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Although many artists have taken inspiration from fantasy lore, few have fully embraced the enchanted lifestyle. Certainly, they might decorate their album covers with creatures, imps, captive women and strong fighters, but did a member ever have to recover a lost mythical horn from a wintry landscape in the depths of winter? Did a guitarist devoted hours straining their eyes in the rear of a traveling vehicle, fixing their own chainmail?

Immersed in the Legend

Created in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have dealt with these exact challenges and additional ones as they embody their heroic dreams. Starting with heraldic, memorable tunes to eye-popping concerts, costume design, visuals and cover artwork, they’re not so much a heavy metal group as a total artistic immersion.

“It wasn’t planned to be a costumed concept band,” explains vocalist, guitar player, sword-carrier and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport travels from a full-capacity concert in Cologne to a second one in another town – they’re also doing five gigs in the UK now. “We played two shows and received an offer on a spooky event, where I decided spontaneously to dress up. The entire setup was completely self-made, but we had an amazing time and the feeling in the room was unforgettable. I thought, ‘Imagine if we could have such enjoyment always?’”

The Band’s Evolution

From that point on, the band – which features Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” alongside a plague doctor (bassist), aristocratic undead (six-string player) and secretive shaman (drummer) – haven’t looked back. The Bestiary, the follow-up record, conjures visions of classic metal icons collaborating to fight their path through a mythical painted realm – a heroic opus that sets them on the brink of far grander things.

The Bestiary was a initial step for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her bandmates. “That contributed to a more powerful album,” she says of the group work. “I had difficulty at first – I often experienced a certain amount of satisfaction as a female in music going it alone. There’ve been so many times where after a show and a person will say, ‘The other members compose cool melodies!’ and I think, ‘Wait – I composed all that.’”

Artistry and Imagination

With their growing popularity has increased, so has the scale of their visual elements. “My motto is always that if something is valuable, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton laughs. She was originally on track for a art school education before balking at the prospect of so much debt. “What’s enjoyable about Castle Rat is there’s various avenues to demonstrate artistic expression,” she says. “Be it crafting disguises, costume design, mastering post-production music videos … these are all things I have no experience with, but it’s exciting to figure it out in the moment.”

Even though building the band’s intricate lore (“The team is pushing me to record it because all the ideas are,” Riley says, indicating her head) and making clothing didn’t suffice, the singer self-educated how to craft metal mesh – no mean feat, though she admittedly left her completely original reptilian-inspired outfit to a expert from NYC. “It’s as if actual armour,” she beams.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

Regarding the fans? They loved the fake blood, foam swords and papier-mache rat skulls with as much gusto as the group. “We played a gig in Detroit and it looked like a historical festival,” reminisces Riley with affection. “The whole crowd was in robes, sheepskin, metal wear.”

However, this doesn’t mean, however, that life on the road as mythical wanderers has been smooth. “Each item is always failing and becomes duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Moreover I get countless concepts as to how I desire the presentation, but we tour in a van with limited room. It’s a fascinating test to create the impression like a larger-than-life story, then store it into a small space.”

We faced further organizational challenges that didn’t affect fictional warriors. “We experienced an ‘disastrous’ moment when we appeared at a music event in Portugal and my suitcase – which had my blade in it – went missing,” says Riley. “This became a nightmare, because we don’t have an different option of the performance where I am without a weapon.”

Upcoming Plans

As a genuine leader, Riley is eager about the future. “I aim to reach as far as possible – I dream of stadiums,” she says. “The only thing that’s truly essential to me is preserving the DIY aesthetic, guaranteeing everything is handmade. This is a feature I want to stay authentic to, regardless of we achieve. Oh, and I wish to appear on a mythical beast every night. Remember how some artists do the motorcycle thing? The same idea, but using a unicorn.”