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Although many rockers have taken inspiration from high fantasy, only a handful have fully embraced the mythical lifestyle. Sure, they might decorate their album covers with creatures, beasts, manacled maidens and muscular warriors, but did a member ever needed to recover a lost unicorn horn from a frost-covered ground in the depths of winter? Did anyone taken the time squinting in the back of a traveling vehicle, fixing their own chainmail?

Living the Fantasy

Created in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have had to face such situations and others as they embody their epic fantasies. From knightly, memorable tunes to eye-popping live shows, costume design, visuals and record designs, they’re not just a metal band as a total artistic immersion.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a outfit with characters,” says singer, guitarist, sword-wielder and visionary Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van travels from a packed show in Cologne to a second one in another town – they have several shows in the UK currently. “We played two shows and received an offer on a October show, where I made a last-minute decision to wear a costume. Everything was super-DIY, but we had an amazing time and the atmosphere was unforgettable. I realized, ‘Imagine if we could have such enjoyment every time?’”

The Band’s Evolution

From that point on, the group – which features Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” together with a medic from history (bass player), haughty vampire (lead guitarist) and enigmatic nature priest (drummer) – continued forward. The new record, the band’s second album, brings to mind of legendary heavy bands joining forces to battle their way through a Frank Frazetta fantasy world – a epic masterpiece that places them on the verge of greater success.

This album was a new experience for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her collaborators. “That contributed to a lot stronger project,” she says of the collaborative process. “It was challenging at first – There was a sense of a particular degree of satisfaction being a woman in music working independently. I’ve had multiple instances where I finished performing and some guy will say, ‘The other members create awesome guitar parts!’ and I’m like, ‘Listen – I created all that.’”

Creative Output and Ideas

With their growing popularity has increased, so has the scope of their production design. “The saying I live by is always that if something is valuable, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. Initially, she was on track for a art school education before pulling back at the idea of financial burden. “What’s enjoyable about Castle Rat is there’s various avenues to express artistry,” she says. “Be it crafting disguises, costume design, learning how to edit music videos … these are all things I have no experience with, but it’s exciting to figure it out as we go.”

As if developing the group’s detailed mythology (“The team is pushing me to document it because all the ideas are,” Riley says, indicating her head) and sewing costumes didn’t suffice, the singer self-educated how to create armor – no mean feat, though she confessedly delegated her completely original scalemail look to a professional in the city. “It’s as if actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Fan Response and Obstacles

What about the crowd? They took to the theatrical gore, soft weapons and papier-mache rat skulls with as much gusto as the band. “We performed a gig in the Motor City and it seemed like a historical festival,” reminisces Riley fondly. “Everyone was in robes, wool garments, metal wear.”

This isn’t to say, though, that traveling lifestyle as mythical wanderers has been smooth. “Each item is constantly breaking and becomes fixed temporarily,” Riley says. “Moreover I’ll have countless concepts as to how I desire the presentation, but we tour in a vehicle with restricted capacity. It’s a unique problem to give the sense like a grand epic, then compress it into a small space.”

We faced further organizational challenges that would never have plagued legendary fantasy heroes. “We did have an ‘oh shit’ moment when we appeared at SonicBlast festival in the European country and my luggage – which had my blade in it – got lost,” says Riley. “That was a worst-case scenario, because there is no an backup plan of the concert where I don’t have a weapon.”

Goals Ahead

As a genuine leader, Riley is enthusiastic about the days to come. “My goal is as far as possible – I dream of stadiums,” she says. “The main aspect that’s really important to me is maintaining the self-crafted look, guaranteeing all elements is custom-made. It’s a component I want to keep true to, regardless of we grow into. Additionally, I want to appear on a magical horse every night. Remember how legends do the motorcycle thing? Exactly that, but on a mythical creature.”