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Although many rockers have taken inspiration from high fantasy, rarely any have fully embraced the fantasy existence. Sure, they might adorn their album covers with ghouls, goblins, manacled maidens and muscular warriors, but did a member ever needed to retrieve a lost horn from a unicorn from a snowy field in the depths of winter? Has anyone spent time straining their eyes in the back of a road transport, mending their own chainmail?

Immersed in the Legend

Formed in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have had to face such situations and more as they embody their epic fantasies. Starting with medieval-inspired, earworm-heavy tunes to stunning concerts, costume design, music videos and album art, they’re not just a heavy metal group as a complete sensory journey.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a themed musical group,” explains singer, guitarist, blade-handler and visionary Riley Pinkerton as the group’s vehicle travels from a sold-out gig in Cologne to one more in Aschaffenburg – they are playing multiple performances in the UK this week. “We played two shows and were scheduled on a Halloween gig, where I made a last-minute decision to wear a costume. It was all super-DIY, but we had so much fun and the atmosphere was electric. I thought, ‘What if we could have so much excitement every time?’”

The Band’s Evolution

From that point on, the band – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Rat Queen” alongside a plague doctor (bassist), haughty vampire (guitarist) and secretive shaman (drummer) – continued forward. The Bestiary, the band’s second album, brings to mind of legendary heavy bands collaborating to battle their way through a mythical painted realm – a heroic opus that positions them on the edge of greater success.

The release was a initial step for Pinkerton in that she opened the floor to her collaborators. “This helped a much better record,” she says of the collaborative process. “I struggled at first – I often experienced a certain amount of accomplishment being a woman in music doing everything solo. I’ve had multiple instances where I finished performing and an audience member will say, ‘The other members write great riffs!’ and I’m like, ‘Hey – I created all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

As their fame has increased, so has the scale of their stage presentation. “My motto is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. Initially, she was on course for a art school education before hesitating at the prospect of financial burden. “The fun thing about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to apply artistry,” she says. “From making masks, attire creation, learning how to edit music videos … it’s all stuff I don’t know how to do, but it’s enjoyable to figure it out on the fly.”

As if creating the ensemble’s complex backstory (“People are encouraging me to document it because it’s all in here,” Riley says, indicating her head) and sewing costumes were insufficient, the vocalist taught herself how to create armor – a challenging endeavor, though she admittedly left her brand-new scale armor design to a New York-based specialist. “It’s as if actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Fan Response and Obstacles

What about the crowd? They loved the theatrical gore, toy blades and papier-mache rat skulls with similar excitement as the group. “We played a show in Detroit and it looked like a Renaissance fair,” recalls Riley happily. “All attendees was in robes, sheepskin, armor.”

This isn’t to say, nevertheless, that traveling lifestyle as fantasy adventurers has been plain sailing. “Everything is constantly breaking and ends up duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Additionally I get endless ideas as to how I desire the presentation, but we are on the move in a van with limited room. It’s a unique problem to create the impression like a grand epic, then store it into nothing.”

We’ve encountered additional practical issues that would never have plagued legendary fantasy heroes. “We did have an ‘oh shit’ moment when we played a Portuguese festival in the European country and my luggage – which had my blade in it – got lost,” says Riley. “This became a nightmare, because we don’t have an backup plan of the performance where I lack a weapon.”

Upcoming Plans

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is gung-ho about the what’s next. “I want to go all the way – let’s do huge arenas,” she says. “The only thing that’s truly essential to me is preserving the DIY aesthetic, making sure everything is handmade. This is a feature I want to remain faithful to, regardless of we grow into. Oh, and I desire to make an entrance on a unicorn at all performances. Remember how legends do the motorcycle thing? Exactly that, but with a unicorn.”