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While plenty of rockers have taken inspiration from fantasy lore, only a handful have fully embraced the enchanted existence. Certainly, they could decorate their album covers with ghouls, goblins, manacled maidens and brawny barbarians, but did a member ever been forced to retrieve a missing unicorn horn from a frost-covered ground in the midst of winter? Has a performer devoted hours straining their eyes in the rear of a road transport, fixing their own metal mesh?

Living the Fantasy

Created in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have encountered these exact challenges and additional ones as they embody their grand tales. From medieval-inspired, memorable tunes to stunning concerts, outfit creation, visuals and cover artwork, they’re not so much a rock act as a total artistic immersion.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a costumed concept band,” says singer, guitarist, sword-wielder and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van travels from a sold-out gig in Cologne to a second one in Aschaffenburg – they have five gigs in the UK this week. “After a couple of performances and got booked on a Halloween gig, where I made a last-minute decision to dress up. Everything was super-DIY, but we had so much fun and the atmosphere was unforgettable. I thought, ‘Imagine if we could have so much excitement every time?’”

Growth of the Group

Since then, the group – which includes Pinkerton as the “Rat Queen” joined by a pestilence physician (low-end instrumentalist), haughty vampire (guitarist) and secretive shaman (drummer) – never turned back. Their latest album, the follow-up record, brings to mind of legendary heavy bands collaborating to battle their way through a mythical painted realm – a grand composition that sets them on the verge of bigger achievements.

The Bestiary was a initial step for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her collaborators. “It made it a lot stronger album,” she says of the group work. “It was challenging at first – There was a sense of a particular degree of accomplishment being a woman in music going it alone. I’ve had so many times where I’ve got off stage and an audience member will say, ‘The other members compose cool melodies!’ and I respond, ‘Listen – I created all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

As their fame has increased, so has the scale of their visual elements. “The saying I live by is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. She was originally on path for a fine art degree before balking at the idea of so much debt. “What’s enjoyable about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to apply artistry,” she says. “Be it making masks, attire creation, figuring out video editing music videos … it’s all stuff I have no experience with, but it’s exciting to discover in the moment.”

As if building the ensemble’s complex backstory (“Everyone’s urging me to record it because everything is stored,” Riley says, tapping her head) and sewing costumes were insufficient, the vocalist taught herself how to create armor – a difficult task, though she admittedly entrusted her brand-new scale armor design to a New York-based specialist. “It feels like actual armour,” she grins.

Audience Reaction and Challenges

As for audiences? They loved the fake blood, soft weapons and papier-mache rat skulls with similar excitement as the band. “We had a concert in the Motor City and it seemed like a medieval event,” remembers Riley fondly. “Everyone was in capes, animal hides, metal wear.”

This isn’t to say, though, that life on the road as fantasy adventurers has been plain sailing. “Each item is constantly breaking and ends up fixed temporarily,” Riley says. “Moreover I’ll have countless concepts as to how I want things to look, but we tour in a vehicle with limited room. It’s an interesting challenge to create the impression like a grand epic, then pack it down into a small space.”

There have been additional practical issues that didn’t affect mythic characters. “We did have an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we performed at a music event in Portugal and my luggage – which had my sword in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “This became a nightmare, because there is no an different option of the performance where I lack a blade.”

Future Ambitions

Like a true warrior queen, Riley is enthusiastic about the days to come. “My goal is as far as possible – we should play huge arenas,” she says. “The main aspect that’s truly essential to me is preserving the DIY aesthetic, making sure each detail is handmade. That’s an element I want to stay authentic to, no matter what we grow into. Plus, I desire to ride out on a magical horse each show. You know how famous musicians do the motorcycle thing? Exactly that, but using a unicorn.”