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While many artists have borrowed from high fantasy, rarely any have truly lived the fantasy existence. Admittedly, they may embellish their record jackets with creatures, imps, manacled maidens and muscular warriors, but has an artist ever needed to find a missing horn from a unicorn from a snowy field in the heart of winter? Has a performer taken the time straining their eyes in the rear of a traveling vehicle, repairing their own chainmail?

Embracing the Mythos

Formed in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have encountered both these scenarios and additional ones as they act out their epic fantasies. Starting with knightly, earworm-heavy tunes to breathtaking live shows, outfit creation, videos and record designs, they’re more than a heavy metal group as a full immersive experience.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a costumed concept band,” explains vocalist, guitar player, sword-wielder and creative overlord Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van drives from a sold-out gig in Cologne to a second one in Aschaffenburg – they have five gigs in the UK this week. “We played two shows and were scheduled on a October show, where I decided spontaneously to wear a costume. Everything was completely self-made, but we had an amazing time and the feeling in the room was unforgettable. It occurred to me, ‘How about if we could have such enjoyment every time?’”

The Band’s Evolution

From that point on, the group – which includes Pinkerton as the “Rat Queen” joined by a pestilence physician (low-end instrumentalist), proud bloodsucker (six-string player) and enigmatic nature priest (percussionist) – continued forward. The new record, the follow-up record, evokes images of classic metal icons collaborating to battle their way through a mythical painted realm – a grand composition that sets them on the brink of bigger achievements.

This album was a new experience for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her fellow members. “That contributed to a much better album,” she says of the collaborative process. “I struggled at first – I’d always felt a particular degree of accomplishment being a woman in music working independently. There have been multiple instances where after a show and an audience member will say, ‘The other members create awesome guitar parts!’ and I respond, ‘Listen – I wrote all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

As their fame has grown, so has the scope of their visual elements. “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 fine art degree before balking at the prospect of financial burden. “What’s enjoyable about Castle Rat is there’s various avenues to demonstrate artistic expression,” she says. “Whether it’s creating face coverings, attire creation, figuring out video editing song visuals … these are all things I have no experience with, but it’s exciting to figure it out as we go.”

Even though building the band’s intricate lore (“People are encouraging me to document it because it’s all in here,” Riley says, tapping her head) and sewing costumes didn’t suffice, the singer self-educated how to craft metal mesh – a challenging endeavor, though she confessedly delegated her all-new reptilian-inspired outfit to a professional in the city. “It seems like actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

As for audiences? They loved the fake blood, foam swords and papier-mache rat skulls with equal enthusiasm as the band. “We had a concert in the Motor City and it seemed like a medieval event,” recalls Riley fondly. “Everyone was in capes, animal hides, metal wear.”

That’s not to imply, nevertheless, that touring existence as fantasy adventurers has been plain sailing. “All our gear is always failing and becomes duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Plus I come up with endless ideas as to how I want things to look, but we tour in a van with restricted capacity. It’s an interesting challenge to give the sense like a mythic tale, then compress it into minimal luggage.”

We’ve encountered other logistical problems that would never have plagued legendary fantasy heroes. “We experienced an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we appeared at SonicBlast festival in the European country and my suitcase – which had my sword in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “This became a nightmare, because we don’t have an alternative version of the performance where I don’t have a sword.”

Future Ambitions

Like a true warrior queen, Riley is enthusiastic about the what’s next. “My goal is to the top – let’s do large venues,” she says. “The only thing that’s really important to me is maintaining the handmade style, ensuring all elements is custom-made. This is a feature I want to keep true to, no matter what we grow into. Plus, I wish to make an entrance on a unicorn at all performances. Remember how famous musicians do the motorcycle thing? That, but on a mythical creature.”