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Although plenty of artists have borrowed from fantasy lore, rarely any have truly lived the enchanted lifestyle. Sure, they might adorn their album sleeves with creatures, beasts, captive women and strong fighters, but did a member ever have to find a misplaced horn from a unicorn from a frost-covered ground in the depths of winter? Has a performer taken the time peering in the rear of a tour bus, fixing their own metal mesh?

Embracing the Mythos

Established in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have had to face these exact challenges and additional ones as they live out their epic fantasies. Starting with knightly, catchy songs to eye-popping concerts, costume design, videos and record designs, they’re not so much a rock act as a total artistic immersion.

“It wasn’t planned to be a themed musical group,” says vocalist, guitarist, sword-carrier and visionary Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport speeds from a sold-out gig in Cologne to a second one in Aschaffenburg – they are playing multiple performances in the UK now. “After a couple of performances and received an offer on a Halloween gig, where I chose at the final moment to dress up. Everything was super-DIY, but we had so much fun and the energy was unforgettable. It occurred to me, ‘Imagine if we could have such enjoyment at every show?’”

Growth of the Group

Since then, the band – which features Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” alongside a pestilence physician (bass player), aristocratic undead (six-string player) and mysterious druid (rhythm keeper) – continued forward. Their latest album, the follow-up record, evokes images of legendary heavy bands collaborating to battle their way through a mythical painted realm – a grand composition that sets them on the brink of far grander things.

The Bestiary was a initial step for Pinkerton in that she opened the floor to her collaborators. “This helped a lot stronger project,” she says of the group work. “I had difficulty at first – I often experienced a particular degree of accomplishment as a woman in music working independently. I’ve had so many times where I finished performing and an audience member will say, ‘The band create awesome guitar parts!’ and I think, ‘Wait – I composed all that.’”

Artistry and Imagination

As their fame has expanded, so has the scale of their production design. “My philosophy is always that if something is valuable, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton chuckles. Initially, she was on path for a fine art degree before hesitating at the idea of so much debt. “What’s enjoyable about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to express creativity,” she says. “Be it crafting disguises, outfit planning, learning how to edit music videos … everything is I don’t know how to do, but it’s enjoyable to figure it out as we go.”

Even though building the band’s intricate lore (“People are encouraging me to write it down because it’s all in here,” Riley says, indicating her head) and sewing costumes wasn’t enough, the singer taught herself how to create armor – a difficult task, though she confessedly left her completely original scale armor design to a professional in the city. “It feels like actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Audience Reaction and Challenges

What about the crowd? They took to the stage blood, toy blades and handmade props with similar excitement as the musicians. “We played a concert in the Motor City and it resembled a historical festival,” recalls Riley with affection. “Everyone was in robes, wool garments, metal wear.”

This isn’t to say, though, that life on the road as mythical wanderers has been easy. “Everything is always failing and gets fixed temporarily,” Riley says. “Moreover I’ll have endless ideas as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we’re traveling in a bus with limited room. It’s a unique problem to make it feel like a mythic tale, then pack it down into a small space.”

We faced further organizational challenges that would never have plagued fictional warriors. “We did have an ‘disastrous’ moment when we played a music event in the European country and my suitcase – which had my blade in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “It was a terrible situation, because there’s not an different option of the performance where I don’t have a blade.”

Upcoming Plans

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is enthusiastic about the what’s next. “I want to go all the way – let’s do stadiums,” she says. “The main aspect that’s really important to me is keeping the handmade style, making sure each detail is handmade. This is a feature I want to keep true to, regardless of we scale to. Plus, I wish to ride out on a mythical beast every night. You know how legends use vehicles in concerts? The same idea, but on a mythical creature.”