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Although many artists have borrowed from fantasy lore, rarely any have genuinely embodied the enchanted lifestyle. Certainly, they could decorate their record jackets with monsters, goblins, captive women and strong fighters, but did a member ever have to find a misplaced horn from a unicorn from a frost-covered ground in the midst of winter? Did anyone taken the time peering in the back of a road transport, repairing their own chainmail?

Living the Fantasy

Created in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have encountered both these scenarios and others as they live out their grand tales. From heraldic, earworm-heavy songs to eye-popping concerts, attire styling, music videos and cover artwork, they’re not just a heavy metal group as a complete sensory journey.

“Castle Rat wasn’t meant to be a outfit with characters,” explains singer, guitarist, sword-wielder and creative overlord Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport speeds from a sold-out gig in Cologne to one more in Aschaffenburg – they are playing multiple performances in the UK currently. “We played two shows and were scheduled on a spooky event, where I chose at the final moment to put on an outfit. The entire setup was super-DIY, but we had so much fun and the energy was incredible. I thought, ‘How about if we could have this much fun every time?’”

Growth of the Group

From that point on, the group – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” joined by a pestilence physician (bass player), proud bloodsucker (lead guitarist) and mysterious druid (drummer) – haven’t looked back. The Bestiary, the group’s sophomore release, brings to mind of classic metal icons joining forces to battle their way through a Frank Frazetta fantasy world – a grand composition that places them on the edge of bigger achievements.

The release was a new experience for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her bandmates. “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 satisfaction as a woman in music going it alone. There have been multiple instances where I finished performing and a person will say, ‘The band create awesome guitar parts!’ and I respond, ‘Hey – I composed all that.’”

Creative Output and Ideas

As the band’s stature has increased, so has the breadth of their production design. “My philosophy is always that if something is valuable, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton laughs. At first, she had been on track for a art school education before pulling back at the prospect of heavy loans. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to apply artistic expression,” she says. “Whether it’s crafting disguises, attire creation, mastering post-production clips … these are all things I am unfamiliar with, but it’s fun to learn in the moment.”

Even though building the ensemble’s complex backstory (“Everyone’s urging me to record it because all the ideas are,” Riley says, indicating her head) and making clothing wasn’t enough, the singer self-educated how to create armor – no mean feat, though she admittedly left her brand-new scalemail look to a expert from NYC. “It feels like actual armour,” she beams.

Fan Response and Obstacles

As for audiences? They loved the stage blood, toy blades and papier-mache rat skulls with as much gusto as the band. “We performed a gig in Detroit and it seemed like a historical festival,” reminisces Riley fondly. “Everyone was in robes, sheepskin, metal wear.”

This isn’t to say, however, that touring existence as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been plain sailing. “Each item is frequently damaged and gets repaired with tape,” Riley says. “Plus I’ll have numerous thoughts as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we are on the move in a van with restricted capacity. It’s a fascinating test to make it feel like a grand epic, then store it into a small space.”

We’ve encountered further organizational challenges that wouldn’t have troubled fictional warriors. “We experienced an ‘disastrous’ moment when we appeared at a Portuguese festival in the European country and my suitcase – which had my sword in it – went missing,” says Riley. “That was a terrible situation, because we don’t have an alternative version of the performance where I am without a sword.”

Goals Ahead

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is enthusiastic about the future. “My goal is all the way – I dream of huge arenas,” she says. “The main aspect that’s deeply meaningful to me is keeping the handmade style, guaranteeing each detail is crafted by us. This is a feature I want to stay authentic to, regardless of we grow into. Plus, I want to appear on a unicorn each show. Remember how some artists use vehicles in concerts? That, but with a unicorn.”