🔗 Share this article

While many rockers have taken inspiration from fantasy lore, few have genuinely embodied the mythical way of life. Admittedly, they might adorn their record jackets with creatures, beasts, chained damsels and muscular warriors, but has any musician ever been forced to find a lost unicorn horn from a snowy field in the heart of winter? Has anyone taken the time straining their eyes in the back of a road transport, fixing their own metal mesh?

Immersed in the Legend

Formed in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have encountered both these scenarios and additional ones as they act out their epic fantasies. Starting with heraldic, memorable anthems to stunning performances, costume design, visuals and cover artwork, they’re not just a metal band as a complete sensory journey.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a costumed concept band,” says vocalist, guitar player, sword-wielder and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the group’s vehicle travels from a full-capacity concert in Cologne to another in another town – they are playing several shows in the UK this week. “Initially, we performed twice and were scheduled on a Halloween gig, where I made a last-minute decision to dress up. The entire setup was super-DIY, but we had a blast and the feeling in the room was incredible. It occurred to me, ‘How about if we could have such enjoyment every time?’”

Development of Castle Rat

From that point on, the group – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” together with a medic from history (bassist), aristocratic undead (lead guitarist) and enigmatic nature priest (drummer) – continued forward. Their latest album, the group’s sophomore release, evokes images of classic metal icons joining forces to fight their path through a mythical painted realm – a grand composition that positions them on the edge of bigger achievements.

This album was a first for Pinkerton in that she opened the floor to her fellow members. “This helped a much better album,” she says of the team effort. “I struggled at first – I often experienced a particular degree of satisfaction as a female in music doing everything solo. I’ve had so many times where after a show and a person will say, ‘Those guys create awesome guitar parts!’ and I think, ‘Hey – I created all that.’”

Creative Output and Ideas

With their growing popularity has grown, so has the scope of their visual elements. “My philosophy is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton laughs. She was originally on track for a fine art degree before hesitating at the possibility of heavy loans. “The fun thing about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to demonstrate creativity,” she says. “Be it crafting disguises, outfit planning, figuring out video editing song visuals … everything is I am unfamiliar with, but it’s enjoyable to discover as we go.”

As if building the ensemble’s complex backstory (“The team is pushing me to record it because all the ideas are,” Riley says, tapping her head) and stitching garments were insufficient, the vocalist learned on her own how to craft metal mesh – a difficult task, though she confessedly entrusted her completely original scalemail look to a professional in the city. “It feels like actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

As for audiences? They took to the fake blood, soft weapons and crafted rodent bones with similar excitement as the musicians. “We had a show in the Motor City and it resembled a Renaissance fair,” reminisces Riley fondly. “All attendees was in robes, sheepskin, armor.”

That’s not to imply, however, that traveling lifestyle as fantasy adventurers has been smooth. “Each item is frequently damaged and becomes repaired with tape,” Riley says. “Plus I’ll have endless ideas as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we’re traveling in a bus with restricted capacity. It’s a unique problem to make it feel like a grand epic, then compress it into a small space.”

There have been other logistical problems that didn’t affect mythic characters. “There was an ‘disastrous’ moment when we appeared at a Portuguese festival in Portugal and my suitcase – which had my blade in it – got lost,” says Riley. “That was a nightmare, because there’s not an backup plan of the concert where I don’t have a sword.”

Goals Ahead

Like a true warrior queen, Riley is enthusiastic about the what’s next. “I want to go as far as possible – let’s do huge arenas,” she says. “The only thing that’s truly essential to me is maintaining the handmade style, guaranteeing each detail is handmade. It’s a component I want to keep true to, regardless of we grow into. Oh, and I want to appear on a magical horse every night. Think about how famous musicians use vehicles in concerts? Exactly that, but on a mythical creature.”