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Although numerous artists have borrowed from fantasy lore, rarely any have truly lived the mythical lifestyle. Admittedly, they might embellish their album sleeves with creatures, goblins, captive women and muscular warriors, but has any musician ever have to recover a misplaced horn from a unicorn from a wintry landscape in the heart of winter? Did a guitarist devoted hours squinting in the back of a traveling vehicle, repairing their own chainmail?

Living the Fantasy

Established in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have dealt with both these scenarios and additional ones as they act out their epic fantasies. From heraldic, catchy tunes to breathtaking concerts, outfit creation, music videos and cover artwork, they’re not so much a heavy metal group as a total artistic immersion.

“It wasn’t planned to be a themed musical group,” states vocalist, guitar player, blade-handler and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport drives from a sold-out gig in Cologne to a second one in Aschaffenburg – they have five gigs in the UK now. “We played two shows and received an offer on a October show, where I made a last-minute decision to put on an outfit. The entire setup was completely self-made, but we had a blast and the atmosphere was incredible. It occurred to me, ‘How about if we could have this much fun every time?’”

The Band’s Evolution

After that, the band – which features Pinkerton as the “Rat Queen” joined by a medic from history (bassist), aristocratic undead (lead guitarist) and enigmatic nature priest (drummer) – continued forward. The new record, the group’s sophomore release, brings to mind of classic metal icons collaborating to struggle onward through a Frank Frazetta fantasy world – a epic masterpiece that places them on the brink of greater success.

The release was a first for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her fellow members. “It made it a more powerful project,” she says of the team effort. “I had difficulty at first – I often experienced a particular degree of accomplishment being a woman in music doing everything solo. There have been multiple instances where I’ve got off stage and some guy will say, ‘Those guys write great riffs!’ and I think, ‘Listen – I wrote all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

As their fame has expanded, so has the breadth of their visual elements. “My philosophy is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. At first, she had been on course for a fine art degree before balking at the prospect of heavy loans. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to express artistry,” she says. “Whether it’s creating face coverings, attire creation, mastering post-production clips … these are all things I don’t know how to do, but it’s fun to figure it out on the fly.”

Even though building the band’s intricate lore (“The team is pushing me to document it because all the ideas are,” Riley says, pointing to her head) and making clothing wasn’t enough, the vocalist learned on her own how to make chainmail – a challenging endeavor, though she admittedly left her all-new scale armor design to a expert from NYC. “It’s as if actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Fan Response and Obstacles

Regarding the fans? They loved the fake blood, soft weapons and handmade props with as much gusto as the musicians. “We had a show in Detroit and it looked like a medieval event,” reminisces Riley fondly. “The whole crowd was in cloaks, wool garments, metal wear.”

This isn’t to say, nevertheless, that touring existence as fantasy adventurers has been smooth. “Each item is always failing and becomes repaired with tape,” Riley says. “Plus I’ll have numerous thoughts as to how I desire the presentation, but we are on the move in a bus with limited room. It’s a fascinating test to make it feel like a mythic tale, then store it into minimal luggage.”

We faced other logistical problems that would never have plagued fictional warriors. “We did have an ‘oh shit’ moment when we performed at SonicBlast festival in Portugal and my baggage – which had my weapon in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “This became a terrible situation, because we don’t have an different option of the concert where I don’t have a weapon.”

Upcoming Plans

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is enthusiastic about the days to come. “I want to go as far as possible – let’s do stadiums,” she says. “The main aspect that’s really important to me is keeping the DIY aesthetic, ensuring everything is custom-made. That’s an element I want to stay authentic to, no matter what we scale to. Oh, and I wish to ride out on a magical horse at all performances. You know how legends use vehicles in concerts? Exactly that, but using a unicorn.”