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While plenty of musicians have drawn from epic fantasy, few have fully embraced the mythical existence. Admittedly, they may embellish their album covers with ghouls, beasts, captive women and brawny barbarians, but did a member ever have to find a misplaced horn from a unicorn from a wintry landscape in the heart of winter? Has a performer taken the time squinting in the rear of a traveling vehicle, repairing their own metal mesh?

Immersed in the Legend

Formed in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have dealt with these exact challenges and additional ones as they act out their heroic dreams. Starting with medieval-inspired, earworm-heavy anthems to eye-popping live shows, attire styling, music videos and album art, they’re not so much a heavy metal group as a total artistic immersion.

“It wasn’t planned to be a costumed concept band,” says singer, guitarist, blade-handler and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport travels from a sold-out gig in a German city to a second one in another town – they’re also doing several shows in the UK currently. “We played two shows and got booked on a October show, where I decided spontaneously to put on an outfit. The entire setup was super-DIY, but we had an amazing time and the atmosphere was unforgettable. I thought, ‘How about if we could have this much fun at every show?’”

The Band’s Evolution

After that, the group – which features Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” joined by a medic from history (low-end instrumentalist), haughty vampire (lead guitarist) and mysterious druid (rhythm keeper) – never turned back. The Bestiary, the follow-up record, conjures visions of classic metal icons collaborating to fight their path through a Frank Frazetta fantasy world – a epic masterpiece that places them on the brink of far grander things.

The release was a first for Pinkerton in that she opened the floor to her bandmates. “This helped a much better album,” she says of the collaborative process. “I had difficulty at first – I’d always felt a particular degree of pride as a woman in music working independently. I’ve had multiple instances where after a show and some guy will say, ‘Those guys compose cool melodies!’ and I think, ‘Wait – I wrote all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

As the band’s stature has expanded, so has the scale of their visual elements. “My motto is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. At first, she had been on course for a university studies in art before hesitating at the prospect of financial burden. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s various avenues to apply artistry,” she says. “From crafting disguises, attire creation, mastering post-production song visuals … everything is I don’t know how to do, but it’s fun to learn in the moment.”

As if building the group’s detailed mythology (“The team is pushing me to record it because all the ideas are,” 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 confessedly left her completely original scalemail look to a New York-based specialist. “It feels like actual armour,” she grins.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

What about the crowd? They loved the stage blood, soft weapons and handmade props with similar excitement as the band. “We played a concert in the Motor City and it resembled a medieval event,” recalls Riley with affection. “The whole crowd was in cloaks, animal hides, armor.”

This isn’t to say, though, that touring existence as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been easy. “Everything is frequently damaged and ends up duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Moreover I’ll have endless ideas as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we’re traveling in a vehicle with restricted capacity. It’s a fascinating test to create the impression like a mythic tale, then store it into minimal luggage.”

We faced additional practical issues that wouldn’t have troubled legendary fantasy heroes. “There was an ‘oh shit’ moment when we performed at a music event in Portugal and my baggage – which had my blade in it – went missing,” says Riley. “This became a nightmare, because there is no an backup plan of the concert where I am without a sword.”

Upcoming Plans

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is eager about the future. “My goal is all the way – we should play large venues,” she says. “The key element that’s truly essential to me is keeping the DIY aesthetic, making sure everything is handmade. This is a feature I want to stay authentic to, whatever we achieve. Oh, and I desire to ride out on a mythical beast each show. Remember how some artists ride bikes on stage? That, but using a unicorn.”