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While many musicians have taken inspiration from fantasy lore, few have fully embraced the enchanted lifestyle. Sure, they may decorate their album covers with creatures, beasts, chained damsels and brawny barbarians, but did a member ever have to retrieve a missing mythical horn from a wintry landscape in the heart of winter? Did a guitarist taken the time squinting in the rear of a tour bus, repairing their own chainmail?

Immersed in the Legend

Formed in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have dealt with these exact challenges and additional ones as they embody their grand tales. From knightly, earworm-heavy songs to stunning live shows, costume design, music videos and album art, they’re more than a heavy metal group as a full immersive experience.

“Castle Rat wasn’t meant to be a themed musical group,” states singer, guitarist, sword-wielder and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport drives from a packed show in Cologne to another in Aschaffenburg – they’re also doing five gigs in the UK now. “After a couple of performances and got booked on a spooky event, where I made a last-minute decision to put on an outfit. Everything was completely self-made, but we had so much fun and the energy was unforgettable. I realized, ‘Imagine if we could have this much fun always?’”

The Band’s Evolution

Since then, the group – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” together with a plague doctor (low-end instrumentalist), proud bloodsucker (six-string player) and enigmatic nature priest (drummer) – continued forward. The Bestiary, the follow-up record, evokes images of legendary heavy bands joining forces to struggle onward through a mythical painted realm – a epic masterpiece that positions them on the verge of greater success.

This album was a initial step for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her bandmates. “That contributed to a much better record,” she says of the collaborative process. “I had difficulty at first – There was a sense of a certain amount of accomplishment as a female in music working independently. There’ve been multiple instances where I finished performing and a person will say, ‘The other members compose cool melodies!’ and I think, ‘Listen – I created all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

With their growing popularity has expanded, so has the breadth of their stage presentation. “The saying I live by is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton laughs. She was originally on course 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 express creativity,” she says. “Whether it’s creating face coverings, costume design, mastering post-production song visuals … it’s all stuff I am unfamiliar with, but it’s enjoyable to figure it out on the fly.”

Even though building the band’s intricate lore (“The team is pushing me to record it because everything is stored,” Riley says, pointing to her head) and sewing costumes wasn’t enough, the singer self-educated how to make chainmail – a difficult task, though she admittedly delegated her brand-new scalemail look to a expert from NYC. “It feels like actual armour,” she grins.

Fan Response and Obstacles

As for audiences? They loved the fake blood, foam swords and handmade props with similar excitement as the band. “We played a gig in Detroit and it seemed like a Renaissance fair,” reminisces Riley happily. “All attendees was in cloaks, animal hides, armor.”

This isn’t to say, however, that touring existence as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been smooth. “Everything is frequently damaged and ends up duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Moreover I come up with endless ideas as to how I desire the presentation, but we’re traveling in a van with only so much space. It’s a unique problem to make it feel like a mythic tale, then pack it down into minimal luggage.”

We faced additional practical issues that wouldn’t have troubled legendary fantasy heroes. “We did have an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we performed at a Portuguese festival in the European country and my baggage – which had my weapon in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “This became a worst-case scenario, because there is no an alternative version of the performance where I am without a blade.”

Upcoming Plans

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is gung-ho about the future. “I want to go to the top – let’s do stadiums,” she says. “The only thing that’s truly essential to me is preserving the handmade style, guaranteeing everything is crafted by us. That’s an element I want to stay authentic to, no matter what we achieve. Plus, I desire to appear on a unicorn every night. You know how legends do the motorcycle thing? Exactly that, but with a unicorn.”