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While numerous musicians have borrowed from fantasy lore, few have fully embraced the mythical way of life. Sure, they could embellish their album covers with creatures, goblins, chained damsels and strong fighters, but has any musician ever have to retrieve a misplaced horn from a unicorn from a frost-covered ground in the midst of winter? Has a performer spent time straining their eyes in the interior of a tour bus, mending their own armor?

Immersed in the Legend

Formed in 2019, New York’s Castle Rat have encountered both these scenarios and others as they act out their heroic dreams. From medieval-inspired, catchy anthems to breathtaking live shows, attire styling, visuals and record designs, they’re not just a rock act as a total artistic immersion.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a outfit with characters,” states singer, guitarist, sword-carrier and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van travels from a sold-out gig in a German city to a second one in another town – they are playing five gigs in the UK currently. “We played two shows and received an offer on a October show, where I chose at the final moment to wear a costume. The entire setup was highly handmade, but we had so much fun and the energy was incredible. I realized, ‘Imagine if we could have so much excitement at every show?’”

The Band’s Evolution

After that, the band – which includes Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” alongside a pestilence physician (bass player), haughty vampire (guitarist) and mysterious druid (percussionist) – haven’t looked back. The Bestiary, the follow-up record, evokes images of legendary heavy bands collaborating to struggle onward through a mythical painted realm – a grand composition that sets them on the edge of far grander things.

The release was a first for Pinkerton in that she opened the floor to her collaborators. “This helped a lot stronger record,” she says of the collaborative process. “I struggled at first – I’d always felt a certain amount of satisfaction being a woman in music working independently. I’ve had multiple instances where I’ve got off stage and an audience member will say, ‘Those guys create awesome guitar parts!’ and I’m like, ‘Listen – I wrote all that.’”

Artistry and Imagination

As the band’s stature has increased, so has the breadth of their visual elements. “My motto is always that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. Initially, she was on track for a university studies in art before pulling back at the idea of heavy loans. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to apply artistry,” she says. “From creating face coverings, attire creation, mastering post-production music videos … everything is I don’t know how to do, but it’s fun to figure it out in the moment.”

Even though developing the group’s detailed mythology (“The team is pushing me to document it because everything is stored,” Riley says, pointing to her head) and stitching garments wasn’t enough, the singer learned on her own how to create armor – a challenging endeavor, though she confessedly delegated her completely original scalemail look to a expert from NYC. “It seems like actual armour,” she beams.

Fan Response and Obstacles

What about the crowd? They embraced the theatrical gore, toy blades and handmade props with similar excitement as the group. “We had a concert in Detroit and it resembled a Renaissance fair,” reminisces Riley fondly. “Everyone was in capes, animal hides, metal wear.”

This isn’t to say, however, that traveling lifestyle as fantasy adventurers has been easy. “Everything is constantly breaking and ends up duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Moreover I’ll have countless concepts as to how I want things to look, but we tour in a vehicle with restricted capacity. It’s an interesting challenge to give the sense like a grand epic, then compress it into nothing.”

We’ve encountered other logistical problems that didn’t affect legendary fantasy heroes. “We did have an ‘oh shit’ moment when we played a music event in Portugal and my luggage – which had my sword in it – went missing,” says Riley. “That was a nightmare, because we don’t have an alternative version of the performance where I am without a sword.”

Goals Ahead

Like a true warrior queen, Riley is eager about the what’s next. “I want to go as far as possible – I dream of huge arenas,” she says. “The key element that’s deeply meaningful to me is maintaining the handmade style, ensuring all elements is crafted by us. It’s a component I want to keep true to, whatever we grow into. Plus, I want to ride out on a unicorn each show. Remember how some artists ride bikes on stage? Exactly that, but with a unicorn.”