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Although many rockers have taken inspiration from epic fantasy, few have genuinely embodied the enchanted lifestyle. Certainly, they might embellish their album sleeves with monsters, beasts, captive women and strong fighters, but has an artist ever been forced to find a misplaced mythical horn from a wintry landscape in the midst of winter? Did a performer devoted hours squinting in the back of a traveling vehicle, repairing their own chainmail?

Immersed in the Legend

Established in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have had to face such situations and others as they live out their grand tales. From heraldic, memorable songs to eye-popping concerts, costume design, visuals and album art, they’re more than a heavy metal group as a full immersive experience.

“Castle Rat wasn’t meant to be a outfit with characters,” says vocalist, guitar player, sword-wielder and visionary Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport travels from a sold-out gig in Cologne to one more in another town – they’re also doing several shows in the UK now. “After a couple of performances and received an offer on a October show, where I chose at the final moment to put on an outfit. Everything was completely self-made, but we had so much fun and the atmosphere was incredible. I thought, ‘Imagine if we could have so much excitement always?’”

Growth of the Group

After that, the ensemble – which includes Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” together with a plague doctor (low-end instrumentalist), aristocratic undead (lead guitarist) and mysterious druid (rhythm keeper) – never turned back. The Bestiary, the follow-up record, conjures visions of classic metal icons collaborating to battle their way through a heroic art landscape – a heroic opus that places them on the edge of far grander things.

The Bestiary was a initial step for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her fellow members. “It made it a more powerful album,” she says of the collaborative process. “I struggled at first – I often experienced a specific level of satisfaction as a woman in music doing everything solo. There’ve been so many times where after a show and an audience member will say, ‘The other members create awesome guitar parts!’ and I respond, ‘Wait – I composed all that.’”

Creative Output and Ideas

With their growing popularity has increased, so has the scope of their stage presentation. “My motto is always that if something is valuable, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. She was originally on path for a art school education before pulling back at the prospect of financial burden. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to apply artistry,” she says. “Whether it’s crafting disguises, costume design, learning how to edit clips … everything is I don’t know how to do, but it’s exciting to figure it out in the moment.”

Even though building the ensemble’s complex backstory (“People are encouraging me to record it because all the ideas are,” Riley says, tapping her head) and sewing costumes wasn’t enough, the singer self-educated how to make chainmail – no mean feat, though she confessedly delegated her brand-new scale armor design to a New York-based specialist. “It’s as if actual armour,” she grins.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

Regarding the fans? They loved the fake blood, soft weapons and handmade props with as much gusto as the group. “We played a gig in the Motor City and it looked like a medieval event,” reminisces Riley with affection. “All attendees was in capes, sheepskin, armor.”

That’s not to imply, nevertheless, that life on the road as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been plain sailing. “Everything is frequently damaged and becomes fixed temporarily,” 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 limited room. It’s a unique problem to give the sense like a grand epic, then compress it into minimal luggage.”

We’ve encountered further organizational challenges that wouldn’t have troubled fictional warriors. “We experienced an ‘disastrous’ moment when we performed at a music event in the European country and my baggage – which had my weapon in it – got lost,” says Riley. “This became a terrible situation, because there is no an different option of the show where I am without a blade.”

Future Ambitions

As a genuine leader, Riley is enthusiastic about the what’s next. “I aim to reach all the way – we should play large venues,” she says. “The key element that’s truly essential to me is preserving the self-crafted look, ensuring everything is handmade. This is a feature I want to keep true to, no matter what we achieve. Plus, I wish to make an entrance on a unicorn at all performances. Think about how famous musicians do the motorcycle thing? The same idea, but on a mythical creature.”