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While numerous musicians have borrowed from fantasy lore, rarely any have fully embraced the mythical way of life. Certainly, they could embellish their album sleeves with ghouls, imps, captive women and brawny barbarians, but has an artist ever needed to retrieve a misplaced horn from a unicorn from a snowy field in the depths of winter? Did a guitarist taken the time peering in the rear of a tour bus, fixing their own chainmail?

Embracing the Mythos

Established in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have had to face both these scenarios and additional ones as they embody their grand tales. From medieval-inspired, memorable songs to eye-popping live shows, attire styling, music videos and album art, they’re not just a metal band as a total artistic immersion.

“It wasn’t planned to be a costumed concept band,” states singer, guitar player, sword-carrier and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport travels from a full-capacity concert in a German city to a second one in another town – they’re also doing five gigs in the UK currently. “We played two shows and got booked on a spooky event, where I decided spontaneously to put on an outfit. It was all highly handmade, but we had a blast and the energy was electric. I thought, ‘What if we could have such enjoyment every time?’”

Development of Castle Rat

After that, the band – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” together with a pestilence physician (low-end instrumentalist), aristocratic undead (guitarist) and enigmatic nature priest (drummer) – continued forward. Their latest album, the group’s sophomore release, brings to mind of famous rock groups joining forces to struggle onward through a heroic art landscape – a epic masterpiece that positions them on the brink of greater success.

The release was a first for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her collaborators. “It made it a much better album,” she says of the team effort. “I struggled at first – There was a sense of a particular degree of accomplishment being a woman in music going it alone. There have been numerous occasions where I finished performing and an audience member will say, ‘Those guys create awesome guitar parts!’ and I think, ‘Hey – I created all that.’”

Artistry and Imagination

As the band’s stature has expanded, so has the scope of their visual elements. “My philosophy is always that if something is valuable, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. Initially, she was on path for a fine art degree before hesitating at the prospect of so much debt. “What’s enjoyable about Castle Rat is there’s various avenues to demonstrate artistic expression,” she says. “From crafting disguises, outfit planning, mastering post-production song visuals … these are all things I don’t know how to do, but it’s exciting to discover on the fly.”

As if developing the group’s detailed mythology (“People are encouraging me to record it because everything is stored,” Riley says, pointing to her head) and stitching garments wasn’t enough, the vocalist self-educated how to create armor – no mean feat, though she admittedly entrusted her all-new scale armor design to a professional in the city. “It’s as if actual armour,” she grins.

Fan Response and Obstacles

What about the crowd? They embraced the stage blood, foam swords and crafted rodent bones with as much gusto as the group. “We had a show in the Motor City and it resembled a historical festival,” remembers Riley happily. “The whole crowd was in robes, wool garments, armor.”

However, this doesn’t mean, though, that life on the road as fantasy adventurers has been plain sailing. “Everything is frequently damaged and gets duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Additionally I come up with endless ideas as to how I want things to look, but we’re traveling in a bus with restricted capacity. It’s a fascinating test to create the impression like a grand epic, then pack it down into nothing.”

We faced other logistical problems that didn’t affect mythic characters. “We did have an ‘disastrous’ moment when we appeared at a music event in Portugal and my suitcase – which had my blade in it – got lost,” says Riley. “It was a nightmare, because there’s not an alternative version of the performance where I am without a weapon.”

Goals Ahead

As a genuine leader, Riley is eager about the days to come. “My goal is all the way – I dream of stadiums,” she says. “The only thing that’s really important to me is maintaining the DIY aesthetic, making sure all elements is handmade. This is a feature I want to keep true to, whatever we grow into. Oh, and I desire to ride out on a magical horse each show. Remember how some artists use vehicles in concerts? That, but using a unicorn.”