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While plenty of musicians have taken inspiration from epic fantasy, rarely any have truly lived the enchanted way of life. Certainly, they might embellish their record jackets with creatures, goblins, chained damsels and brawny barbarians, but has any musician ever needed to retrieve a missing mythical horn from a frost-covered ground in the midst of winter? Did anyone devoted hours squinting in the interior of a traveling vehicle, mending their own armor?

Immersed in the Legend

Formed in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have had to face such situations and additional ones as they act out their epic fantasies. Starting with medieval-inspired, memorable songs to eye-popping live shows, outfit creation, 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 outfit with characters,” explains singer, guitarist, blade-handler and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van speeds from a sold-out gig in Cologne to one more in Aschaffenburg – they have multiple performances in the UK currently. “We played two shows and were scheduled on a spooky event, where I chose at the final moment to wear a costume. It was all super-DIY, but we had so much fun and the atmosphere was incredible. It occurred to me, ‘What if we could have such enjoyment every time?’”

The Band’s Evolution

Since then, the ensemble – which features Pinkerton as the “Rat Queen” alongside a plague doctor (bass player), proud bloodsucker (six-string player) and mysterious druid (rhythm keeper) – continued forward. The Bestiary, the group’s sophomore release, evokes images of classic metal icons collaborating to battle their way through a mythical painted realm – a heroic opus that places them on the verge of far grander things.

The release was a new experience for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her collaborators. “That contributed to a more powerful album,” she says of the collaborative process. “It was challenging at first – There was a sense of a specific level of pride as a female in music going it alone. There’ve been multiple instances where after a show and an audience member will say, ‘Those guys write great riffs!’ and I think, ‘Listen – I wrote all that.’”

Artistry and Imagination

With their growing popularity has grown, so has the scope of their visual elements. “My philosophy is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton laughs. Initially, she was on path for a fine art degree before pulling back at the possibility of so much debt. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to demonstrate artistic expression,” she says. “From making masks, attire creation, mastering post-production song visuals … these are all things I am unfamiliar with, but it’s enjoyable to figure it out in the moment.”

Even though building the band’s intricate lore (“The team is pushing me to record it because all the ideas are,” Riley says, tapping her head) and stitching garments wasn’t enough, the vocalist learned on her own how to create armor – a challenging endeavor, though she confessedly entrusted her completely original reptilian-inspired outfit to a expert from NYC. “It feels like actual armour,” she beams.

Audience Reaction and Challenges

What about the crowd? They took to the stage blood, soft weapons and papier-mache rat skulls with as much gusto as the band. “We had a gig in the Motor City and it looked like a historical festival,” recalls Riley fondly. “Everyone was in capes, wool garments, metal wear.”

This isn’t to say, nevertheless, that traveling lifestyle as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been easy. “Each item is frequently damaged and ends up repaired with tape,” Riley says. “Moreover I’ll have countless concepts as to how I want things to look, but we are on the move in a van with only so much space. It’s an interesting challenge to make it feel like a mythic tale, then compress it into a small space.”

We faced additional practical issues that would never have plagued fictional warriors. “We did have an ‘disastrous’ moment when we played SonicBlast festival in the European country and my luggage – which had my sword in it – got lost,” says Riley. “That was a worst-case scenario, because there’s not an alternative version of the concert where I lack a weapon.”

Future Ambitions

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is enthusiastic about the what’s next. “My goal is as far as possible – let’s do stadiums,” she says. “The main aspect that’s deeply meaningful to me is keeping the handmade style, guaranteeing everything is crafted by us. It’s a component I want to stay authentic to, regardless of we achieve. Oh, and I desire to make an entrance on a unicorn every night. Remember how famous musicians ride bikes on stage? The same idea, but using a unicorn.”