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Although numerous musicians have taken inspiration from epic fantasy, rarely any have genuinely embodied the enchanted lifestyle. Certainly, they might adorn their album covers with creatures, goblins, captive women and muscular warriors, but did a member ever have to find a misplaced unicorn horn from a snowy field in the depths of winter? Did a guitarist devoted hours peering in the rear of a tour bus, mending their own metal mesh?

Living the Fantasy

Established in 2019, New York’s Castle Rat have encountered these exact challenges and more as they act out their heroic dreams. From medieval-inspired, memorable tunes to breathtaking performances, costume design, videos and record designs, they’re more than a metal band as a full immersive experience.

“Castle Rat wasn’t meant to be a outfit with characters,” explains vocalist, guitar player, sword-wielder and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van drives from a full-capacity concert in a German city to one more in Aschaffenburg – they have several shows in the UK now. “We played two shows and were scheduled on a Halloween gig, where I made a last-minute decision to dress up. Everything was completely self-made, but we had so much fun and the feeling in the room was incredible. It occurred to me, ‘How about if we could have such enjoyment every time?’”

The Band’s Evolution

Since then, the group – which features Pinkerton as the “Rat Queen” joined by a pestilence physician (bass player), aristocratic undead (six-string player) and mysterious druid (drummer) – never turned back. Their latest album, the follow-up record, brings to mind of classic metal icons collaborating to struggle onward through a heroic art landscape – a heroic opus that sets them on the verge of far grander things.

The Bestiary was a first for Pinkerton in that she opened the floor to her bandmates. “This helped a much better record,” she says of the collaborative process. “I had difficulty at first – There was a sense of a particular degree of satisfaction being a woman in music working independently. There have been multiple instances where I’ve got off stage and some guy will say, ‘The other members write great riffs!’ and I think, ‘Listen – I wrote all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

With their growing popularity has increased, so has the scope of their visual elements. “My motto is always that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton chuckles. Initially, she was on course for a fine art degree before balking at the idea of so much debt. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to demonstrate artistry,” she says. “From making masks, attire creation, learning how to edit music videos … everything is I am unfamiliar with, but it’s fun to discover on the fly.”

Even though building the group’s detailed mythology (“People are encouraging me to write it down because all the ideas are,” Riley says, pointing to her head) and stitching garments wasn’t enough, the singer learned on her own how to make chainmail – a difficult task, though she confessedly left her all-new scalemail look to a New York-based specialist. “It’s as if actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Fan Response and Obstacles

What about the crowd? They loved the theatrical gore, toy blades and papier-mache rat skulls with similar excitement as the band. “We had a concert in Detroit and it seemed like a medieval event,” recalls Riley happily. “The whole crowd was in robes, wool garments, chainmail.”

That’s not to imply, however, that touring existence as fantasy adventurers has been plain sailing. “Each item is constantly breaking and becomes fixed temporarily,” Riley says. “Moreover I get countless concepts as to how I desire the presentation, but we are on the move in a vehicle with restricted capacity. It’s a unique problem to give the sense like a grand epic, then pack it down into a small space.”

We’ve encountered additional practical issues that wouldn’t have troubled fictional warriors. “There was an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we appeared at SonicBlast festival in the European country and my suitcase – which had my blade in it – went missing,” says Riley. “That was a worst-case scenario, because we don’t have an alternative version of the show where I lack a blade.”

Future Ambitions

Like a true warrior queen, Riley is enthusiastic about the future. “My goal is as far as possible – let’s do large venues,” she says. “The only thing that’s deeply meaningful to me is keeping the handmade style, making sure everything is handmade. It’s a component I want to stay authentic to, regardless of we grow into. Additionally, I desire to make an entrance on a unicorn each show. Think about how some artists ride bikes on stage? Exactly that, but with a unicorn.”