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Although many artists have borrowed from fantasy lore, few have truly lived the fantasy lifestyle. Admittedly, they might decorate their album sleeves with monsters, goblins, manacled maidens and muscular warriors, but has an artist ever been forced to find a lost mythical horn from a frost-covered ground in the midst of winter? Has anyone spent time straining their eyes in the interior of a traveling vehicle, fixing their own armor?

Immersed in the Legend

Created in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have encountered both these scenarios and more as they embody their grand tales. Starting with medieval-inspired, earworm-heavy songs to breathtaking concerts, attire styling, visuals and album art, they’re not just a heavy metal group as a full immersive experience.

“Castle Rat wasn’t meant to be a costumed concept band,” states singer, guitar player, sword-wielder and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van speeds from a packed show in Cologne to one more in Aschaffenburg – they’re also doing multiple performances in the UK this week. “We played two shows and received an offer on a spooky event, where I made a last-minute decision to put on an outfit. Everything 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 so much excitement at every show?’”

The Band’s Evolution

Since then, the group – which features Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” joined by a pestilence physician (bass player), proud bloodsucker (guitarist) and mysterious druid (drummer) – continued forward. The Bestiary, the follow-up record, conjures visions of famous rock groups collaborating to battle their way through a heroic art landscape – a grand composition that sets them on the edge of greater success.

The Bestiary was a new experience for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her collaborators. “That contributed to a more powerful project,” she says of the group work. “It was challenging at first – I often experienced a specific level of accomplishment being a woman in music working independently. I’ve had numerous occasions where I finished performing and some guy will say, ‘Those guys compose cool melodies!’ and I think, ‘Wait – I wrote all that.’”

Creative Output and Ideas

With their growing popularity has grown, so has the scale of their stage presentation. “My philosophy is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton laughs. At first, she had been on path for a university studies in art before balking at the possibility of heavy loans. “What’s enjoyable about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to apply artistic expression,” she says. “From making masks, outfit planning, learning how to edit clips … these are all things I have no experience with, but it’s enjoyable to discover on the fly.”

As if creating the group’s detailed mythology (“People are encouraging me to write it down because it’s all in here,” Riley says, indicating her head) and sewing costumes were insufficient, the vocalist learned on her own how to make chainmail – a challenging endeavor, though she confessedly entrusted her brand-new scalemail look to a expert from NYC. “It seems like actual armour,” she beams.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

As for audiences? They loved the stage blood, foam swords and handmade props with as much gusto as the group. “We had a concert in the Motor City and it seemed like a Renaissance fair,” remembers Riley fondly. “Everyone was in robes, animal hides, armor.”

That’s not to imply, nevertheless, that traveling lifestyle as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been plain sailing. “Everything is always failing and becomes fixed temporarily,” Riley says. “Moreover I get countless concepts as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we are on the move in a bus with limited room. It’s a fascinating test to create the impression like a grand epic, then compress it into nothing.”

There have been further organizational challenges that didn’t affect fictional warriors. “We did have an ‘oh shit’ moment when we performed at a Portuguese festival in Portugal and my baggage – which had my weapon in it – went missing,” says Riley. “This became a worst-case scenario, because there’s not an alternative version of the performance where I am without a sword.”

Goals Ahead

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is enthusiastic about the days to come. “I aim to reach to the top – let’s do large venues,” she says. “The key element that’s deeply meaningful to me is keeping the handmade style, ensuring everything is custom-made. That’s an element I want to keep true to, regardless of we grow into. Additionally, I wish to make an entrance on a mythical beast every night. You know how legends do the motorcycle thing? The same idea, but with a unicorn.”