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Although many rockers have taken inspiration from fantasy lore, rarely any have fully embraced the fantasy way of life. Certainly, they may adorn their album sleeves with ghouls, imps, chained damsels and brawny barbarians, but has an artist ever needed to retrieve a lost unicorn horn from a frost-covered ground in the depths of winter? Did anyone devoted hours peering in the rear of a traveling vehicle, fixing their own armor?

Living the Fantasy

Established in 2019, New York’s Castle Rat have encountered such situations and others as they embody their heroic dreams. From heraldic, earworm-heavy songs to eye-popping live shows, outfit creation, videos and record designs, they’re not so much a heavy metal group as a complete sensory journey.

“Castle Rat wasn’t meant to be a outfit with characters,” states singer, guitar player, sword-carrier and visionary Riley Pinkerton as the group’s vehicle travels from a full-capacity concert in Cologne to a second one in Aschaffenburg – they have several shows in the UK now. “We played two shows and received an offer on a Halloween gig, where I chose at the final moment to put on an outfit. It was all highly handmade, but we had an amazing time and the atmosphere was incredible. It occurred to me, ‘What if we could have such enjoyment every time?’”

Growth of the Group

From that point on, the group – which features Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” together with a medic from history (bass player), haughty vampire (six-string player) and enigmatic nature priest (rhythm keeper) – haven’t looked back. The Bestiary, the group’s sophomore release, brings to mind of classic metal icons uniting to fight their path through a mythical painted realm – a heroic opus that places them on the brink of bigger achievements.

The Bestiary was a first for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her collaborators. “It made it a more powerful record,” she says of the team effort. “It was challenging at first – There was a sense of a specific level of pride being a woman in music working independently. I’ve had numerous occasions where I’ve got off stage and a person will say, ‘The other members write great riffs!’ and I respond, ‘Hey – I created all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

As the band’s stature has expanded, so has the scale of their visual elements. “The saying I live by is always that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. Initially, she was on path for a fine art degree before hesitating at the possibility of so much debt. “What’s enjoyable about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to demonstrate artistic expression,” she says. “Whether it’s making masks, costume design, learning how to edit music videos … it’s all stuff I don’t know how to do, but it’s enjoyable to discover as we go.”

Even though creating the band’s intricate lore (“The team is pushing me to document it because everything is stored,” Riley says, tapping her head) and making clothing wasn’t enough, the vocalist self-educated how to create armor – no mean feat, though she admittedly delegated her all-new scalemail look to a New York-based specialist. “It feels like actual armour,” she beams.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

Regarding the fans? They embraced the theatrical gore, soft weapons and papier-mache rat skulls with as much gusto as the band. “We had a concert in Detroit and it seemed like a Renaissance fair,” recalls Riley fondly. “All attendees was in capes, animal hides, armor.”

This isn’t to say, though, that life on the road as fantasy adventurers has been easy. “Each item is frequently damaged and ends up duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Additionally I get countless concepts as to how I want things to look, but we tour in a vehicle with restricted capacity. It’s a fascinating test to give the sense like a mythic tale, then store it into minimal luggage.”

We faced further organizational challenges that would never have plagued legendary fantasy heroes. “There was an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we performed at a music event in the European country and my baggage – which had my blade in it – got lost,” says Riley. “This became a worst-case scenario, because there’s not an different option of the concert where I don’t have a blade.”

Upcoming Plans

Like a true warrior queen, Riley is gung-ho about the future. “I want to go all the way – we should play stadiums,” she says. “The only thing that’s truly essential to me is keeping the DIY aesthetic, guaranteeing all elements is crafted by us. That’s an element I want to remain faithful to, regardless of we achieve. Oh, and I desire to make an entrance on a unicorn every night. Remember how some artists use vehicles in concerts? That, but on a mythical creature.”