestyle as fantasy adventurers has been easy. “Everything is always failing and gets duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Moreover I get numerous thoughts as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we tour in a vehicle with limited room. It’s a unique problem to create the impression like a grand epic, then store it into minimal luggage.”

We faced further organizational challenges that wouldn’t have troubled fictional warriors. “There was an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we performed at a Portuguese festival in Portugal and my baggage – which had my sword in it – got lost,” says Riley. “That was a worst-case scenario, because there’s not an different option of the concert where I don’t have a blade.”

Future Ambitions

Like a true warrior queen, Riley is gung-ho about the days to come. “I want to go all the way – let’s do stadiums,” she says. “The only thing that’s really important to me is keeping the self-crafted look, guaranteeing all elements is crafted by us. That’s an element I want to keep true to, regardless of we achieve. Oh, and I wish to make an entrance on a unicorn at all performances. Think about how some artists use vehicles in concerts? The same idea, but using a unicorn.”