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Although many rockers have drawn from high fantasy, only a handful have genuinely embodied the mythical existence. Admittedly, they might decorate their album sleeves with ghouls, goblins, chained damsels and strong fighters, but has any musician ever have to retrieve a lost mythical horn from a wintry landscape in the heart of winter? Did anyone taken the time squinting in the back of a road transport, repairing their own chainmail?

Immersed in the Legend

Created in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have dealt with such situations and additional ones as they live out their grand tales. Starting with knightly, memorable anthems to eye-popping live shows, costume design, videos and album art, they’re more than a metal band as a total artistic immersion.

“Castle Rat wasn’t meant to be a costumed concept band,” explains vocalist, guitar player, sword-wielder and visionary Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van travels from a packed show in a German city to one more in another town – they are playing multiple performances in the UK this week. “We played two shows and were scheduled on a spooky event, where I chose at the final moment to put on an outfit. The entire setup was highly handmade, but we had an amazing time and the energy was incredible. I realized, ‘What if we could have this much fun at every show?’”

Growth of the Group

After that, the band – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” joined by a plague doctor (bass player), haughty vampire (guitarist) and secretive shaman (rhythm keeper) – haven’t looked back. Their latest album, the follow-up record, conjures visions of classic metal icons joining forces to struggle onward through a heroic art landscape – a grand composition that places them on the edge of bigger achievements.

The Bestiary was a first for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her fellow members. “This helped a more powerful record,” she says of the team effort. “I struggled at first – I often experienced a specific level of pride being a woman in music working independently. There’ve been numerous occasions where I’ve got off stage and a person will say, ‘The other members write great riffs!’ and I think, ‘Wait – I wrote all that.’”

Creative Output and Ideas

As their fame has expanded, so has the breadth of their visual elements. “My philosophy is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton chuckles. She was originally on track for a fine art degree before pulling back at the possibility of so much debt. “The fun thing about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to express creativity,” she says. “Whether it’s creating face coverings, attire creation, figuring out video editing clips … these are all things I don’t know how to do, but it’s fun to figure it out on the fly.”

As if developing the group’s detailed mythology (“The team is pushing me to document it because all the ideas are,” Riley says, tapping her head) and sewing costumes were insufficient, the singer self-educated how to create armor – a difficult task, though she confessedly entrusted 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 stage blood, soft weapons and handmade props with equal enthusiasm as the musicians. “We played a show in Detroit and it seemed like a historical festival,” remembers Riley with affection. “All attendees was in robes, animal hides, metal wear.”

This isn’t to say, nevertheless, that life on the road as fantasy adventurers has been easy. “All our gear is always failing and ends up fixed temporarily,” Riley says. “Additionally I get countless concepts as to how I desire the presentation, but we’re traveling in a van with limited room. It’s a unique problem to give the sense like a grand epic, then pack it down into a small space.”

We’ve encountered other logistical problems that wouldn’t have troubled mythic characters. “We did have an ‘oh shit’ moment when we appeared at a music event in Portugal and my luggage – which had my sword in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “That was a worst-case scenario, because we don’t have an backup plan of the performance where I am without a blade.”

Goals Ahead

As a genuine leader, Riley is eager about the what’s next. “My goal is all the way – let’s do huge arenas,” she says. “The main aspect that’s truly essential to me is preserving the self-crafted look, making sure everything is handmade. That’s an element I want to stay authentic to, whatever we grow into. Plus, I want to appear on a magical horse every night. Remember how some artists use vehicles in concerts? The same idea, but with a unicorn.”