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Although many rockers have borrowed from fantasy lore, rarely any have genuinely embodied the mythical way of life. Admittedly, they might embellish their album covers with creatures, beasts, captive women and brawny barbarians, but did a member ever been forced to retrieve a missing unicorn horn from a frost-covered ground in the depths of winter? Has anyone taken the time straining their eyes in the rear of a road transport, repairing their own metal mesh?

Immersed in the Legend

Established in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have dealt with both these scenarios and more as they act out their heroic dreams. From knightly, earworm-heavy songs to stunning live shows, attire styling, videos and album art, they’re more than a heavy metal group as a total artistic immersion.

“Castle Rat wasn’t meant to be a themed musical group,” explains singer, guitar player, sword-wielder and visionary Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport drives from a sold-out gig in a German city to a second one in another town – they have multiple performances in the UK now. “Initially, we performed twice and were scheduled on a October show, where I decided spontaneously to wear a costume. The entire setup was completely self-made, but we had an amazing time and the feeling in the room was electric. It occurred to me, ‘What if we could have so much excitement at every show?’”

Development of Castle Rat

From that point on, the band – which includes Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” together with a pestilence physician (bass player), proud bloodsucker (six-string player) and secretive shaman (percussionist) – never turned back. Their latest album, the band’s second album, evokes images of famous rock groups joining forces to battle their way through a heroic art landscape – a heroic opus that positions them on the verge of far grander things.

The Bestiary was a new experience for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her bandmates. “This helped a more powerful record,” she says of the group work. “It was challenging at first – There was a sense of a specific level of accomplishment as a female in music working independently. I’ve had so many times where I’ve got off stage and an audience member will say, ‘The other members write great riffs!’ and I respond, ‘Wait – I created all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

As their fame has increased, so has the breadth of their visual elements. “The saying I live by 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 hesitating at the possibility of financial burden. “What’s enjoyable about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to apply creativity,” she says. “From making masks, attire creation, learning how to edit music videos … these are all things I have no experience with, but it’s fun to discover in the moment.”

Even though developing the ensemble’s complex backstory (“Everyone’s urging me to record it because all the ideas are,” Riley says, tapping her head) and making clothing wasn’t enough, the singer self-educated how to create armor – a challenging endeavor, though she admittedly left her brand-new reptilian-inspired outfit to a New York-based specialist. “It feels like actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Fan Response and Obstacles

As for audiences? They took to the stage blood, foam swords and papier-mache rat skulls with as much gusto as the band. “We had a gig in Detroit and it resembled a historical festival,” reminisces Riley with affection. “Everyone was in cloaks, wool garments, armor.”

This isn’t to say, though, that life on the road as mythical wanderers has been plain sailing. “All our gear is always failing and gets duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Moreover I come up with countless concepts as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we are on the move in a vehicle with only so much space. It’s a fascinating test to create the impression like a grand epic, then compress it into minimal luggage.”

There have been other logistical problems that didn’t affect fictional warriors. “We did have an ‘disastrous’ moment when we performed at SonicBlast festival in Portugal and my luggage – which had my blade in it – got lost,” says Riley. “This became a terrible situation, because there is no an different option of the performance where I lack a weapon.”

Future Ambitions

As a genuine leader, Riley is gung-ho about the days to come. “I aim to reach to the top – I dream of stadiums,” she says. “The main aspect that’s truly essential to me is preserving the self-crafted look, making sure everything is handmade. This is a feature I want to stay authentic to, no matter what we scale to. Plus, I wish to make an entrance on a magical horse each show. You know how famous musicians ride bikes on stage? That, but on a mythical creature.”