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Although plenty of musicians have taken inspiration from fantasy lore, few have genuinely embodied the fantasy existence. Sure, they may embellish their album covers with creatures, goblins, captive women and brawny barbarians, but did a member ever been forced to recover a missing horn from a unicorn from a wintry landscape in the heart of winter? Has a performer spent time peering in the rear of a road transport, fixing their own armor?

Embracing the Mythos

Created in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have encountered such situations and additional ones as they live out their grand tales. From heraldic, earworm-heavy anthems to stunning concerts, outfit creation, videos and record designs, they’re more than a rock act as a full immersive experience.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a outfit with characters,” says singer, guitarist, blade-handler and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the group’s vehicle travels from a packed show in Cologne to a second one in Aschaffenburg – they have several shows in the UK now. “Initially, we performed twice and were scheduled on a Halloween gig, 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 electric. I realized, ‘What if we could have so much excitement every time?’”

The Band’s Evolution

Since then, the group – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” together with a medic from history (low-end instrumentalist), haughty vampire (guitarist) and secretive shaman (drummer) – haven’t looked back. Their latest album, the group’s sophomore release, evokes images of famous rock groups collaborating to fight their path through a mythical painted realm – a epic masterpiece that positions them on the verge of bigger achievements.

This album was a new experience for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her fellow members. “It made it a more powerful album,” she says of the collaborative process. “I had difficulty at first – There was a sense of a certain amount of accomplishment being a woman in music working independently. There have been so many times where I finished performing and some guy will say, ‘The band compose cool melodies!’ and I respond, ‘Wait – I composed all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

As the band’s stature has expanded, so has the scope of their visual elements. “The saying I live by is always that if something is valuable, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton laughs. At first, she had been on path for a fine art degree before balking at the possibility of financial burden. “The fun thing about Castle Rat is there’s various avenues to demonstrate artistry,” she says. “From crafting disguises, costume design, mastering post-production clips … it’s all stuff I am unfamiliar with, but it’s exciting to figure it out as we go.”

Even though creating the group’s detailed mythology (“People are encouraging me to document it because it’s all in here,” Riley says, tapping her head) and stitching garments didn’t suffice, the vocalist learned on her own how to create armor – a difficult task, though she confessedly entrusted her completely original scale armor design to a professional in the city. “It’s as if actual armour,” she beams.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

What about the crowd? They took to the fake blood, foam swords and papier-mache rat skulls with as much gusto as the musicians. “We had a gig in the Motor City and it resembled a medieval event,” reminisces Riley fondly. “All attendees was in capes, wool garments, chainmail.”

That’s not to imply, however, that traveling lifestyle as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been smooth. “Each item is frequently damaged and gets repaired with tape,” Riley says. “Additionally I come up with numerous thoughts as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we tour in a bus with limited room. It’s a fascinating test to give the sense like a grand epic, then store it into nothing.”

We faced additional practical issues that didn’t affect legendary fantasy heroes. “We did have an ‘disastrous’ moment when we played SonicBlast festival in Portugal and my luggage – which had my weapon in it – went missing,” says Riley. “It was a terrible situation, because we don’t have an backup plan of the performance where I lack a weapon.”

Goals Ahead

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is gung-ho about the what’s next. “I aim to reach to the top – let’s do huge arenas,” she says. “The main aspect that’s really important to me is maintaining the self-crafted look, guaranteeing each detail is handmade. It’s a component I want to stay authentic to, no matter what we grow into. Plus, I desire to ride out on a mythical beast each show. Remember how some artists do the motorcycle thing? That, but using a unicorn.”