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While many rockers have borrowed from fantasy lore, few have truly lived the enchanted existence. Certainly, they may embellish their album sleeves with ghouls, goblins, captive women and brawny barbarians, but has an artist ever have to recover a lost horn from a unicorn from a frost-covered ground in the depths of winter? Did a guitarist devoted hours peering in the rear of a traveling vehicle, fixing their own chainmail?

Immersed in the Legend

Created in 2019, New York’s Castle Rat have had to face these exact challenges and others as they embody their heroic dreams. From heraldic, memorable anthems to eye-popping live shows, outfit creation, visuals and cover artwork, they’re not so much a metal band as a total artistic immersion.

“It wasn’t planned to be a costumed concept band,” explains vocalist, guitar player, sword-carrier and creative overlord Riley Pinkerton as the group’s vehicle travels from a packed show in Cologne to one more in another town – they’re also doing several shows in the UK this week. “Initially, we performed twice and received an offer on a Halloween gig, where I made a last-minute decision to put on an outfit. The entire setup was highly handmade, but we had an amazing time and the energy was unforgettable. It occurred to me, ‘What if we could have so much excitement at every show?’”

The Band’s Evolution

From that point on, the ensemble – which features Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” alongside a plague doctor (low-end instrumentalist), haughty vampire (six-string player) and enigmatic nature priest (drummer) – never turned back. The Bestiary, the group’s sophomore release, conjures visions of classic metal icons uniting to battle their way through a Frank Frazetta fantasy world – a heroic opus that positions them on the edge of far grander things.

This album was a new experience for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her fellow members. “This helped a more powerful project,” she says of the group work. “I had difficulty at first – I often experienced a specific level of accomplishment as a woman in music working independently. There’ve been numerous occasions where after a show and an audience member will say, ‘Those guys create awesome guitar parts!’ and I think, ‘Hey – I created all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

With their growing popularity has expanded, so has the scope of their visual elements. “My motto is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton laughs. She was originally on track for a university studies in art before pulling back at the prospect of financial burden. “What’s enjoyable about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to express artistry,” she says. “Whether it’s creating face coverings, costume design, mastering post-production clips … everything is I have no experience with, but it’s exciting to discover as we go.”

Even though creating the band’s intricate lore (“Everyone’s urging me to write it down because it’s all in here,” Riley says, indicating her head) and sewing costumes didn’t suffice, the vocalist self-educated how to create armor – a difficult task, though she confessedly left her all-new reptilian-inspired outfit to a New York-based specialist. “It feels like actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

Regarding the fans? They embraced the stage blood, soft weapons and handmade props with similar excitement as the musicians. “We played a concert in Detroit and it resembled a Renaissance fair,” reminisces Riley fondly. “All attendees was in cloaks, wool garments, armor.”

However, this doesn’t mean, though, that touring existence as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been smooth. “Each item is frequently damaged and ends up repaired with tape,” Riley says. “Additionally I’ll have numerous thoughts as to how I want things to look, but we are on the move in a bus with limited room. It’s an interesting challenge to make it feel like a mythic tale, then pack it down into a small space.”

There have been further organizational challenges that would never have plagued mythic characters. “There was an ‘disastrous’ moment when we played a music event in the European country and my luggage – which had my blade in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “This became a worst-case scenario, because there’s not an backup plan of the show where I lack a blade.”

Upcoming Plans

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is enthusiastic about the future. “My goal is all the way – let’s do large venues,” she says. “The main aspect that’s really important to me is keeping the handmade style, making sure all elements is custom-made. It’s a component I want to keep true to, whatever we grow into. Additionally, I desire to ride out on a mythical beast each show. You know how some artists do the motorcycle thing? That, but using a unicorn.”