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While numerous artists have drawn from high fantasy, only a handful have genuinely embodied the mythical existence. Sure, they may adorn their album covers with monsters, beasts, captive women and strong fighters, but has an artist ever been forced to find a misplaced unicorn horn from a frost-covered ground in the midst of winter? Has a performer taken the time peering in the rear of a road transport, fixing their own chainmail?

Embracing the Mythos

Formed in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have dealt with such situations and additional ones as they act out their grand tales. Starting with heraldic, catchy anthems to breathtaking concerts, costume design, videos and record designs, they’re not so much a rock act as a full immersive experience.

“Castle Rat wasn’t meant to be a outfit with characters,” states vocalist, guitar player, sword-carrier and creative overlord Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van travels from a sold-out gig in Cologne to one more in Aschaffenburg – they are playing five gigs in the UK now. “After a couple of performances and were scheduled on a spooky event, where I chose at the final moment to put on an outfit. The entire setup was highly handmade, but we had so much fun and the feeling in the room was incredible. I thought, ‘Imagine if we could have such enjoyment at every show?’”

The Band’s Evolution

From that point on, the ensemble – which includes Pinkerton as the “Rat Queen” joined by a plague doctor (bassist), proud bloodsucker (lead guitarist) and secretive shaman (drummer) – continued forward. The new record, the group’s sophomore release, evokes images of legendary heavy bands joining forces to struggle onward through a mythical painted realm – a heroic opus that positions them on the edge of greater success.

The Bestiary was a new experience for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her bandmates. “This helped a lot stronger album,” she says of the team effort. “I struggled at first – I’d always felt a certain amount of satisfaction being a woman in music working independently. There’ve been multiple instances where I finished performing and a person will say, ‘The band create awesome guitar parts!’ and I respond, ‘Hey – I wrote all that.’”

Creative Output and Ideas

As their fame has expanded, so has the breadth of their visual elements. “My philosophy is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. Initially, she was on course for a art school education before hesitating at the idea of financial burden. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to express artistry,” she says. “Whether it’s crafting disguises, attire creation, learning how to edit clips … everything is I don’t know how to do, but it’s exciting to discover on the fly.”

As if developing the ensemble’s complex backstory (“People are encouraging me to record it because everything is stored,” Riley says, indicating her head) and making clothing didn’t suffice, the singer learned on her own how to craft metal mesh – a difficult task, though she admittedly left her all-new reptilian-inspired outfit to a New York-based specialist. “It seems like actual armour,” she beams.

Fan Response and Obstacles

Regarding the fans? They loved the theatrical gore, foam swords and handmade props with similar excitement as the musicians. “We performed a show in Detroit and it seemed like a medieval event,” reminisces Riley with affection. “The whole crowd was in robes, sheepskin, chainmail.”

This isn’t to say, though, that life on the road as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been plain sailing. “All our gear is frequently damaged and ends up fixed temporarily,” Riley says. “Additionally I’ll have numerous thoughts as to how I desire the presentation, but we tour in a vehicle with only so much space. It’s a fascinating test to make it feel like a larger-than-life story, then pack it down into minimal luggage.”

We’ve encountered further organizational challenges that wouldn’t have troubled mythic characters. “We experienced an ‘oh shit’ moment when we appeared at a music event in the European country and my luggage – which had my blade in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “It was a worst-case scenario, because there’s not an different option of the show where I am without a sword.”

Future Ambitions

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is gung-ho about the future. “I want to go as far as possible – let’s do huge arenas,” she says. “The only thing that’s deeply meaningful to me is maintaining the handmade style, guaranteeing each detail is custom-made. That’s an element I want to stay authentic to, whatever we scale to. Additionally, I wish to ride out on a unicorn each show. Think about how famous musicians do the motorcycle thing? Exactly that, but using a unicorn.”