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Although many rockers have borrowed from fantasy lore, rarely any have truly lived the enchanted existence. Certainly, they could embellish their record jackets with ghouls, beasts, manacled maidens and brawny barbarians, but has any musician ever been forced to retrieve a misplaced mythical horn from a snowy field in the midst of winter? Did a performer taken the time straining their eyes in the rear of a tour bus, fixing their own armor?

Immersed in the Legend

Established in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have dealt with such situations and additional ones as they live out their epic fantasies. Starting with heraldic, earworm-heavy anthems to stunning performances, attire styling, visuals and record designs, they’re not so much a metal band as a complete sensory journey.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a outfit with characters,” states vocalist, guitarist, blade-handler and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van speeds from a packed show in Cologne to a second one in another town – they have multiple performances in the UK currently. “We played two shows and got booked on a Halloween gig, where I decided spontaneously to put on an outfit. Everything was super-DIY, but we had so much fun and the energy was unforgettable. I realized, ‘How about if we could have so much excitement always?’”

Growth of the Group

After that, the group – which features Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” joined by a medic from history (bass player), haughty vampire (lead guitarist) and enigmatic nature priest (drummer) – continued forward. The new record, the group’s sophomore release, conjures visions of legendary heavy bands joining forces to battle their way through a Frank Frazetta fantasy world – a grand composition that sets them on the brink of far grander things.

The release was a first for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her bandmates. “This helped a much better record,” she says of the team effort. “It was challenging at first – I’d always felt a particular degree of accomplishment as a female in music going it alone. There’ve been so many times where after a show and an audience member will say, ‘Those guys compose cool melodies!’ and I’m like, ‘Hey – I wrote all that.’”

Artistry and Imagination

With their growing popularity has increased, so has the scale of their stage presentation. “My philosophy is always that if something is valuable, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton chuckles. At first, she had been on course for a university studies in art before pulling back at the idea of so much debt. “What’s enjoyable about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to demonstrate artistry,” she says. “Be it making masks, attire creation, mastering post-production song visuals … everything is I am unfamiliar with, but it’s enjoyable to learn on the fly.”

Even though creating the band’s intricate lore (“People are encouraging me to write it down because everything is stored,” Riley says, indicating her head) and making clothing didn’t suffice, the singer self-educated how to craft metal mesh – a challenging endeavor, though she confessedly left her completely original scale armor design to a New York-based specialist. “It seems like actual armour,” she beams.

Fan Response and Obstacles

As for audiences? They embraced the fake blood, soft weapons and papier-mache rat skulls with as much gusto as the band. “We played a concert in Detroit and it seemed like a historical festival,” remembers Riley fondly. “The whole crowd was in capes, wool garments, armor.”

This isn’t to say, however, that traveling lifestyle as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been easy. “All our gear is always failing and gets fixed temporarily,” Riley says. “Additionally I’ll have endless ideas as to how I desire the presentation, but we tour in a van with limited room. It’s an interesting challenge to create the impression like a larger-than-life story, then compress it into nothing.”

We’ve encountered further organizational challenges that wouldn’t have troubled mythic characters. “We did have an ‘disastrous’ moment when we performed at a Portuguese festival in the European country and my baggage – which had my sword in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “That was a nightmare, because there is no an different option of the concert where I don’t have a sword.”

Future Ambitions

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is enthusiastic about the what’s next. “I want to go as far as possible – I dream of large venues,” she says. “The only thing that’s really important to me is maintaining the handmade style, ensuring everything is crafted by us. It’s a component I want to stay authentic to, regardless of we grow into. Additionally, I wish to ride out on a unicorn every night. You know how some artists ride bikes on stage? That, but using a unicorn.”