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While numerous artists have drawn from epic fantasy, rarely any have truly lived the fantasy way of life. Admittedly, they could decorate their album covers with monsters, beasts, chained damsels and muscular warriors, but has an artist ever have to find a misplaced unicorn horn from a frost-covered ground in the depths of winter? Did anyone spent time straining their eyes in the back of a road transport, fixing their own chainmail?

Immersed in the Legend

Created in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have had to face both these scenarios and additional ones as they live out their epic fantasies. From heraldic, catchy songs to eye-popping live shows, costume design, visuals and album art, they’re not so much a rock act as a total artistic immersion.

“It wasn’t planned to be a themed musical group,” states vocalist, guitar player, blade-handler and visionary Riley Pinkerton as the group’s vehicle travels from a sold-out gig in a German city to a second one in another town – they’re also doing several shows in the UK this week. “We played two shows and received an offer on a Halloween gig, where I decided spontaneously to wear a costume. Everything was highly handmade, but we had an amazing time and the feeling in the room was incredible. I realized, ‘Imagine if we could have this much fun at every show?’”

Development of Castle Rat

From that point on, the group – which includes Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” alongside a plague doctor (bassist), proud bloodsucker (lead guitarist) and enigmatic nature priest (percussionist) – never turned back. Their latest album, the group’s sophomore release, evokes images of famous rock groups collaborating to battle their way through a Frank Frazetta fantasy world – a heroic opus that places them on the brink of bigger achievements.

The Bestiary was a first for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her collaborators. “That contributed to a more powerful record,” she says of the team effort. “It was challenging at first – I’d always felt a specific level of satisfaction being a woman in music going it alone. There have been multiple instances where after a show and an audience member will say, ‘The other members write great riffs!’ and I respond, ‘Hey – I wrote all that.’”

Creative Output and Ideas

As the band’s stature has expanded, so has the scope of their stage presentation. “My philosophy is always that if something is valuable, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton chuckles. At first, she had been on track for a university studies in art before pulling back at the idea of heavy loans. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to express artistry,” she says. “From making masks, costume design, figuring out video editing music videos … these are all things I have no experience with, but it’s enjoyable to learn on the fly.”

As if creating the group’s detailed mythology (“Everyone’s urging me to write it down because it’s all in here,” 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 delegated her completely original reptilian-inspired outfit to a New York-based specialist. “It seems like actual armour,” she beams.

Fan Response and Obstacles

As for audiences? They loved the fake blood, foam swords and handmade props with similar excitement as the group. “We had a gig in the Motor City and it resembled a historical festival,” reminisces Riley fondly. “All attendees was in robes, wool garments, metal wear.”

That’s not to imply, however, that touring existence as fantasy adventurers has been easy. “All our gear is constantly breaking and ends up duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Additionally I’ll have countless concepts as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we tour in a bus with limited room. It’s an interesting challenge to create the impression like a larger-than-life story, then pack it down into nothing.”

There have been further organizational challenges that would never have plagued mythic characters. “We did have an ‘oh shit’ moment when we performed at SonicBlast festival in Portugal and my baggage – which had my sword in it – went missing,” says Riley. “That was a terrible situation, because we don’t have an backup plan of the concert where I lack a blade.”

Goals Ahead

Like a true warrior queen, Riley is enthusiastic about the what’s next. “My goal is all the way – let’s do large venues,” she says. “The main aspect that’s really important to me is maintaining the handmade style, making sure all elements is handmade. This is a feature I want to stay authentic to, no matter what we achieve. Plus, I desire to make an entrance on a magical horse at all performances. Remember how famous musicians do the motorcycle thing? Exactly that, but using a unicorn.”