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Although plenty of rockers have taken inspiration from high fantasy, only a handful have truly lived the enchanted lifestyle. Admittedly, they could adorn their album covers with creatures, beasts, captive women and brawny barbarians, but has an artist ever been forced to retrieve a missing mythical horn from a snowy field in the depths of winter? Did a guitarist taken the time squinting in the back of a traveling vehicle, repairing their own metal mesh?

Living the Fantasy

Established in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have dealt with such situations and others as they live out their heroic dreams. Starting with medieval-inspired, memorable anthems to stunning live shows, attire styling, visuals and album art, they’re more than a metal band as a total artistic immersion.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a costumed concept band,” says singer, guitarist, blade-handler and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport drives from a packed show in Cologne to one more in Aschaffenburg – they have five gigs in the UK now. “Initially, we performed twice and got booked on a Halloween gig, where I made a last-minute decision to put on an outfit. Everything was highly handmade, but we had a blast and the energy was electric. I realized, ‘How about if we could have so much excitement at every show?’”

Development of Castle Rat

After that, the ensemble – which features Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” together with a pestilence physician (bassist), aristocratic undead (six-string player) and enigmatic nature priest (drummer) – haven’t looked back. Their latest album, the follow-up record, evokes images of classic metal icons uniting to fight their path through a heroic art landscape – a epic masterpiece that sets them on the brink of greater success.

The release was a new experience for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her collaborators. “That contributed to a much better record,” she says of the collaborative process. “I had difficulty at first – There was a sense of a specific level of pride as a female in music doing everything solo. There’ve been so many times where I finished performing and an audience member will say, ‘The other members create awesome guitar parts!’ and I respond, ‘Wait – I composed all that.’”

Creative Output and Ideas

As their fame has increased, so has the scope of their production design. “My motto is always that if something is valuable, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. At first, she had been on path for a art school education before hesitating at the possibility of financial burden. “What’s enjoyable about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to express creativity,” she says. “From making masks, attire creation, learning how to edit clips … everything is I don’t know how to do, but it’s fun to discover in the moment.”

As if building the group’s detailed mythology (“People are encouraging me to record it because it’s all in here,” Riley says, indicating her head) and making clothing didn’t suffice, the vocalist learned on her own how to make chainmail – no mean feat, though she confessedly left her all-new scalemail look to a New York-based specialist. “It feels like actual armour,” she grins.

Audience Reaction and Challenges

What about the crowd? They embraced the fake blood, toy blades and handmade props with similar excitement as the band. “We performed a gig in Detroit and it resembled a historical festival,” remembers Riley happily. “Everyone was in robes, animal hides, metal wear.”

That’s not to imply, nevertheless, that life on the road as mythical wanderers has been smooth. “Each item is always failing and becomes duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Moreover I get endless ideas as to how I desire the presentation, but we are on the move in a van with limited room. It’s a fascinating test to create the impression like a mythic tale, then compress it into nothing.”

There have been further organizational challenges that would never have plagued fictional warriors. “We experienced an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we performed at SonicBlast festival in Portugal and my baggage – which had my sword in it – went missing,” says Riley. “It was a worst-case scenario, because we don’t have an backup plan of the concert where I am without a sword.”

Goals Ahead

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is gung-ho about the days to come. “I want to go to the top – we should play stadiums,” she says. “The main aspect that’s deeply meaningful to me is keeping the handmade style, guaranteeing everything is custom-made. It’s a component I want to keep true to, regardless of we grow into. Oh, and I desire to make an entrance on a unicorn every night. Think about how famous musicians use vehicles in concerts? Exactly that, but using a unicorn.”