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While numerous artists have taken inspiration from fantasy lore, few have truly lived the mythical lifestyle. Certainly, they could embellish their record jackets with ghouls, goblins, chained damsels and brawny barbarians, but has any musician ever been forced to recover a missing unicorn horn from a snowy field in the depths of winter? Did a performer spent time squinting in the rear of a traveling vehicle, mending their own chainmail?

Embracing the Mythos

Created in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have had to face both these scenarios and others as they act out their heroic dreams. Starting with heraldic, catchy tunes to breathtaking concerts, costume design, visuals and album art, they’re not just a heavy metal group as a total artistic immersion.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a themed musical group,” states singer, guitarist, blade-handler and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport drives from a full-capacity concert in Cologne to one more in Aschaffenburg – they have multiple performances in the UK now. “We played two shows and got booked on a Halloween gig, where I decided spontaneously to wear a costume. The entire setup was completely self-made, but we had so much fun and the atmosphere was unforgettable. It occurred to me, ‘Imagine if we could have so much excitement always?’”

The Band’s Evolution

From that point on, the ensemble – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” alongside a pestilence physician (bass player), proud bloodsucker (lead guitarist) and mysterious druid (rhythm keeper) – never turned back. The new record, the follow-up record, conjures visions of famous rock groups joining forces to fight their path through a heroic art landscape – a epic masterpiece that positions them on the verge of far grander things.

The release was a new experience for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her fellow members. “This helped a lot stronger album,” she says of the group work. “I struggled at first – I’d always felt a specific level of satisfaction being a woman in music going it alone. There have been so many times where I’ve got off stage and a person will say, ‘Those guys write great riffs!’ and I think, ‘Hey – I created all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

As their fame has grown, so has the scale of their production design. “My motto is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton laughs. Initially, she was on course for a fine art degree before hesitating at the possibility of financial burden. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to demonstrate artistry,” she says. “Be it creating face coverings, costume design, figuring out video editing clips … these are all things I have no experience with, but it’s exciting to learn in the moment.”

Even though developing the group’s detailed mythology (“Everyone’s urging me to document it because everything is stored,” Riley says, tapping her head) and sewing costumes wasn’t enough, the singer taught herself how to craft metal mesh – a difficult task, though she admittedly left her brand-new scalemail look to a New York-based specialist. “It’s as if actual armour,” she grins.

Fan Response and Obstacles

What about the crowd? They loved the fake blood, foam swords and crafted rodent bones with equal enthusiasm as the band. “We performed a show in the Motor City and it seemed like a medieval event,” remembers Riley happily. “All attendees was in cloaks, animal hides, armor.”

However, this doesn’t mean, however, that life on the road as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been smooth. “All our gear is always failing and ends up duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Moreover I come up with endless ideas as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we tour in a bus with restricted capacity. It’s a unique problem to give the sense like a mythic tale, then compress it into minimal luggage.”

We’ve encountered additional practical issues that wouldn’t have troubled legendary fantasy heroes. “We experienced an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we appeared at SonicBlast festival in Portugal and my baggage – which had my sword in it – went missing,” says Riley. “This became a worst-case scenario, because there’s not an alternative version of the concert where I lack a sword.”

Upcoming Plans

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is enthusiastic about the what’s next. “I want to go as far as possible – we should play huge arenas,” she says. “The key element that’s really important to me is preserving the handmade style, guaranteeing all elements is crafted by us. That’s an element I want to keep true to, no matter what we grow into. Oh, and I desire to make an entrance on a mythical beast every night. Think about how some artists ride bikes on stage? The same idea, but using a unicorn.”