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Although numerous musicians have borrowed from fantasy lore, only a handful have fully embraced the mythical existence. Sure, they may embellish their album covers with monsters, imps, chained damsels and muscular warriors, but did a member ever been forced to find a lost mythical horn from a snowy field in the heart of winter? Has anyone devoted hours straining their eyes in the interior of a road transport, fixing their own metal mesh?

Embracing the Mythos

Formed in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have encountered these exact challenges and others as they embody their grand tales. From medieval-inspired, catchy anthems to eye-popping live shows, costume design, visuals and cover artwork, they’re not so much a heavy metal group as a full immersive experience.

“Castle Rat wasn’t meant to be a costumed concept band,” says vocalist, guitarist, sword-carrier and creative overlord Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van speeds from a full-capacity concert in a German city to a second one in Aschaffenburg – they’re also doing several shows in the UK currently. “Initially, we performed twice and got booked on a October show, where I decided spontaneously to put on an outfit. Everything was highly handmade, but we had an amazing time and the feeling in the room was unforgettable. I realized, ‘What if we could have so much excitement at every show?’”

Development of Castle Rat

After that, the band – which includes Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” alongside a plague doctor (bass player), haughty vampire (lead guitarist) and enigmatic nature priest (drummer) – haven’t looked back. The Bestiary, the follow-up record, evokes images of classic metal icons uniting to fight their path through a Frank Frazetta fantasy world – a grand composition that places them on the verge of far grander things.

The release was a initial step for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her fellow members. “That contributed to a more powerful project,” she says of the group work. “I had difficulty at first – There was a sense of a specific level of pride as a female in music working independently. I’ve had so many times where I finished performing and some guy will say, ‘The other members compose cool melodies!’ and I respond, ‘Wait – I composed all that.’”

Artistry and Imagination

With their growing popularity has grown, 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 course for a university studies in art before pulling back at the possibility of so much debt. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to apply creativity,” she says. “Whether it’s crafting disguises, costume design, mastering post-production clips … 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 group’s detailed mythology (“Everyone’s urging me to write it down because everything is stored,” Riley says, tapping her head) and sewing costumes were insufficient, the vocalist taught herself how to craft metal mesh – a difficult task, though she admittedly left her completely original reptilian-inspired outfit to a expert from NYC. “It’s as if actual armour,” she beams.

Fan Response and Obstacles

As for audiences? They loved the stage blood, soft weapons and crafted rodent bones with equal enthusiasm as the musicians. “We played a show in Detroit and it seemed like a Renaissance fair,” remembers Riley with affection. “Everyone was in capes, wool garments, armor.”

This isn’t to say, nevertheless, that traveling lifestyle as mythical wanderers has been easy. “Each item is frequently damaged and becomes fixed temporarily,” Riley says. “Moreover I’ll have numerous thoughts as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we tour in a vehicle with restricted capacity. It’s a unique problem to give the sense like a larger-than-life story, then store it into minimal luggage.”

There have been additional practical issues that didn’t affect legendary fantasy heroes. “We did have an ‘oh shit’ moment when we appeared at a Portuguese festival in Portugal and my luggage – which had my blade in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “It was a terrible situation, because we don’t have an different option of the concert where I am without a sword.”

Future Ambitions

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is enthusiastic about the days to come. “I want to go as far as possible – we should play stadiums,” she says. “The only thing that’s really important to me is preserving the DIY aesthetic, guaranteeing everything is crafted by us. It’s a component I want to remain faithful to, whatever we grow into. Additionally, I desire to ride out on a unicorn each show. Remember how famous musicians ride bikes on stage? Exactly that, but using a unicorn.”