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While many rockers have borrowed from fantasy lore, few have genuinely embodied the fantasy existence. Certainly, they may embellish their album covers with creatures, imps, manacled maidens and muscular warriors, but did a member ever have to recover a misplaced horn from a unicorn from a snowy field in the depths of winter? Did anyone devoted hours straining their eyes in the rear of a traveling vehicle, repairing their own metal mesh?

Embracing the Mythos

Established in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have had to face such situations and more as they live out their epic fantasies. Starting with knightly, catchy tunes to breathtaking live shows, outfit creation, videos and record designs, they’re more than a heavy metal group as a total artistic immersion.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a costumed concept band,” says vocalist, guitar player, blade-handler and creative overlord Riley Pinkerton as the group’s vehicle travels from a sold-out gig in a German city to another in another town – they have several shows in the UK currently. “We played two shows and got booked on a October show, where I chose at the final moment to put on an outfit. Everything was highly handmade, but we had an amazing time and the atmosphere was incredible. I realized, ‘Imagine if we could have this much fun every time?’”

Growth of the Group

After that, the group – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” joined by a medic from history (bass player), haughty vampire (six-string player) and mysterious druid (drummer) – never turned back. The new record, the band’s second album, conjures visions of legendary heavy bands joining forces to struggle onward through a heroic art landscape – a heroic opus that sets them on the brink of far grander things.

This album was a first for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her bandmates. “This helped a lot stronger record,” she says of the group work. “It was challenging at first – I’d always felt a particular degree of satisfaction as a female in music working independently. There have been so many times where I finished performing and an audience member will say, ‘The other members compose cool melodies!’ and I’m like, ‘Wait – I wrote all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

With their growing popularity has expanded, so has the scale of their visual elements. “My philosophy is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton chuckles. She was originally on track for a fine art degree before balking at the idea of financial burden. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to apply artistry,” she says. “Whether it’s crafting disguises, costume design, figuring out video editing song visuals … it’s all stuff I don’t know how to do, but it’s fun to learn on the fly.”

As if creating the group’s detailed mythology (“The team is pushing me to document it because all the ideas are,” Riley says, pointing to her head) and making clothing didn’t suffice, the vocalist learned on her own how to make chainmail – a difficult task, though she admittedly entrusted her brand-new scalemail look to a professional in the city. “It seems like actual armour,” she beams.

Fan Response and Obstacles

Regarding the fans? They loved the stage blood, toy blades and crafted rodent bones with similar excitement as the group. “We had a show in Detroit and it seemed like a Renaissance fair,” recalls Riley with affection. “The whole crowd was in cloaks, sheepskin, chainmail.”

However, this doesn’t mean, however, that traveling lifestyle as fantasy adventurers has been plain sailing. “Everything is frequently damaged and becomes repaired with tape,” Riley says. “Additionally I come up with countless concepts as to how I want things to look, but we are on the move in a van with limited room. It’s a fascinating test to make it feel like a larger-than-life story, then store it into a small space.”

We faced other logistical problems that wouldn’t have troubled fictional warriors. “We experienced an ‘disastrous’ moment when we appeared at a music event in Portugal and my suitcase – which had my weapon in it – got lost,” says Riley. “It was a nightmare, because there is no an different option of the concert where I don’t have a blade.”

Future Ambitions

Like a true warrior queen, Riley is gung-ho about the future. “I want to go to the top – let’s do huge arenas,” she says. “The only thing that’s truly essential to me is maintaining the handmade style, making sure each detail is crafted by us. This is a feature I want to stay authentic to, regardless of we achieve. Additionally, I want to ride out on a magical horse at all performances. You know how legends do the motorcycle thing? The same idea, but with a unicorn.”