🔗 Share this article

Although many rockers have drawn from epic fantasy, only a handful have genuinely embodied the mythical existence. Sure, they might decorate their album sleeves with monsters, beasts, manacled maidens and strong fighters, but has an artist ever have to find a missing horn from a unicorn from a wintry landscape in the heart of winter? Has anyone taken the time straining their eyes in the rear of a traveling vehicle, fixing their own metal mesh?

Living the Fantasy

Established in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have dealt with such situations and additional ones as they act out their epic fantasies. Starting with heraldic, memorable songs to breathtaking live shows, costume design, visuals and cover artwork, they’re more than a rock act as a full immersive experience.

“It wasn’t planned to be a themed musical group,” says singer, guitar player, blade-handler and creative overlord Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport travels from a sold-out gig in Cologne to one more in Aschaffenburg – they are playing multiple performances in the UK currently. “Initially, we performed twice and received an offer on a spooky event, where I made a last-minute decision to wear a costume. Everything was super-DIY, but we had an amazing time and the energy was incredible. I realized, ‘What if we could have so much excitement always?’”

The Band’s Evolution

From that point on, the group – which includes Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” alongside a plague doctor (low-end instrumentalist), haughty vampire (six-string player) and secretive shaman (rhythm keeper) – continued forward. Their latest album, the follow-up record, evokes images of legendary heavy bands joining forces to fight their path through a Frank Frazetta fantasy world – a grand composition that sets them on the verge of bigger achievements.

The Bestiary was a first for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her fellow members. “It made it a lot stronger project,” she says of the group work. “I struggled at first – There was a sense of a certain amount of accomplishment as a woman in music doing everything solo. There’ve been so many times where after a show and some guy will say, ‘Those guys write great riffs!’ and I’m like, ‘Hey – I wrote all that.’”

Creative Output and Ideas

As their fame has expanded, so has the scale of their production design. “The saying I live by is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton chuckles. She was originally on course for a university studies in art before pulling back at the possibility of heavy loans. “The fun thing about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to apply artistry,” she says. “From crafting disguises, outfit planning, learning how to edit song visuals … these are all things I have no experience with, but it’s exciting to discover as we go.”

As if building the band’s intricate lore (“People are encouraging me to document it because everything is stored,” Riley says, pointing to her head) and making clothing didn’t suffice, the vocalist taught herself how to craft metal mesh – a difficult task, though she confessedly delegated her brand-new reptilian-inspired outfit to a expert from NYC. “It feels like actual armour,” she beams.

Audience Reaction and Challenges

Regarding the fans? They embraced the fake blood, soft weapons and handmade props with as much gusto as the band. “We played a concert in Detroit and it resembled a historical festival,” reminisces Riley happily. “The whole crowd was in cloaks, wool garments, metal wear.”

That’s not to imply, nevertheless, that life on the road as mythical wanderers has been plain sailing. “Everything is always failing and ends up repaired with tape,” Riley says. “Moreover I come up with endless ideas as to how I want things to look, but we are on the move in a bus with limited room. It’s a fascinating test to give the sense like a grand epic, then store it into a small space.”

There have been other logistical problems that wouldn’t have troubled legendary fantasy heroes. “We experienced an ‘disastrous’ moment when we played a Portuguese festival in Portugal and my luggage – which had my sword in it – went missing,” says Riley. “That was a nightmare, because we don’t have an backup plan of the show where I don’t have a weapon.”

Goals Ahead

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is gung-ho about the days to come. “I aim to reach to the top – I dream of stadiums,” she says. “The key element that’s really important to me is maintaining the handmade style, making sure everything is custom-made. It’s a component I want to keep true to, whatever we grow into. Additionally, I wish to make an entrance on a unicorn each show. Remember how some artists use vehicles in concerts? That, but on a mythical creature.”