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Although many musicians have drawn from fantasy lore, rarely any have fully embraced the mythical way of life. Certainly, they may embellish their album covers with ghouls, imps, chained damsels and muscular warriors, but has any musician ever been forced to recover a lost horn from a unicorn from a frost-covered ground in the heart of winter? Has anyone taken the time straining their eyes in the rear of a road transport, mending their own metal mesh?

Embracing the Mythos

Created in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have encountered such situations and others as they act out their grand tales. From medieval-inspired, earworm-heavy songs to stunning live shows, attire styling, music videos and album art, they’re more than a metal band as a full immersive experience.

“It wasn’t planned to be a outfit with characters,” states vocalist, guitarist, blade-handler and visionary Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van travels from a full-capacity concert in a German city to another in another town – they have several shows in the UK now. “Initially, we performed twice and received an offer on a Halloween gig, where I made a last-minute decision to wear a costume. It was all completely self-made, but we had so much fun and the feeling in the room was electric. I realized, ‘Imagine if we could have this much fun always?’”

Development of Castle Rat

After that, the group – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” alongside a plague doctor (bass player), aristocratic undead (lead guitarist) and secretive shaman (percussionist) – continued forward. Their latest album, the follow-up record, brings to mind of classic metal icons uniting to fight their path through a heroic art landscape – a grand composition that positions them on the brink of bigger achievements.

This album was a first for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her collaborators. “That contributed to a more powerful project,” she says of the group work. “It was challenging at first – I often experienced a particular degree of accomplishment as a woman in music going it alone. There have been numerous occasions where after a show and some guy will say, ‘The other members write great riffs!’ and I think, ‘Listen – I created all that.’”

Creative Output and Ideas

As the band’s stature has grown, so has the breadth of their production design. “My motto is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton laughs. At first, she had been on course for a university studies in art before balking at the idea of financial burden. “What’s enjoyable about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to demonstrate creativity,” she says. “From making masks, attire creation, learning how to edit clips … these are all things I am unfamiliar with, but it’s exciting to figure it out as we go.”

Even though building the group’s detailed mythology (“Everyone’s urging me to document it because everything is stored,” Riley says, pointing to her head) and sewing costumes didn’t suffice, the singer taught herself how to create armor – a difficult task, though she confessedly delegated her all-new scalemail look to a expert from NYC. “It feels like actual armour,” she grins.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

What about the crowd? They loved the stage blood, soft weapons and handmade props with as much gusto as the group. “We had a concert in Detroit and it seemed like a medieval event,” remembers Riley fondly. “Everyone was in robes, sheepskin, chainmail.”

That’s not to imply, however, that life on the road as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been easy. “Each item is frequently damaged and ends up fixed temporarily,” Riley says. “Plus I’ll have countless concepts as to how I desire the presentation, but we tour in a bus with limited room. It’s a unique problem to give the sense like a grand epic, then store it into nothing.”

We’ve encountered additional practical issues that didn’t affect legendary fantasy heroes. “We experienced an ‘oh shit’ moment when we appeared at SonicBlast festival in Portugal and my baggage – which had my weapon in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “This became a terrible situation, because there is no an backup plan of the show where I am without a sword.”

Upcoming Plans

As a genuine leader, Riley is gung-ho about the future. “I want to go to the top – I dream of huge arenas,” she says. “The main aspect that’s deeply meaningful to me is keeping the DIY aesthetic, guaranteeing all elements is crafted by us. That’s an element I want to stay authentic to, no matter what we grow into. Additionally, I want to ride out on a magical horse each show. Remember how legends ride bikes on stage? Exactly that, but on a mythical creature.”