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While many musicians have borrowed from epic fantasy, few have genuinely embodied the fantasy lifestyle. Admittedly, they could embellish their record jackets with creatures, imps, chained damsels and strong fighters, but has any musician ever have to retrieve a misplaced horn from a unicorn from a frost-covered ground in the heart of winter? Did a performer devoted hours squinting in the rear of a traveling vehicle, mending their own armor?

Immersed in the Legend

Created in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have had to face both these scenarios and others as they act out their epic fantasies. Starting with medieval-inspired, memorable songs to eye-popping live shows, attire styling, music videos and cover artwork, they’re more than a heavy metal group as a full immersive experience.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a themed musical group,” explains vocalist, guitarist, blade-handler and visionary Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van travels from a sold-out gig in Cologne to another in another town – they are playing several shows in the UK now. “Initially, we performed twice and received an offer on a spooky event, where I made a last-minute decision to dress up. Everything was super-DIY, but we had a blast and the energy was electric. I realized, ‘Imagine if we could have this much fun at every show?’”

Growth of the Group

After that, the ensemble – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” joined by a medic from history (bass player), proud bloodsucker (lead guitarist) and secretive shaman (drummer) – haven’t looked back. The Bestiary, the group’s sophomore release, brings to mind of famous rock groups uniting to fight their path through a mythical painted realm – a heroic opus that places them on the brink of bigger achievements.

The release was a initial step for Pinkerton in that she opened the floor to her collaborators. “This helped a more powerful album,” she says of the collaborative process. “It was challenging at first – I’d always felt a specific level of accomplishment as a woman in music going it alone. There’ve been so many times where I’ve got off stage and some guy will say, ‘The band write great riffs!’ and I respond, ‘Listen – I created all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

As their fame has grown, so has the breadth of their stage presentation. “My motto is always that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton laughs. She was originally on track for a fine art degree before pulling back at the idea of heavy loans. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to demonstrate creativity,” she says. “Whether it’s making masks, attire creation, mastering post-production clips … it’s all stuff I don’t know how to do, but it’s fun to discover in the moment.”

As if developing the band’s intricate lore (“The team is pushing me to write it down because everything is stored,” Riley says, indicating her head) and making clothing were insufficient, the vocalist self-educated how to create armor – a difficult task, though she admittedly delegated her brand-new reptilian-inspired outfit to a expert from NYC. “It feels like actual armour,” she beams.

Audience Reaction and Challenges

What about the crowd? They took to the fake blood, toy blades and papier-mache rat skulls with as much gusto as the band. “We performed a concert in Detroit and it looked like a Renaissance fair,” reminisces Riley fondly. “All attendees was in robes, wool garments, armor.”

This isn’t to say, nevertheless, that traveling lifestyle as mythical wanderers has been plain sailing. “Each item is always failing and gets duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Additionally I come up with endless ideas 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 larger-than-life story, then store it into nothing.”

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

Upcoming Plans

Like a true warrior queen, Riley is enthusiastic about the days to come. “I want to go as far as possible – let’s do large venues,” she says. “The only thing that’s truly essential to me is maintaining the self-crafted look, making sure each detail is crafted by us. It’s a component I want to keep true to, whatever we achieve. Oh, and I want to appear on a magical horse every night. You know how famous musicians use vehicles in concerts? The same idea, but using a unicorn.”