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Although numerous artists have taken inspiration from high fantasy, only a handful have truly lived the fantasy way of life. Certainly, they could embellish their album sleeves with ghouls, beasts, captive women and strong fighters, but did a member ever have to find a lost mythical horn from a wintry landscape in the depths of winter? Has anyone devoted hours straining their eyes in the back of a road transport, fixing their own metal mesh?

Living the Fantasy

Formed in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have encountered such situations and others as they live out their grand tales. From medieval-inspired, earworm-heavy anthems to stunning performances, attire styling, videos and cover artwork, they’re not so much a heavy metal group as a full immersive experience.

“Castle Rat wasn’t meant to be a themed musical group,” explains vocalist, guitarist, blade-handler and visionary Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport travels from a full-capacity concert in Cologne to a second one in Aschaffenburg – they’re also doing five gigs in the UK this week. “Initially, we performed twice and received an offer on a October show, where I decided spontaneously to dress up. Everything was completely self-made, but we had an amazing time and the feeling in the room was incredible. I thought, ‘What if we could have such enjoyment always?’”

Development of Castle Rat

After that, the ensemble – which includes Pinkerton as the “Rat Queen” alongside a pestilence physician (bass player), aristocratic undead (six-string player) and mysterious druid (rhythm keeper) – continued forward. The Bestiary, the band’s second album, brings to mind of famous rock groups joining forces to struggle onward through a heroic art landscape – a epic masterpiece that positions them on the brink of far grander things.

The Bestiary was a first for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her bandmates. “It made it a much better record,” she says of the team effort. “It was challenging at first – I’d always felt a specific level of pride as a female in music working independently. There have been multiple instances where I finished performing and some guy will say, ‘The band compose cool melodies!’ and I’m like, ‘Hey – I composed all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

As the band’s stature has grown, so has the scale of their stage presentation. “The saying I live by is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton laughs. She was originally on track for a university studies in art before hesitating at the idea of so much debt. “The fun thing about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to apply artistry,” she says. “From creating face coverings, costume design, mastering post-production clips … it’s all stuff I don’t know how to do, but it’s exciting to discover as we go.”

Even though developing the ensemble’s complex backstory (“The team is pushing me to document it because everything is stored,” Riley says, indicating her head) and stitching garments didn’t suffice, the vocalist learned on her own how to make chainmail – no mean feat, though she confessedly left her brand-new scalemail look to a professional in the city. “It feels like actual armour,” she grins.

Audience Reaction and Challenges

As for audiences? They took to the fake blood, soft weapons and handmade props with equal enthusiasm as the musicians. “We played a gig in the Motor City and it resembled a historical festival,” reminisces Riley fondly. “Everyone was in robes, sheepskin, metal wear.”

However, this doesn’t mean, nevertheless, that touring existence as fantasy adventurers has been easy. “All our gear is always failing and becomes fixed temporarily,” Riley says. “Plus I get endless ideas as to how I desire the presentation, but we’re traveling in a van with restricted capacity. It’s an interesting challenge to create the impression like a mythic tale, then pack it down into minimal luggage.”

We faced other logistical problems that would never have plagued mythic characters. “We experienced an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we played a music event in Portugal and my suitcase – which had my weapon in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “It was a worst-case scenario, because there’s not an different option of the performance where I don’t have a sword.”

Upcoming Plans

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is enthusiastic about the future. “My goal is to the top – let’s do stadiums,” she says. “The key element that’s truly essential to me is preserving the DIY aesthetic, guaranteeing all elements is handmade. That’s an element I want to remain faithful to, no matter what we grow into. Oh, and I want to make an entrance on a magical horse each show. Think about how legends do the motorcycle thing? Exactly that, but with a unicorn.”