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Although numerous artists have borrowed from high fantasy, only a handful have fully embraced the enchanted lifestyle. Certainly, they might adorn their album covers with creatures, goblins, manacled maidens and muscular warriors, but did a member ever have to retrieve a misplaced unicorn horn from a wintry landscape in the midst of winter? Did a guitarist spent time peering in the back of a tour bus, repairing their own metal mesh?

Immersed in the Legend

Established in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have dealt with such situations and others as they act out their heroic dreams. Starting with medieval-inspired, catchy tunes to stunning performances, outfit creation, music videos and cover artwork, they’re not just a rock act as a full immersive experience.

“It wasn’t planned to be a themed musical group,” says singer, guitarist, sword-carrier and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van travels from a packed show in a German city to a second one in Aschaffenburg – they’re also doing five gigs in the UK now. “After a couple of performances and received an offer on a Halloween gig, where I chose at the final moment to wear a costume. The entire setup was highly handmade, but we had a blast and the energy was unforgettable. I realized, ‘How about if we could have so much excitement at every show?’”

Development of Castle Rat

After that, the group – which features Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” alongside a plague doctor (bassist), haughty vampire (lead guitarist) and secretive shaman (percussionist) – continued forward. The Bestiary, the band’s second album, conjures visions of famous rock groups collaborating to struggle onward through a heroic art landscape – a epic masterpiece that places them on the verge of far grander things.

The Bestiary was a new experience for Pinkerton in that she opened the floor to her fellow members. “It made it a much better record,” she says of the collaborative process. “I had difficulty at first – I’d always felt a certain amount of pride as a female in music going it alone. I’ve had multiple instances where I’ve got off stage and a person will say, ‘The band write great riffs!’ and I respond, ‘Listen – I wrote all that.’”

Artistry and Imagination

With their growing popularity has grown, so has the breadth of their visual elements. “The saying I live by is always that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton laughs. Initially, she was on course for a art school education before balking at the prospect of heavy loans. “The fun thing about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to apply artistry,” she says. “Whether it’s making masks, outfit planning, learning how to edit music videos … it’s all stuff I am unfamiliar with, but it’s exciting to figure it out on the fly.”

As if developing the band’s intricate lore (“The team is pushing me to document it because it’s all in here,” Riley says, indicating her head) and stitching garments were insufficient, the vocalist self-educated how to craft metal mesh – a difficult task, though she admittedly delegated her all-new reptilian-inspired outfit to a professional in the city. “It seems like actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

Regarding the fans? They took to the fake blood, toy blades and papier-mache rat skulls with as much gusto as the band. “We had a gig in the Motor City and it resembled a historical festival,” reminisces Riley happily. “The whole crowd was in cloaks, sheepskin, chainmail.”

This isn’t to say, however, that life on the road as fantasy adventurers has been easy. “All our gear is always failing and becomes repaired with tape,” Riley says. “Plus I come up with countless concepts as to how I want things to look, but we tour in a bus with only so much space. It’s a unique problem to give the sense like a grand epic, then pack it down into minimal luggage.”

There have been additional practical issues that wouldn’t have troubled mythic characters. “We did have an ‘disastrous’ moment when we appeared at a Portuguese festival in the European country and my luggage – which had my sword in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “This became a terrible situation, because there’s not an different option of the concert where I lack a weapon.”

Goals Ahead

Like a true warrior queen, Riley is gung-ho about the what’s next. “I want to go to the top – I dream of large venues,” she says. “The key element that’s truly essential to me is preserving the self-crafted look, ensuring everything is crafted by us. That’s an element I want to stay authentic to, whatever we scale to. Additionally, I wish to appear on a mythical beast at all performances. Think about how famous musicians use vehicles in concerts? The same idea, but on a mythical creature.”