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While many artists have taken inspiration from epic fantasy, rarely any have fully embraced the fantasy existence. Certainly, they might embellish their record jackets with ghouls, goblins, chained damsels and brawny barbarians, but did a member ever needed to recover a misplaced unicorn horn from a wintry landscape in the midst of winter? Has a guitarist devoted hours peering in the back of a road transport, repairing their own chainmail?

Immersed in the Legend

Established in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have dealt with such situations and more as they act out their epic fantasies. From knightly, catchy songs to breathtaking live shows, costume design, visuals and cover artwork, they’re not so much a metal band as a complete sensory journey.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a costumed concept band,” states singer, guitar player, blade-handler and creative overlord Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport travels from a full-capacity concert in a German city to one more in another town – they are playing several shows in the UK currently. “After a couple of performances and got booked on a October show, where I chose at the final moment to put on an outfit. The entire setup was highly handmade, but we had an amazing time and the atmosphere was electric. It occurred to me, ‘What if we could have this much fun at every show?’”

The Band’s Evolution

Since then, the ensemble – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” joined by a medic from history (bass player), proud bloodsucker (lead guitarist) and secretive shaman (drummer) – continued forward. The new record, the group’s sophomore release, brings to mind of classic metal icons uniting to battle their way through a mythical painted realm – a grand composition that places them on the brink of far grander things.

The release was a initial step for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her bandmates. “That contributed to a lot stronger project,” she says of the collaborative process. “It was challenging at first – I’d always felt a certain amount of pride being a woman in music going it alone. I’ve had multiple instances where I’ve got off stage and an audience member will say, ‘The other members compose cool melodies!’ and I respond, ‘Wait – I wrote all that.’”

Artistry and Imagination

As the band’s stature has expanded, so has the scope of their production design. “My motto is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. At first, she had been on course for a university studies in art before pulling back at the idea of so much debt. “The fun thing about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to apply artistry,” she says. “Be it crafting disguises, costume design, figuring out video editing clips … these are all things I have no experience with, but it’s exciting to learn on the fly.”

As if building the group’s detailed mythology (“People are encouraging me to record it because all the ideas are,” Riley says, tapping her head) and sewing costumes were insufficient, the singer taught herself how to craft metal mesh – no mean feat, though she confessedly left her completely original reptilian-inspired outfit to a expert from NYC. “It feels like actual armour,” she grins.

Audience Reaction and Challenges

Regarding the fans? They took to the stage blood, toy blades and crafted rodent bones with as much gusto as the band. “We performed a show in Detroit and it resembled a historical festival,” remembers Riley with affection. “Everyone was in capes, animal hides, chainmail.”

This isn’t to say, nevertheless, that traveling lifestyle as mythical wanderers has been plain sailing. “Everything is frequently damaged and gets repaired with tape,” Riley says. “Plus I come up with numerous thoughts as to how I desire the presentation, but we are on the move in a van with only so much space. It’s a fascinating test to give the sense like a mythic tale, then pack it down into a small space.”

We’ve encountered other logistical problems that didn’t affect fictional warriors. “We did have an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we played a Portuguese festival in Portugal and my baggage – which had my weapon in it – got lost,” says Riley. “It was a terrible situation, because there is no an backup plan of the show where I lack a blade.”

Upcoming Plans

Like a true warrior queen, Riley is gung-ho about the future. “I want to go all the way – I dream of huge arenas,” she says. “The main aspect that’s truly essential to me is maintaining the self-crafted look, ensuring everything is handmade. This is a feature I want to stay authentic to, whatever we grow into. Oh, and I want to appear on a magical horse at all performances. Think about how legends do the motorcycle thing? That, but with a unicorn.”