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Although many artists have drawn from high fantasy, few have truly lived the enchanted way of life. Sure, they could embellish their album sleeves with monsters, beasts, chained damsels and strong fighters, but has any musician ever needed to retrieve a misplaced mythical horn from a wintry landscape in the heart of winter? Did a guitarist spent time squinting in the interior of a tour bus, mending their own armor?

Living the Fantasy

Established in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have had to face these exact challenges and others as they live out their epic fantasies. From heraldic, catchy tunes to stunning concerts, attire styling, music videos and record designs, they’re not so much a rock act as a full immersive experience.

“Castle Rat wasn’t meant to be a outfit with characters,” explains singer, guitarist, blade-handler and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport speeds from a packed show in Cologne to one more in Aschaffenburg – they have several shows in the UK currently. “Initially, we performed twice and were scheduled on a October show, where I made a last-minute decision to put on an outfit. It was all highly handmade, but we had an amazing time and the feeling in the room was incredible. I thought, ‘How about if we could have so much excitement at every show?’”

Growth of the Group

Since then, the group – which includes Pinkerton as the “Rat Queen” joined by a pestilence physician (bass player), proud bloodsucker (lead guitarist) and enigmatic nature priest (percussionist) – haven’t looked back. Their latest album, the group’s sophomore release, evokes images of legendary heavy bands collaborating to struggle onward through a Frank Frazetta fantasy world – a epic masterpiece that positions them on the edge of bigger achievements.

The Bestiary was a initial step for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her fellow members. “This helped a much better album,” she says of the team effort. “I had difficulty at first – I’d always felt a specific level of pride as a woman in music doing everything solo. I’ve had so many times where I finished performing and some guy will say, ‘Those guys compose cool melodies!’ and I’m like, ‘Hey – I composed all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

As their fame has grown, so has the scope of their stage presentation. “My motto is always that if something is valuable, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. She was originally on track for a art school education before balking at the possibility of heavy loans. “The fun thing about Castle Rat is there’s various avenues to demonstrate creativity,” she says. “Be it creating face coverings, outfit planning, mastering post-production clips … it’s all stuff I am unfamiliar with, but it’s fun to figure it out in the moment.”

As if developing the group’s detailed mythology (“People are encouraging me to write it down because it’s all in here,” Riley says, tapping her head) and sewing costumes were insufficient, the singer taught herself how to craft metal mesh – a difficult task, though she admittedly left her completely original reptilian-inspired outfit to a expert from NYC. “It feels like actual armour,” she grins.

Audience Reaction and Challenges

What about the crowd? They embraced the theatrical gore, soft weapons and papier-mache rat skulls with similar excitement as the musicians. “We performed a concert in Detroit and it seemed like a historical festival,” remembers Riley with affection. “All attendees was in robes, wool garments, chainmail.”

This isn’t to say, nevertheless, that life on the road as mythical wanderers has been easy. “Each item is constantly breaking and ends up repaired with tape,” Riley says. “Plus I get endless ideas as to how I desire the presentation, but we are on the move in a bus with limited room. It’s an interesting challenge to give the sense like a mythic tale, then pack it down into minimal luggage.”

We faced other logistical problems that didn’t affect fictional warriors. “There was an ‘disastrous’ moment when we played a music event in the European country and my luggage – which had my weapon in it – got lost,” says Riley. “That was a terrible situation, because there’s not an alternative version of the show where I don’t have a weapon.”

Goals Ahead

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is gung-ho about the what’s next. “I want to go as far as possible – we should play huge arenas,” she says. “The key element that’s deeply meaningful to me is preserving the DIY aesthetic, making sure all elements is custom-made. This is a feature I want to stay authentic to, regardless of we achieve. Plus, I wish to ride out on a magical horse each show. Think about how legends use vehicles in concerts? The same idea, but with a unicorn.”