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Although many artists have drawn from epic fantasy, few have fully embraced the mythical way of life. Admittedly, they could adorn their record jackets with monsters, imps, chained damsels and brawny barbarians, but did a member ever needed to find a missing mythical horn from a wintry landscape in the heart of winter? Did a guitarist taken the time peering in the rear of a traveling vehicle, fixing their own armor?

Living the Fantasy

Established in 2019, New York’s Castle Rat have encountered such situations and more as they live out their heroic dreams. Starting with knightly, memorable anthems to breathtaking live shows, outfit creation, music videos and cover artwork, they’re more than a metal band as a total artistic immersion.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a outfit with characters,” explains vocalist, guitar player, blade-handler and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van travels from a sold-out gig in Cologne to a second one in another town – they are playing multiple performances in the UK now. “We played two shows and were scheduled on a spooky event, where I made a last-minute decision to put on an outfit. The entire setup was super-DIY, but we had a blast and the feeling in the room was electric. It occurred to me, ‘What if we could have such enjoyment every time?’”

The Band’s Evolution

After that, the ensemble – which features Pinkerton as the “Rat Queen” joined by a medic from history (low-end instrumentalist), aristocratic undead (lead guitarist) and mysterious druid (percussionist) – haven’t looked back. The Bestiary, the band’s second album, evokes images of classic metal icons joining forces to battle their way through a mythical painted realm – a grand composition that positions them on the verge of far grander things.

The Bestiary was a first for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her collaborators. “This helped a lot stronger record,” she says of the group work. “I had difficulty at first – There was a sense of a certain amount of satisfaction as a female in music going it alone. I’ve had multiple instances where I’ve got off stage and some guy will say, ‘The band create awesome guitar parts!’ and I’m like, ‘Listen – I created all that.’”

Creative Output and Ideas

As their fame has increased, so has the breadth of their production design. “My philosophy is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. She was originally on path for a art school education before hesitating at the idea of so much debt. “What’s enjoyable about Castle Rat is there’s various avenues to express creativity,” she says. “Be it making masks, outfit planning, mastering post-production music videos … it’s all stuff I have no experience with, but it’s exciting to discover in the moment.”

As if developing the ensemble’s complex backstory (“The team is pushing me to document it because everything is stored,” Riley says, pointing to her head) and sewing costumes wasn’t enough, the singer learned on her own how to create armor – a difficult task, though she confessedly entrusted her completely original scale armor design to a New York-based specialist. “It’s as if actual armour,” she grins.

Audience Reaction and Challenges

As for audiences? They embraced the stage blood, soft weapons and crafted rodent bones with as much gusto as the band. “We played a gig in the Motor City and it resembled a Renaissance fair,” recalls Riley fondly. “Everyone was in cloaks, sheepskin, metal wear.”

That’s not to imply, though, that life on the road as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been smooth. “All our gear is always failing and ends up repaired with tape,” Riley says. “Moreover I get numerous thoughts as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we tour in a van with restricted capacity. It’s a fascinating test to give the sense like a larger-than-life story, then pack it down into minimal luggage.”

We’ve encountered additional practical issues that would never have plagued mythic characters. “We did have an ‘oh shit’ moment when we performed at a Portuguese festival in Portugal and my luggage – which had my blade in it – went missing,” says Riley. “It was a nightmare, because there’s not an alternative version of the performance where I lack a weapon.”

Goals Ahead

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is eager about the days to come. “I aim to reach as far as possible – let’s do large venues,” she says. “The main aspect that’s truly essential to me is keeping the handmade style, ensuring all elements is crafted by us. It’s a component I want to keep true to, whatever we scale to. Plus, I wish to ride out on a magical horse at all performances. Remember how legends do the motorcycle thing? Exactly that, but using a unicorn.”