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Although numerous artists have taken inspiration from high fantasy, few have fully embraced the enchanted lifestyle. Certainly, they might embellish their album covers with ghouls, goblins, chained damsels and strong fighters, but has any musician ever have to recover a lost horn from a unicorn from a wintry landscape in the depths of winter? Has anyone taken the time straining their eyes in the rear of a traveling vehicle, repairing their own metal mesh?

Embracing the Mythos

Formed in 2019, New York’s Castle Rat have encountered both these scenarios and additional ones as they live out their grand tales. From knightly, earworm-heavy anthems to breathtaking performances, attire styling, music videos and cover artwork, they’re not so much a heavy metal group as a total artistic immersion.

“It wasn’t planned to be a themed musical group,” says vocalist, guitar player, blade-handler and creative overlord Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van speeds from a sold-out gig in a German city to a second one in Aschaffenburg – they’re also doing multiple performances in the UK now. “After a couple of performances and were scheduled on a October show, where I chose at the final moment to wear a costume. Everything was highly handmade, but we had a blast and the feeling in the room was electric. It occurred to me, ‘How about if we could have this much fun at every show?’”

Development of Castle Rat

Since then, the group – which features Pinkerton as the “Rat Queen” joined by a plague doctor (low-end instrumentalist), haughty vampire (guitarist) and enigmatic nature priest (drummer) – never turned back. The Bestiary, the band’s second album, conjures visions of famous rock groups joining forces to fight their path through a mythical painted realm – a grand composition that sets them on the brink of far grander things.

This album was a initial step for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her fellow members. “That contributed to a more powerful record,” 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 working independently. There have been numerous occasions where I finished performing and an audience member will say, ‘The other members create awesome guitar parts!’ and I respond, ‘Listen – I composed all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

As the band’s stature has increased, so has the scope of their production design. “My philosophy is always that if something is valuable, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. Initially, she was on path for a university studies in art before hesitating at the idea of so much debt. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to apply artistry,” she says. “Be it creating face coverings, costume design, mastering post-production clips … it’s all stuff I don’t know how to do, but it’s enjoyable to learn on the fly.”

As if creating the group’s detailed mythology (“The team is pushing me to document it because everything is stored,” Riley says, tapping her head) and sewing costumes were insufficient, the vocalist self-educated how to create armor – a challenging endeavor, though she confessedly entrusted her brand-new scale armor design to a professional in the city. “It’s as if actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

Regarding the fans? They embraced the theatrical gore, foam swords and handmade props with similar excitement as the musicians. “We played a gig in Detroit and it resembled a historical festival,” reminisces Riley with affection. “The whole crowd was in capes, sheepskin, chainmail.”

However, this doesn’t mean, nevertheless, that life on the road as fantasy adventurers has been easy. “Everything is frequently damaged and becomes duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Moreover I’ll have numerous thoughts as to how I want things to look, but we are on the move in a van with limited room. It’s an interesting challenge to create the impression like a mythic tale, then compress it into a small space.”

We’ve encountered other logistical problems that would never have plagued mythic characters. “There was an ‘disastrous’ moment when we played SonicBlast festival in Portugal and my baggage – which had my weapon in it – went missing,” says Riley. “It was a worst-case scenario, because there is no an different option of the concert where I am without a blade.”

Goals Ahead

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is gung-ho about the days to come. “I want to go to the top – we should play stadiums,” she says. “The only thing that’s really important to me is preserving the DIY aesthetic, guaranteeing each detail is custom-made. This is a feature I want to remain faithful to, whatever we achieve. Oh, and I wish to ride out on a unicorn every night. Remember how famous musicians ride bikes on stage? That, but using a unicorn.”