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Although numerous rockers have drawn from fantasy lore, rarely any have genuinely embodied the fantasy lifestyle. Certainly, they could embellish their record jackets with ghouls, goblins, manacled maidens and strong fighters, but has any musician ever been forced to retrieve a misplaced horn from a unicorn from a wintry landscape in the heart of winter? Did a performer taken the time squinting in the back of a tour bus, mending their own armor?

Living the Fantasy

Established in 2019, New York’s Castle Rat have encountered these exact challenges and additional ones as they act out their grand tales. Starting with knightly, earworm-heavy songs to breathtaking concerts, costume design, videos and record designs, they’re not just a metal band as a complete sensory journey.

“It wasn’t planned to be a costumed concept band,” explains vocalist, guitarist, sword-wielder and visionary Riley Pinkerton as the group’s vehicle speeds from a packed show in a German city to another in Aschaffenburg – they have several shows in the UK this week. “Initially, we performed twice and received an offer on a Halloween gig, where I made a last-minute decision to wear a costume. The entire setup was completely self-made, but we had an amazing time and the atmosphere was incredible. I realized, ‘Imagine if we could have such enjoyment at every show?’”

Growth of the Group

Since then, the band – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” joined by a medic from history (bassist), proud bloodsucker (six-string player) and secretive shaman (rhythm keeper) – haven’t looked back. Their latest album, the band’s second album, brings to mind of classic metal icons uniting to fight their path through a mythical painted realm – a epic masterpiece that sets them on the brink of far grander things.

The release was a initial step for Pinkerton in that she opened the floor to her collaborators. “That contributed to a much better project,” she says of the team effort. “I had difficulty at first – There was a sense of a particular degree of pride as a female in music going it alone. I’ve had numerous occasions where I’ve got off stage and a person will say, ‘The band write great riffs!’ and I’m like, ‘Wait – I composed all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

As their fame has expanded, so has the scope of their production design. “My motto is always that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton laughs. Initially, she was on path for a fine art degree before pulling back at the prospect of financial burden. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to apply creativity,” she says. “Whether it’s making masks, attire creation, learning how to edit music videos … it’s all stuff I am unfamiliar with, but it’s exciting to discover on the fly.”

Even though building the ensemble’s complex backstory (“The team is pushing me to record it because it’s all in here,” Riley says, tapping her head) and making clothing wasn’t enough, the singer self-educated how to craft metal mesh – a challenging endeavor, though she admittedly left her brand-new reptilian-inspired outfit to a expert from NYC. “It feels like actual armour,” she grins.

Audience Reaction and Challenges

Regarding the fans? They loved the stage blood, soft weapons and crafted rodent bones with similar excitement as the group. “We had a concert in Detroit and it looked like a medieval event,” remembers Riley with affection. “All attendees was in cloaks, animal hides, armor.”

However, this doesn’t mean, though, that traveling lifestyle as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been smooth. “Each item is frequently damaged and gets duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Additionally I get countless concepts as to how I want things to look, but we tour in a van with restricted capacity. It’s a fascinating test to create the impression like a mythic tale, then compress it into a small space.”

We faced additional practical issues that didn’t affect legendary fantasy heroes. “We experienced an ‘oh shit’ moment when we played a Portuguese festival in Portugal and my luggage – which had my blade in it – went missing,” says Riley. “This became a worst-case scenario, because there is no an alternative version of the show where I don’t have a sword.”

Goals Ahead

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is eager about the what’s next. “I aim to reach all the way – let’s do stadiums,” she says. “The only thing that’s truly essential to me is preserving the handmade style, ensuring everything is custom-made. That’s an element I want to keep true to, no matter what we achieve. Oh, and I want to make an entrance on a unicorn every night. Think about how famous musicians do the motorcycle thing? Exactly that, but using a unicorn.”