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While plenty of artists have borrowed from fantasy lore, only a handful have genuinely embodied the enchanted way of life. Admittedly, they may adorn their album sleeves with creatures, imps, chained damsels and strong fighters, but has any musician ever have to recover a lost horn from a unicorn from a snowy field in the depths of winter? Did anyone spent time straining their eyes in the back of a traveling vehicle, mending their own armor?

Immersed in the Legend

Established in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have dealt with these exact challenges and additional ones as they embody their epic fantasies. From medieval-inspired, catchy songs to eye-popping performances, costume design, music videos and record designs, they’re more than a metal band as a full immersive experience.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a costumed concept band,” states 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 one more in another town – they are playing several shows in the UK now. “Initially, we performed twice and got booked on a spooky event, where I chose at the final moment to dress up. The entire setup was completely self-made, but we had a blast and the feeling in the room was incredible. I realized, ‘What if we could have such enjoyment every time?’”

Growth of the Group

After that, the band – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” together with a pestilence physician (low-end instrumentalist), aristocratic undead (guitarist) and mysterious druid (drummer) – never turned back. The Bestiary, the band’s second album, evokes images of famous rock groups 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 initial step for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her bandmates. “It made it a lot stronger project,” she says of the team effort. “I struggled at first – There was a sense of a specific level of accomplishment being a woman in music going it alone. I’ve had numerous occasions where after a show and an audience member will say, ‘The band compose cool melodies!’ and I respond, ‘Listen – I composed all that.’”

Creative Output and Ideas

With their growing popularity has expanded, so has the scale of their production design. “My motto is always that if something is valuable, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton chuckles. At first, she had been on track for a art school education before balking at the possibility of so much debt. “The fun thing about Castle Rat is there’s various avenues to apply artistic expression,” she says. “From creating face coverings, outfit planning, figuring out video editing clips … it’s all stuff I have no experience with, but it’s enjoyable to figure it out on the fly.”

Even though developing the band’s intricate lore (“The team is pushing me to record it because it’s all in here,” Riley says, tapping her head) and stitching garments wasn’t enough, the singer taught herself how to create armor – a challenging endeavor, though she admittedly delegated her all-new reptilian-inspired outfit to a expert from NYC. “It’s as if actual armour,” she grins.

Fan Response and Obstacles

What about the crowd? They loved the stage blood, soft weapons and handmade props with as much gusto as the band. “We played a concert in the Motor City and it seemed like a Renaissance fair,” recalls Riley happily. “Everyone was in robes, animal hides, armor.”

This isn’t to say, nevertheless, that life on the road as fantasy adventurers has been easy. “Everything is always failing and ends up 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 restricted capacity. It’s a fascinating test to make it feel like a larger-than-life story, then store it into minimal luggage.”

There have been other logistical problems that wouldn’t have troubled fictional warriors. “There was an ‘disastrous’ moment when we played a Portuguese festival in the European country and my luggage – which had my blade in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “This became a worst-case scenario, because we don’t have an alternative version of the show where I am without a blade.”

Goals Ahead

As a genuine leader, Riley is gung-ho about the days to come. “My goal is to the top – I dream of stadiums,” she says. “The main aspect that’s deeply meaningful to me is maintaining the self-crafted look, making sure all elements is handmade. This is a feature I want to stay authentic to, regardless of we grow into. Plus, I desire to make an entrance on a magical horse each show. Remember how famous musicians ride bikes on stage? That, but with a unicorn.”