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While plenty of artists have borrowed from high fantasy, few have fully embraced the fantasy way of life. Sure, they could adorn their record jackets with monsters, imps, chained damsels and strong fighters, but has any musician ever have to find a missing mythical horn from a frost-covered ground in the depths of winter? Has anyone taken the time peering in the interior of a tour bus, fixing their own metal mesh?

Immersed in the Legend

Created in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have had to face such situations and more as they act out their grand tales. From knightly, earworm-heavy songs to stunning concerts, outfit creation, visuals and album art, they’re not so much a heavy metal group as a full immersive experience.

“It wasn’t planned to be a themed musical group,” says singer, guitar player, blade-handler and creative overlord Riley Pinkerton as the group’s vehicle drives from a full-capacity concert in Cologne to another in Aschaffenburg – they’re also doing five gigs in the UK currently. “After a couple of performances and received an offer on a October show, where I chose at the final moment to dress up. The entire setup was completely self-made, but we had an amazing time and the energy was unforgettable. I thought, ‘What if we could have such enjoyment always?’”

Development of Castle Rat

After that, the group – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Rat Queen” alongside a medic from history (bass player), proud bloodsucker (lead guitarist) and mysterious druid (drummer) – never turned back. The Bestiary, the group’s sophomore release, evokes images of legendary heavy bands joining forces to battle their way through a Frank Frazetta fantasy world – a grand composition that places them on the verge of bigger achievements.

The release was a new experience for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her bandmates. “It made it a more powerful project,” she says of the collaborative process. “I had difficulty at first – I’d always felt a particular degree of pride as a woman in music doing everything solo. There have been numerous occasions where I’ve got off stage and a person will say, ‘The band create awesome guitar parts!’ and I think, ‘Listen – I composed all that.’”

Artistry and Imagination

As the band’s stature has grown, so has the scale of their stage presentation. “My motto is always that if something is valuable, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton chuckles. At first, she had been on track for a university studies in art before hesitating at the prospect of financial burden. “The fun thing about Castle Rat is there’s various avenues to apply artistic expression,” she says. “Be it crafting disguises, costume design, learning how to edit clips … these are all things I have no experience with, but it’s enjoyable to learn in the moment.”

Even though creating the band’s intricate lore (“People are encouraging me to write it down because all the ideas are,” Riley says, pointing to her head) and making clothing were insufficient, the singer taught herself how to make chainmail – a difficult task, though she confessedly delegated her completely original reptilian-inspired outfit to a expert from NYC. “It feels like actual armour,” she beams.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

As for audiences? They embraced the fake blood, toy blades and papier-mache rat skulls with as much gusto as the musicians. “We played a gig in Detroit and it resembled a medieval event,” recalls Riley happily. “All attendees was in capes, animal hides, armor.”

However, this doesn’t mean, nevertheless, that traveling lifestyle as mythical wanderers has been plain sailing. “Everything is frequently damaged and becomes duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Additionally I get endless ideas as to how I desire the presentation, but we tour in a van with restricted capacity. It’s an interesting challenge to give the sense like a larger-than-life story, then compress it into minimal luggage.”

We’ve encountered additional practical issues that would never have plagued fictional warriors. “There was an ‘disastrous’ moment when we performed at a Portuguese festival in Portugal and my suitcase – which had my sword in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “It was a worst-case scenario, because we don’t have an different option of the performance where I don’t have a weapon.”

Future Ambitions

Like a true warrior queen, Riley is eager about the days to come. “My goal is all the way – I dream of stadiums,” she says. “The only thing that’s deeply meaningful to me is keeping the DIY aesthetic, ensuring all elements is crafted by us. That’s an element I want to remain faithful to, whatever we achieve. Plus, I desire to appear on a mythical beast every night. Think about how famous musicians ride bikes on stage? That, but with a unicorn.”