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Although many musicians have borrowed from epic fantasy, rarely any have truly lived the enchanted existence. Certainly, they may decorate their album covers with creatures, goblins, chained damsels and muscular warriors, but has an artist ever been forced to retrieve a misplaced horn from a unicorn from a wintry landscape in the depths of winter? Did anyone spent time squinting in the rear of a tour bus, fixing their own metal mesh?

Embracing the Mythos

Formed in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have encountered both these scenarios and more as they act out their grand tales. Starting with medieval-inspired, memorable tunes to eye-popping concerts, attire styling, music videos and record designs, they’re not so much a rock act as a full immersive experience.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a outfit with characters,” explains singer, guitarist, sword-carrier and creative overlord Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport speeds from a sold-out gig in Cologne to a second one in Aschaffenburg – they are playing several shows in the UK currently. “After a couple of performances and were scheduled on a October show, where I made a last-minute decision to dress up. It was all super-DIY, but we had so much fun and the feeling in the room was unforgettable. It occurred to me, ‘What if we could have so much excitement every time?’”

The Band’s Evolution

From that point on, the group – which features Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” alongside a pestilence physician (low-end instrumentalist), proud bloodsucker (guitarist) and mysterious druid (rhythm keeper) – continued forward. Their latest album, the band’s second album, brings to mind of legendary heavy bands collaborating to battle their way through a heroic art landscape – a epic masterpiece that places them on the brink of bigger achievements.

The Bestiary was a first for Pinkerton in that she opened the floor to her bandmates. “It made it a much better album,” she says of the team effort. “It was challenging at first – I’d always felt a specific level of pride being a woman in music going it alone. I’ve had multiple instances where I finished performing and a person will say, ‘Those guys create awesome guitar parts!’ and I think, ‘Listen – I wrote all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

As their fame has increased, so has the scale of their production design. “The saying I live by is always that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton chuckles. At first, she had been on course for a art school education before hesitating at the possibility of so much debt. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s various avenues to demonstrate artistry,” she says. “Be it creating face coverings, outfit planning, learning how to edit music videos … everything is I don’t know how to do, but it’s fun to discover as we go.”

Even though developing the group’s detailed mythology (“Everyone’s urging me to document it because it’s all in here,” Riley says, indicating her head) and sewing costumes were insufficient, the vocalist self-educated how to craft metal mesh – no mean feat, though she confessedly left her brand-new scale armor design to a expert from NYC. “It feels like actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

What about the crowd? They took to the fake blood, toy blades and crafted rodent bones with equal enthusiasm as the group. “We performed a show in the Motor City and it looked like a medieval event,” remembers Riley happily. “Everyone was in robes, wool garments, armor.”

This isn’t to say, though, that touring existence as mythical wanderers has been plain sailing. “All our gear is always failing and becomes fixed temporarily,” Riley says. “Plus I get endless ideas as to how I desire the presentation, but we’re traveling in a van with only so much space. It’s a unique problem to give the sense like a grand epic, then store it into minimal luggage.”

There have been further organizational challenges that wouldn’t have troubled mythic characters. “We experienced an ‘oh shit’ moment when we appeared at SonicBlast festival in Portugal and my baggage – which had my blade in it – got lost,” says Riley. “This became a terrible situation, because there is no an backup plan of the show where I am without a sword.”

Goals Ahead

Like a true warrior queen, Riley is eager about the what’s next. “I aim to reach all the way – I dream of stadiums,” she says. “The main aspect that’s really important to me is preserving the handmade style, ensuring all elements is custom-made. It’s a component I want to keep true to, whatever we grow into. Additionally, I desire to make an entrance on a unicorn each show. Remember how some artists ride bikes on stage? Exactly that, but with a unicorn.”