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While many musicians have borrowed from high fantasy, rarely any have truly lived the enchanted existence. Admittedly, they could decorate their album covers with monsters, imps, captive women and strong fighters, but has any musician ever have to recover a missing horn from a unicorn from a frost-covered ground in the midst of winter? Has a performer taken the time straining their eyes in the back of a tour bus, repairing their own metal mesh?

Living the Fantasy

Created in 2019, New York’s Castle Rat have had to face such situations and additional ones as they embody their heroic dreams. Starting with medieval-inspired, catchy songs to breathtaking concerts, attire styling, visuals and cover artwork, they’re not just a metal band as a complete sensory journey.

“Castle Rat wasn’t meant to be a costumed concept band,” says singer, guitar player, sword-carrier and creative overlord Riley Pinkerton as the group’s vehicle speeds from a sold-out gig in a German city to one more in Aschaffenburg – they’re also doing multiple performances in the UK this week. “After a couple of performances and received an offer on a October show, where I made a last-minute decision to put on an outfit. Everything was completely self-made, but we had so much fun and the atmosphere was unforgettable. It occurred to me, ‘What if we could have such enjoyment at every show?’”

Development of Castle Rat

From that point on, the group – which features Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” joined by a medic from history (low-end instrumentalist), proud bloodsucker (six-string player) and enigmatic nature priest (percussionist) – haven’t looked back. The Bestiary, the band’s second album, brings to mind of legendary heavy bands joining forces to fight their path through a heroic art landscape – a heroic opus that places them on the verge of bigger achievements.

This album was a new experience for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her bandmates. “That contributed to a lot stronger project,” she says of the team effort. “I had difficulty at first – I’d always felt a specific level of pride as a female in music going it alone. There have been numerous occasions where I’ve got off stage and some guy will say, ‘Those guys compose cool melodies!’ and I respond, ‘Wait – I created all that.’”

Artistry and Imagination

As their fame has expanded, so has the scale of their stage presentation. “The saying I live by is always that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. She was originally on track for a fine art degree before pulling back at the prospect of financial burden. “The fun thing about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to apply creativity,” she says. “Be it crafting disguises, outfit planning, mastering post-production music videos … it’s all stuff I have no experience with, but it’s enjoyable to figure it out as we go.”

As if building the group’s detailed mythology (“The team is pushing me to record it because it’s all in here,” Riley says, tapping her head) and sewing costumes were insufficient, the vocalist learned on her own how to make chainmail – no mean feat, though she confessedly left her all-new scale armor design to a New York-based specialist. “It’s as if actual armour,” she beams.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

Regarding the fans? They took to the stage blood, toy blades and crafted rodent bones with similar excitement as the band. “We performed a gig in Detroit and it seemed like a Renaissance fair,” recalls Riley with affection. “All attendees was in capes, animal hides, armor.”

This isn’t to say, though, that traveling lifestyle as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been smooth. “All our gear is frequently damaged and gets fixed temporarily,” Riley says. “Moreover I’ll have numerous thoughts as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we tour in a bus with restricted capacity. It’s a fascinating test to give the sense like a grand epic, then pack it down into minimal luggage.”

We’ve encountered additional practical issues that wouldn’t have troubled fictional warriors. “There was an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we performed at a Portuguese festival in the European country and my suitcase – which had my weapon in it – went missing,” says Riley. “That was a terrible situation, because there’s not an different option of the performance where I don’t have a blade.”

Goals Ahead

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is eager about the what’s next. “I want to go to the top – let’s do large venues,” she says. “The main aspect that’s really important to me is preserving the DIY aesthetic, guaranteeing each detail is custom-made. That’s an element I want to keep true to, whatever we achieve. Plus, I want to ride out on a magical horse every night. You know how some artists use vehicles in concerts? Exactly that, but on a mythical creature.”