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While plenty of artists have drawn from epic fantasy, only a handful have genuinely embodied the enchanted lifestyle. Sure, they may adorn their album sleeves with creatures, goblins, chained damsels and brawny barbarians, but has an artist ever needed to recover a lost unicorn horn from a wintry landscape in the depths of winter? Has anyone spent time squinting in the interior of a traveling vehicle, repairing their own metal mesh?

Living the Fantasy

Created in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have encountered such situations and more as they act out their heroic dreams. Starting with heraldic, catchy anthems to breathtaking live shows, outfit creation, visuals and cover artwork, they’re not just a metal band as a complete sensory journey.

“It wasn’t planned to be a outfit with characters,” states singer, guitarist, blade-handler and creative overlord Riley Pinkerton as the group’s vehicle drives from a sold-out gig in Cologne to one more in Aschaffenburg – they’re also doing multiple performances in the UK this week. “Initially, we performed twice and received an offer on a Halloween gig, where I chose at the final moment to dress up. It was all completely self-made, but we had an amazing time and the atmosphere was incredible. I realized, ‘What if we could have this much fun always?’”

The Band’s Evolution

After that, the group – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” together with a pestilence physician (bassist), haughty vampire (lead guitarist) and enigmatic nature priest (rhythm keeper) – never turned back. The Bestiary, the follow-up record, brings to mind of legendary heavy bands collaborating to struggle onward through a mythical painted realm – a epic masterpiece that places them on the edge of bigger achievements.

This album was a new experience for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her fellow members. “That contributed to a lot stronger project,” she says of the group work. “It was challenging at first – I’d always felt a certain amount of accomplishment being a woman in music working independently. There have been numerous occasions where after a show and a person will say, ‘Those guys write great riffs!’ and I think, ‘Hey – I composed all that.’”

Creative Output and Ideas

With their growing popularity has grown, so has the breadth of their visual elements. “The saying I live by is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. She was originally on track for a art school education before balking at the idea of heavy loans. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to apply creativity,” she says. “Whether it’s making masks, outfit planning, figuring out video editing song visuals … these are all things I am unfamiliar with, but it’s exciting to learn on the fly.”

Even though building the group’s detailed mythology (“Everyone’s urging me to write it down because everything is stored,” Riley says, indicating her head) and sewing costumes were insufficient, the vocalist learned on her own how to create armor – a difficult task, though she admittedly entrusted her brand-new scalemail look to a New York-based specialist. “It’s as if actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

Regarding the fans? They embraced the theatrical gore, foam swords and papier-mache rat skulls with as much gusto as the musicians. “We performed a show in the Motor City and it looked like a medieval event,” remembers Riley fondly. “The whole crowd was in capes, wool garments, armor.”

However, this doesn’t mean, nevertheless, that touring existence as fantasy adventurers has been easy. “Each item is constantly breaking and ends up duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Moreover I’ll have numerous thoughts as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we are on the move in a bus with only so much space. It’s a unique problem to make it feel like a grand epic, then compress it into a small space.”

We faced further organizational challenges that didn’t affect legendary fantasy heroes. “We experienced an ‘oh shit’ moment when we appeared at a music event in Portugal and my suitcase – which had my weapon in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “That was a nightmare, because there’s not an alternative version of the concert where I am without a blade.”

Upcoming Plans

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is eager about the future. “I aim to reach to the top – let’s do huge arenas,” she says. “The key element that’s truly essential to me is maintaining the self-crafted look, making sure everything is handmade. This is a feature I want to keep true to, whatever we achieve. Oh, and I want to ride out on a magical horse every night. You know how famous musicians use vehicles in concerts? The same idea, but with a unicorn.”