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Although many musicians have drawn from epic fantasy, rarely any have truly lived the enchanted way of life. Sure, they may decorate their album covers with ghouls, imps, captive women and muscular warriors, but has any musician ever have to retrieve a lost unicorn horn from a snowy field in the depths of winter? Has a guitarist taken the time straining their eyes in the back of a traveling vehicle, fixing their own metal mesh?

Embracing the Mythos

Created in 2019, New York’s Castle Rat have had to face both these scenarios and others as they embody their heroic dreams. Starting with knightly, memorable songs to breathtaking performances, outfit creation, videos and record designs, they’re not so much a heavy metal group as a complete sensory journey.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a themed musical group,” states singer, guitar player, sword-wielder and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van drives from a full-capacity concert in Cologne to a second one in another town – they are playing five gigs in the UK currently. “Initially, we performed twice and were scheduled on a Halloween gig, where I decided spontaneously to put on an outfit. It was all super-DIY, but we had so much fun and the energy was electric. I thought, ‘Imagine if we could have such enjoyment always?’”

Development of Castle Rat

From that point on, the band – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” alongside a medic from history (bass player), aristocratic undead (lead guitarist) and enigmatic nature priest (drummer) – never turned back. The Bestiary, the follow-up record, conjures visions of legendary heavy bands collaborating to fight their path through a heroic art landscape – a grand composition that sets them on the brink of bigger achievements.

This album was a initial step for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her collaborators. “That contributed to a much better project,” she says of the group work. “I struggled at first – There was a sense of a particular degree of accomplishment as a woman in music working independently. There have been multiple instances where I’ve got off stage and a person will say, ‘Those guys create awesome guitar parts!’ and I respond, ‘Hey – I created all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

As their fame has grown, so has the scale of their production design. “The saying I live by is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton chuckles. She was originally on course for a art school education before balking at the idea of heavy loans. “The fun thing about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to express artistic expression,” she says. “Whether it’s crafting disguises, costume design, learning how to edit song visuals … these are all things I don’t know how to do, but it’s enjoyable to learn in the moment.”

Even though creating the group’s detailed mythology (“Everyone’s urging me to record it because it’s all in here,” Riley says, pointing to her head) and making clothing were insufficient, the singer self-educated how to craft metal mesh – no mean feat, though she confessedly delegated her brand-new scale armor design to a New York-based specialist. “It feels like actual armour,” she grins.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

What about the crowd? They took to the theatrical gore, toy blades and papier-mache rat skulls with similar excitement as the band. “We had a concert in Detroit and it seemed like a Renaissance fair,” remembers Riley fondly. “All attendees was in robes, sheepskin, armor.”

However, this doesn’t mean, nevertheless, that touring existence as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been smooth. “Everything is frequently damaged and ends up repaired with tape,” Riley says. “Plus I’ll have endless ideas as to how I desire the presentation, but we tour in a bus with restricted capacity. It’s a unique problem to create the impression like a mythic tale, then compress it into minimal luggage.”

We’ve encountered further organizational challenges that didn’t affect fictional warriors. “There was an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we performed at SonicBlast festival in the European country and my luggage – which had my sword in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “That was a terrible situation, because we don’t have an alternative version of the performance where I am without a weapon.”

Goals Ahead

Like a true warrior queen, Riley is eager about the days to come. “My goal is to the top – we should play stadiums,” she says. “The key element that’s really important to me is preserving the handmade style, guaranteeing each detail is crafted by us. This is a feature I want to stay authentic to, whatever we achieve. Oh, and I wish to ride out on a magical horse at all performances. Think about how famous musicians use vehicles in concerts? The same idea, but on a mythical creature.”