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Although plenty of artists have drawn from fantasy lore, rarely any have truly lived the fantasy existence. Admittedly, they may embellish their record jackets with monsters, goblins, manacled maidens and brawny barbarians, but has an artist ever needed to find a misplaced mythical horn from a snowy field in the heart of winter? Did a performer devoted hours straining their eyes in the back of a traveling vehicle, fixing their own metal mesh?

Embracing the Mythos

Formed in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have had to face such situations and others as they act out their grand tales. From heraldic, catchy anthems to breathtaking live shows, outfit creation, music videos and record designs, they’re more than a metal band as a total artistic immersion.

“It wasn’t planned to be a costumed concept band,” explains singer, guitarist, blade-handler and creative overlord Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport travels from a sold-out gig in a German city to a second one in another town – they’re also doing several shows in the UK currently. “We played two shows and received an offer on a Halloween gig, where I chose at the final moment to dress up. Everything was highly handmade, but we had so much fun and the energy was unforgettable. I realized, ‘Imagine if we could have so much excitement every time?’”

Development of Castle Rat

After that, the band – which includes Pinkerton as the “Rat Queen” joined by a pestilence physician (bass player), proud bloodsucker (guitarist) and secretive shaman (rhythm keeper) – haven’t looked back. The new record, the group’s sophomore release, brings to mind of classic metal icons joining forces to battle their way through a heroic art landscape – a grand composition that positions them on the edge of greater success.

This album was a first for Pinkerton in that she opened the floor to her fellow members. “It made it a more powerful project,” she says of the collaborative process. “It was challenging at first – I’d always felt a specific level of satisfaction being a woman in music doing everything solo. There’ve been multiple instances where I’ve got off stage and an audience member will say, ‘The other members create awesome guitar parts!’ and I respond, ‘Hey – I composed all that.’”

Artistry and Imagination

As the band’s stature has grown, so has the scale of their production design. “My philosophy is always that if something is valuable, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton chuckles. She was originally on course for a university studies in art before hesitating at the idea of so much debt. “The fun thing about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to express artistic expression,” she says. “Be it creating face coverings, costume design, mastering post-production music videos … these are all things I am unfamiliar with, but it’s exciting to discover in the moment.”

Even though building the band’s intricate lore (“The team is pushing me to record it because everything is stored,” Riley says, indicating her head) and sewing costumes wasn’t enough, the vocalist taught herself how to create armor – a challenging endeavor, though she admittedly left her all-new reptilian-inspired outfit to a professional in the city. “It’s as if actual armour,” she beams.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

Regarding the fans? They took to the stage blood, soft weapons and handmade props with similar excitement as the musicians. “We had a gig in Detroit and it resembled a Renaissance fair,” reminisces Riley with affection. “All attendees was in cloaks, wool garments, chainmail.”

That’s not to imply, though, that touring existence as mythical wanderers has been plain sailing. “Each item is frequently damaged and gets repaired with tape,” Riley says. “Plus I get countless concepts as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we are on the move in a bus with only so much space. It’s a fascinating test to make it feel like a larger-than-life story, then pack it down into nothing.”

We’ve encountered further organizational challenges that didn’t affect legendary fantasy heroes. “We experienced an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we performed at a music event in the European country and my baggage – which had my blade in it – got lost,” says Riley. “It was a terrible situation, because there is no an alternative version of the concert where I am without a sword.”

Future Ambitions

Like a true warrior queen, Riley is gung-ho about the days to come. “I want to go as far as possible – I dream of huge arenas,” she says. “The main aspect that’s truly essential to me is keeping the self-crafted look, ensuring everything is handmade. This is a feature I want to keep true to, no matter what we grow into. Oh, and I desire to make an entrance on a mythical beast every night. You know how legends do the motorcycle thing? The same idea, but with a unicorn.”