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While numerous musicians have drawn from fantasy lore, rarely any have fully embraced the enchanted lifestyle. Certainly, they could adorn their album covers with ghouls, goblins, captive women and muscular warriors, but did a member ever have to retrieve a lost unicorn horn from a frost-covered ground in the heart of winter? Has a guitarist devoted hours squinting in the back of a road transport, fixing their own armor?

Immersed in the Legend

Formed in 2019, New York’s Castle Rat have encountered both these scenarios and additional ones as they embody their epic fantasies. From heraldic, memorable anthems to stunning performances, costume design, visuals and album art, they’re not so much a rock act as a full immersive experience.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a outfit with characters,” says singer, guitarist, sword-wielder and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport speeds from a sold-out gig in Cologne to a second one in Aschaffenburg – they have several shows in the UK now. “Initially, we performed twice and got booked on a Halloween gig, where I decided spontaneously to dress up. Everything was completely self-made, but we had an amazing time and the energy was electric. I thought, ‘How about if we could have this much fun always?’”

The Band’s Evolution

From that point on, the group – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” together with a plague doctor (bassist), proud bloodsucker (six-string player) and enigmatic nature priest (percussionist) – haven’t looked back. Their latest album, the band’s second album, evokes images of classic metal icons uniting to fight their path through a heroic art landscape – a heroic opus that positions them on the verge of bigger achievements.

The release was a initial step for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her collaborators. “That contributed to a more powerful record,” she says of the group work. “It was challenging at first – I often experienced a specific level of pride as a female in music going it alone. There have been so many times where I finished performing and a person will say, ‘The other members compose cool melodies!’ and I’m like, ‘Wait – I wrote all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

With their growing popularity has grown, so has the scope of their production design. “The saying I live by is always that if something is valuable, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton laughs. She was originally on path for a art school education before pulling back at the idea of financial burden. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to express 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 discover as we go.”

Even though creating the ensemble’s complex backstory (“People are encouraging me to record it because everything is stored,” Riley says, pointing to her head) and making clothing didn’t suffice, the singer self-educated how to make chainmail – no mean feat, though she admittedly entrusted her completely original reptilian-inspired outfit to a expert from NYC. “It’s as if actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Fan Response and Obstacles

Regarding the fans? They loved the theatrical gore, toy blades and papier-mache rat skulls with similar excitement as the group. “We played a gig in the Motor City and it resembled a Renaissance fair,” recalls Riley fondly. “All attendees was in cloaks, sheepskin, chainmail.”

That’s not to imply, however, that traveling lifestyle as fantasy adventurers has been easy. “All our gear is frequently damaged and becomes fixed temporarily,” Riley says. “Plus I get endless ideas as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we are on the move in a vehicle with only so much space. It’s a fascinating test to make it feel like a larger-than-life story, then pack it down into nothing.”

We faced additional practical issues that would never have plagued mythic characters. “We experienced an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we played a music event in the European country and my luggage – which had my sword in it – went missing,” says Riley. “This became a nightmare, because there’s not an alternative version of the show where I am without a weapon.”

Future Ambitions

As a genuine leader, Riley is gung-ho about the what’s next. “I want to go all the way – we should play large venues,” she says. “The key element that’s truly essential to me is keeping the DIY aesthetic, guaranteeing everything is custom-made. That’s an element I want to keep true to, regardless of we grow into. Plus, I want to ride out on a mythical beast at all performances. Remember how legends do the motorcycle thing? Exactly that, but on a mythical creature.”