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Although many musicians have taken inspiration from fantasy lore, only a handful have genuinely embodied the fantasy existence. Sure, they might decorate their record jackets with monsters, imps, captive women and brawny barbarians, but has an artist ever needed to recover a misplaced horn from a unicorn from a wintry landscape in the midst of winter? Has a performer devoted hours peering in the back of a road transport, mending their own metal mesh?

Embracing the Mythos

Formed in 2019, New York’s Castle Rat have dealt with these exact challenges and others as they live out their grand tales. From heraldic, catchy songs to breathtaking performances, attire styling, videos and album art, they’re not just a metal band as a total artistic immersion.

“It wasn’t planned to be a outfit with characters,” states singer, guitarist, sword-wielder and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport drives from a full-capacity concert in a German city to a second one in another town – they have five gigs in the UK currently. “After a couple of performances and were scheduled on a October show, where I decided spontaneously to put on an outfit. The entire setup was highly handmade, but we had an amazing time and the atmosphere was incredible. I realized, ‘How about if we could have so much excitement every time?’”

Growth of the Group

From that point on, the band – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” together with a plague doctor (bass player), proud bloodsucker (guitarist) and mysterious druid (rhythm keeper) – never turned back. The new record, the group’s sophomore release, brings to mind of famous rock groups joining forces to battle their way through a mythical painted realm – a grand composition that places them on the verge of far grander things.

The release was a first for Pinkerton in that she opened the floor to her bandmates. “That contributed to a more powerful record,” she says of the group work. “It was challenging at first – There was a sense of a certain amount of accomplishment as a female in music working independently. I’ve had so many times where I’ve got off stage and a person will say, ‘Those guys compose cool melodies!’ and I think, ‘Hey – I created all that.’”

Artistry and Imagination

As their fame has grown, so has the scope of their production design. “My motto is always that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton laughs. At first, she had been on course for a art school education before pulling back at the idea of financial burden. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s various avenues to express creativity,” she says. “Be it making masks, attire creation, learning how to edit music videos … these are all things I don’t know how to do, but it’s fun to figure it out in the moment.”

Even though developing the ensemble’s complex backstory (“Everyone’s urging me to record it because it’s all in here,” Riley says, indicating her head) and making clothing were insufficient, the vocalist self-educated how to craft metal mesh – a difficult task, though she confessedly delegated her completely original scalemail look to a expert from NYC. “It seems like actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Fan Response and Obstacles

What about the crowd? They embraced the fake blood, toy blades and crafted rodent bones with equal enthusiasm as the musicians. “We played a gig in Detroit and it resembled a medieval event,” remembers Riley happily. “Everyone was in cloaks, sheepskin, chainmail.”

That’s not to imply, however, that life on the road as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been plain sailing. “All our gear is frequently damaged and gets duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Additionally I get endless ideas as to how I want things to look, 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 compress it into nothing.”

We’ve encountered other logistical problems that didn’t affect mythic characters. “We experienced an ‘oh shit’ moment when we played a Portuguese festival in the European country and my baggage – which had my blade in it – went missing,” says Riley. “This became a terrible situation, because there is no an different option of the performance where I am without a blade.”

Upcoming Plans

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is gung-ho about the what’s next. “I aim to reach to the top – I dream of large venues,” she says. “The key element that’s truly essential to me is maintaining the DIY aesthetic, making sure everything is handmade. This is a feature I want to remain faithful to, regardless of we achieve. Oh, and I desire to make an entrance on a unicorn every night. Think about how famous musicians ride bikes on stage? The same idea, but with a unicorn.”