🔗 Share this article

While plenty of rockers have drawn from epic fantasy, only a handful have genuinely embodied the fantasy lifestyle. Sure, they may decorate their record jackets with ghouls, imps, captive women and strong fighters, but did a member ever have to retrieve a lost mythical horn from a frost-covered ground in the depths of winter? Has anyone taken the time squinting in the rear of a road transport, repairing their own metal mesh?

Living the Fantasy

Formed in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have encountered both these scenarios and more as they embody their epic fantasies. From medieval-inspired, memorable songs to breathtaking performances, costume design, music videos and record designs, they’re not just a metal band as a total artistic immersion.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a costumed concept band,” says singer, guitar player, sword-wielder and visionary Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport speeds from a packed show in a German city to one more in another town – they are playing five gigs in the UK this week. “After a couple of performances and received an offer on a spooky event, where I made a last-minute decision to put on an outfit. Everything was completely self-made, but we had an amazing time and the atmosphere was incredible. It occurred to me, ‘Imagine if we could have such enjoyment at every show?’”

Development of Castle Rat

From that point on, the band – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” together with a plague doctor (bassist), haughty vampire (lead guitarist) and secretive shaman (rhythm keeper) – never turned back. Their latest album, the follow-up record, conjures visions of legendary heavy bands uniting to battle their way through a mythical painted realm – a heroic opus that positions them on the edge of bigger achievements.

This album was a new experience for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her bandmates. “It made it a much better album,” she says of the collaborative process. “I had difficulty at first – There was a sense of a certain amount of satisfaction as a female in music doing everything solo. I’ve had numerous occasions where I’ve got off stage and an audience member will say, ‘The band compose cool melodies!’ and I think, ‘Listen – I composed all that.’”

Artistry and Imagination

As their fame has increased, so has the scale of their production design. “My philosophy is always that if something is valuable, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. Initially, she was on track for a fine art degree before pulling back at the idea of financial burden. “The fun thing about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to demonstrate artistry,” she says. “Be it crafting disguises, costume design, mastering post-production clips … everything is I am unfamiliar with, but it’s enjoyable to figure it out in the moment.”

Even though building the band’s intricate lore (“The team is pushing me to record it because all the ideas are,” Riley says, pointing to her head) and making clothing were insufficient, the vocalist taught herself how to craft metal mesh – a difficult task, though she confessedly left her completely original scalemail look to a professional in the city. “It seems like actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

What about the crowd? They loved the stage blood, toy blades and crafted rodent bones with as much gusto as the band. “We played a show in Detroit and it resembled a historical festival,” remembers Riley happily. “Everyone was in cloaks, wool garments, armor.”

This isn’t to say, nevertheless, that life on the road as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been smooth. “Everything is always failing and ends up fixed temporarily,” Riley says. “Plus I’ll have numerous thoughts as to how I desire the presentation, but we are on the move in a vehicle with restricted capacity. It’s a unique problem to create the impression like a larger-than-life story, then store it into minimal luggage.”

There have been additional practical issues that didn’t affect mythic characters. “There was an ‘oh shit’ moment when we played SonicBlast festival in the European country and my luggage – which had my blade in it – went missing,” says Riley. “That was a nightmare, because there’s not an alternative version of the concert where I am without a weapon.”

Future Ambitions

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is gung-ho about the days to come. “I want to go all the way – let’s do stadiums,” she says. “The only thing that’s deeply meaningful to me is maintaining the DIY aesthetic, guaranteeing all elements is custom-made. It’s a component I want to remain faithful to, whatever we achieve. Plus, I wish to appear on a mythical beast each show. Remember how famous musicians use vehicles in concerts? Exactly that, but with a unicorn.”