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While many artists have taken inspiration from fantasy lore, rarely any have genuinely embodied the mythical lifestyle. Sure, they might adorn their record jackets with monsters, beasts, manacled maidens and brawny barbarians, but did a member ever been forced to retrieve a missing unicorn horn from a snowy field in the depths of winter? Has a performer taken the time squinting in the interior of a tour bus, fixing their own armor?

Embracing the Mythos

Formed in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have encountered both these scenarios and more as they live out their grand tales. Starting with medieval-inspired, earworm-heavy songs to eye-popping concerts, outfit creation, visuals and cover artwork, they’re not so much a heavy metal group as a total artistic immersion.

“Castle Rat wasn’t meant to be a costumed concept band,” explains vocalist, guitar player, sword-wielder and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van travels from a packed show in Cologne to another in Aschaffenburg – they have multiple performances in the UK currently. “After a couple of performances and were scheduled on a spooky event, where I made a last-minute decision to put on an outfit. Everything was completely self-made, but we had a blast and the atmosphere was electric. It occurred to me, ‘How about if we could have such enjoyment always?’”

The Band’s Evolution

From that point on, the group – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” together with a plague doctor (bass player), haughty vampire (lead guitarist) and mysterious druid (drummer) – continued forward. Their latest album, the group’s sophomore release, evokes images of classic metal icons joining forces to fight their path through a Frank Frazetta fantasy world – a heroic opus that sets them on the verge of far grander things.

This album was a first for Pinkerton in that she opened the floor to her fellow members. “This helped a much better record,” she says of the group work. “It was challenging at first – There was a sense of a specific level of accomplishment as a female in music working independently. I’ve had so many times where I’ve got off stage and some guy will say, ‘The other members compose cool melodies!’ and I respond, ‘Listen – I created all that.’”

Creative Output and Ideas

With their growing popularity has expanded, so has the scope of their production design. “My motto is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton chuckles. Initially, she was on track for a fine art degree before balking at the possibility of heavy loans. “What’s enjoyable about Castle Rat is there’s various avenues to demonstrate artistic expression,” she says. “Be it making masks, attire creation, mastering post-production song visuals … it’s all stuff I don’t know how to do, but it’s fun to discover in the moment.”

As if creating the group’s detailed mythology (“People are encouraging me to record it because everything is stored,” Riley says, pointing to her head) and making clothing were insufficient, the singer taught herself how to craft metal mesh – no mean feat, though she confessedly entrusted her all-new scale armor design to a expert from NYC. “It seems like actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Fan Response and Obstacles

Regarding the fans? They took to the fake blood, toy blades and handmade props with equal enthusiasm as the musicians. “We had a concert in Detroit and it seemed like a Renaissance fair,” recalls Riley happily. “The whole crowd was in cloaks, wool garments, armor.”

However, this doesn’t mean, however, that life on the road as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been easy. “Each item is frequently damaged and ends up fixed temporarily,” Riley says. “Additionally I get endless ideas as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we’re traveling in a bus with limited room. It’s an interesting challenge to give the sense like a mythic tale, then compress it into nothing.”

We’ve encountered other logistical problems that would never have plagued legendary fantasy heroes. “We experienced an ‘disastrous’ moment when we appeared at a Portuguese festival in Portugal and my luggage – which had my weapon in it – went missing,” says Riley. “It was a nightmare, because there’s not an alternative version of the show where I don’t have a weapon.”

Future Ambitions

As a genuine leader, Riley is eager about the future. “I aim to reach 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, ensuring all elements is handmade. That’s an element I want to remain faithful to, regardless of we scale to. Additionally, I want to ride out on a mythical beast at all performances. Remember how legends use vehicles in concerts? That, but with a unicorn.”