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While numerous artists have taken inspiration from fantasy lore, few have genuinely embodied the mythical lifestyle. Certainly, they could decorate their album sleeves with monsters, beasts, captive women and muscular warriors, but has an artist ever been forced to find a lost unicorn horn from a wintry landscape in the heart of winter? Has a guitarist spent time squinting in the back of a traveling vehicle, repairing their own metal mesh?

Immersed in the Legend

Established in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have encountered both these scenarios and more as they act out their grand tales. From heraldic, catchy tunes to eye-popping performances, costume design, music videos and cover artwork, they’re not so much a metal band as a complete sensory journey.

“It wasn’t planned to be a outfit with characters,” explains singer, guitarist, sword-wielder and visionary Riley Pinkerton as the group’s vehicle travels from a sold-out gig in Cologne to another in Aschaffenburg – they’re also doing multiple performances in the UK now. “We played two shows and got booked on a Halloween gig, where I decided spontaneously to dress up. Everything was highly handmade, but we had an amazing time and the atmosphere was unforgettable. I thought, ‘What if we could have such enjoyment always?’”

The Band’s Evolution

Since then, the group – which includes Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” joined by a pestilence physician (low-end instrumentalist), aristocratic undead (guitarist) and enigmatic nature priest (percussionist) – haven’t looked back. The Bestiary, the follow-up record, conjures visions of legendary heavy bands collaborating to battle their way through a heroic art landscape – a grand composition that positions them on the verge of bigger achievements.

This album was a new experience for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her bandmates. “That contributed to a much better album,” she says of the team effort. “I struggled at first – I’d always felt a specific level of accomplishment being a woman in music working independently. There have been multiple instances where I finished performing and an audience member will say, ‘The other members create awesome guitar parts!’ and I’m like, ‘Wait – I created all that.’”

Creative Output and Ideas

With their growing popularity has increased, so has the scale of their visual elements. “My motto is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton laughs. She was originally on track for a university studies in art before balking at the idea of financial burden. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to express artistry,” she says. “Be it creating face coverings, costume design, mastering post-production clips … everything is I have no experience with, but it’s enjoyable to discover in the moment.”

As if developing the ensemble’s complex backstory (“The team is pushing me to record it because all the ideas are,” Riley says, pointing to her head) and making clothing didn’t suffice, the singer self-educated how to craft metal mesh – a challenging endeavor, though she admittedly entrusted her brand-new scalemail look to a expert from NYC. “It seems like actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

Regarding the fans? They embraced the theatrical gore, foam swords and handmade props with as much gusto as the group. “We played a gig in Detroit and it looked like a Renaissance fair,” recalls Riley with affection. “All attendees was in robes, animal hides, armor.”

However, this doesn’t mean, though, that touring existence as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been smooth. “Each item is always failing and gets repaired with tape,” Riley says. “Additionally I get numerous thoughts as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we are on the move in a vehicle with restricted capacity. It’s an interesting challenge to make it feel like a mythic tale, then store it into minimal luggage.”

We’ve encountered other logistical problems that wouldn’t have troubled legendary fantasy heroes. “We did have an ‘disastrous’ moment when we played SonicBlast festival in Portugal and my suitcase – which had my sword in it – went missing,” says Riley. “This became a worst-case scenario, because there is no an different option of the concert where I don’t have a weapon.”

Goals Ahead

As a genuine leader, Riley is gung-ho about the days to come. “I aim to reach to the top – we should play stadiums,” she says. “The main aspect that’s really important to me is preserving the self-crafted look, ensuring all elements is handmade. This is a feature I want to stay authentic to, whatever we scale to. Oh, and I want to appear on a magical horse each show. You know how some artists do the motorcycle thing? The same idea, but on a mythical creature.”