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Although plenty of artists have taken inspiration from high fantasy, few have genuinely embodied the fantasy lifestyle. Sure, they may adorn their record jackets with ghouls, goblins, chained damsels and muscular warriors, but has an artist ever been forced to recover a missing mythical horn from a frost-covered ground in the depths of winter? Did anyone taken the time peering in the interior of a tour bus, fixing their own chainmail?

Living the Fantasy

Created in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have had to face these exact challenges and others as they act out their heroic dreams. Starting with knightly, catchy anthems to eye-popping live shows, attire styling, visuals and record designs, they’re not just a rock act as a total artistic immersion.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a themed musical group,” explains singer, guitarist, blade-handler and creative overlord Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport drives from a sold-out gig in Cologne to a second one in another town – they are playing multiple performances in the UK currently. “After a couple of performances and received an offer on a Halloween gig, where I made a last-minute decision to put on an outfit. Everything was completely self-made, but we had an amazing time and the energy was unforgettable. I thought, ‘How about if we could have such enjoyment at every show?’”

Development of Castle Rat

From that point on, the band – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” together with a pestilence physician (bass player), haughty vampire (lead guitarist) and enigmatic nature priest (percussionist) – haven’t looked back. Their latest album, the group’s sophomore release, brings to mind of classic metal icons uniting to fight their path through a Frank Frazetta fantasy world – a epic masterpiece that positions them on the brink of far grander things.

This album was a initial step for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her bandmates. “It made it a more powerful album,” she says of the team effort. “I had difficulty at first – I often experienced a certain amount of pride as a female in music working independently. There have been so many times where after a show and a person will say, ‘Those guys compose cool melodies!’ and I’m like, ‘Wait – I composed all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

As their fame has increased, so has the scale 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 path for a university studies in art before balking at the possibility of so much debt. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s various avenues to demonstrate creativity,” she says. “Be it crafting disguises, attire creation, learning how to edit clips … everything is I am unfamiliar with, but it’s fun to discover on the fly.”

As if developing the band’s intricate lore (“People are encouraging me to write it down because everything is stored,” Riley says, pointing to her head) and stitching garments didn’t suffice, the vocalist learned on her own how to craft metal mesh – no mean feat, though she confessedly delegated her brand-new scalemail look to a professional in the city. “It’s as if actual armour,” she beams.

Audience Reaction and Challenges

As for audiences? They embraced the stage blood, soft weapons and handmade props with equal enthusiasm as the band. “We played a show in Detroit and it looked like a historical festival,” reminisces Riley with affection. “The whole crowd was in capes, wool garments, metal wear.”

However, this doesn’t mean, though, that touring existence as mythical wanderers has been plain sailing. “Each item is frequently damaged and gets repaired with tape,” Riley says. “Moreover I come up with countless concepts as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we’re traveling in a bus with restricted capacity. It’s a fascinating test to create the impression like a grand epic, then pack it down into minimal luggage.”

We faced additional practical issues that wouldn’t have troubled legendary fantasy heroes. “We experienced an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we performed at SonicBlast festival in the European country and my luggage – which had my blade in it – got lost,” says Riley. “This became a nightmare, because we don’t have an backup plan of the concert where I don’t have a weapon.”

Goals Ahead

Like a true warrior queen, Riley is eager about the what’s next. “I aim to reach to the top – we should play stadiums,” she says. “The only thing that’s truly essential to me is keeping the handmade style, ensuring everything is custom-made. This is a feature I want to stay authentic to, regardless of we scale to. Plus, I desire to appear on a mythical beast at all performances. Think about how famous musicians ride bikes on stage? That, but on a mythical creature.”