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Although plenty of musicians have drawn from epic fantasy, rarely any have genuinely embodied the fantasy existence. Admittedly, they might decorate their album sleeves with monsters, goblins, captive women and muscular warriors, but did a member ever needed to recover a lost mythical horn from a frost-covered ground in the heart of winter? Has anyone spent time straining their eyes in the back of a road transport, mending their own metal mesh?

Immersed in the Legend

Formed in 2019, New York’s Castle Rat have encountered such situations and others as they embody their grand tales. From medieval-inspired, memorable tunes to eye-popping concerts, attire styling, videos and cover artwork, they’re more than a metal band as a full immersive experience.

“Castle Rat wasn’t meant to be a themed musical group,” says singer, guitarist, sword-wielder and visionary Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van speeds from a full-capacity concert in Cologne to another in another town – they’re also doing multiple performances in the UK this week. “After a couple of performances and were scheduled on a Halloween gig, where I chose at the final moment to wear a costume. Everything was super-DIY, but we had a blast and the atmosphere was electric. I realized, ‘How about if we could have so much excitement always?’”

Growth of the Group

Since then, the ensemble – which includes Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” alongside a medic from history (bassist), aristocratic undead (six-string player) and mysterious druid (percussionist) – never turned back. The new record, the band’s second album, evokes images of legendary heavy bands joining forces to fight their path through a mythical painted realm – a epic masterpiece that positions them on the verge of bigger achievements.

The Bestiary was a first for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her fellow members. “It made it a much better project,” she says of the collaborative process. “I had difficulty at first – I often experienced a certain amount of satisfaction as a female in music doing everything solo. I’ve had multiple instances where I’ve got off stage and an audience member will say, ‘The other members compose cool melodies!’ and I’m like, ‘Wait – I created all that.’”

Artistry and Imagination

With their growing popularity has increased, so has the scope of their visual elements. “My philosophy is always that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton chuckles. She was originally on track for a art school education before pulling back at the prospect of heavy loans. “The fun thing about Castle Rat is there’s various avenues to express creativity,” she says. “From making masks, attire creation, mastering post-production song visuals … everything is I am unfamiliar with, but it’s fun to discover on the fly.”

As if building the band’s intricate lore (“People are encouraging me to record it because all the ideas are,” Riley says, tapping her head) and making clothing didn’t suffice, the vocalist learned on her own how to make chainmail – a difficult task, though she admittedly entrusted her brand-new scale armor design to a expert from NYC. “It’s as if actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Audience Reaction and Challenges

Regarding the fans? They loved the fake blood, toy blades and papier-mache rat skulls with equal enthusiasm as the group. “We had a concert in Detroit and it seemed like a historical festival,” recalls Riley fondly. “The whole crowd was in robes, sheepskin, metal wear.”

However, this doesn’t mean, though, that traveling lifestyle as fantasy adventurers has been easy. “Each item is constantly breaking and gets duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Moreover I’ll have endless ideas as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we’re traveling in a bus with limited room. It’s a unique problem to make it feel like a mythic tale, then pack it down into a small space.”

There have been additional practical issues that wouldn’t have troubled legendary fantasy heroes. “We experienced an ‘oh shit’ moment when we performed at a music event in Portugal and my baggage – which had my sword in it – went missing,” says Riley. “This became a terrible situation, because there is no an alternative version of the concert where I lack a weapon.”

Future Ambitions

Like a true warrior queen, Riley is enthusiastic about the what’s next. “I aim to reach to the top – we should play huge arenas,” she says. “The key element that’s deeply meaningful to me is maintaining the self-crafted look, making sure everything is custom-made. This is a feature I want to stay authentic to, regardless of we achieve. Plus, I wish to appear on a unicorn every night. Remember how famous musicians use vehicles in concerts? The same idea, but using a unicorn.”