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Although numerous artists have borrowed from epic fantasy, few have truly lived the fantasy existence. Admittedly, they could adorn their record jackets with monsters, imps, captive women and strong fighters, but has an artist ever been forced to find a lost horn from a unicorn from a snowy field in the depths of winter? Did a guitarist taken the time straining their eyes in the back of a tour bus, repairing their own armor?

Embracing the Mythos

Formed in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have encountered these exact challenges and others as they live out their heroic dreams. Starting with medieval-inspired, earworm-heavy songs to eye-popping performances, attire styling, videos and record designs, they’re not just a rock act as a complete sensory journey.

“It wasn’t planned to be a outfit with characters,” says singer, guitarist, sword-wielder and creative overlord Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport speeds from a packed show in a German city to another in another town – they’re also doing several shows in the UK now. “After a couple of performances and received an offer on a Halloween gig, where I made a last-minute decision to dress up. Everything was super-DIY, but we had an amazing time and the energy was unforgettable. I thought, ‘How about if we could have so much excitement always?’”

Development of Castle Rat

Since then, the ensemble – which features Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” together with a plague doctor (bassist), proud bloodsucker (six-string player) and secretive shaman (drummer) – haven’t looked back. The Bestiary, the group’s sophomore release, evokes images of classic metal icons joining forces to battle their way through a Frank Frazetta fantasy world – a epic masterpiece that places them on the verge of greater success.

This album was a initial step for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her collaborators. “This helped a much better project,” she says of the collaborative process. “It was challenging at first – There was a sense of a specific level of satisfaction as a woman in music working independently. I’ve had so many times where I finished performing and some guy will say, ‘Those guys compose cool melodies!’ and I’m like, ‘Listen – I wrote all that.’”

Creative Output and Ideas

With their growing popularity has expanded, so has the breadth of their visual elements. “My philosophy is always that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. She was originally on path for a fine art degree before pulling back at the possibility of so much debt. “The fun thing about Castle Rat is there’s various avenues to express artistry,” she says. “From making masks, costume design, learning how to edit song visuals … these are all things I have no experience with, but it’s enjoyable to discover on the fly.”

Even though creating the group’s detailed mythology (“Everyone’s urging me to write it down because it’s all in here,” Riley says, pointing to her head) and stitching garments were insufficient, the singer learned on her own how to create armor – a challenging endeavor, though she confessedly entrusted her completely original reptilian-inspired outfit to a New York-based specialist. “It’s as if actual armour,” she beams.

Fan Response and Obstacles

As for audiences? They loved the theatrical gore, foam swords and crafted rodent bones with similar excitement as the musicians. “We performed a gig in Detroit and it seemed like a Renaissance fair,” reminisces Riley with affection. “The whole crowd was in robes, wool garments, chainmail.”

This isn’t to say, however, that touring existence as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been plain sailing. “Each item is frequently damaged and ends up duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Additionally I’ll have countless concepts as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we tour in a vehicle with limited room. It’s a unique problem to create the impression like a mythic tale, then pack it down into nothing.”

There have been other logistical problems that would never have plagued mythic characters. “There was an ‘disastrous’ moment when we played a Portuguese festival in the European country and my luggage – which had my blade in it – went missing,” says Riley. “This became a nightmare, because there is no an alternative version of the show where I am without a weapon.”

Future Ambitions

As a genuine leader, Riley is eager about the what’s next. “I aim to reach as far as possible – we should play huge arenas,” she says. “The main aspect that’s really important to me is keeping the DIY aesthetic, ensuring each detail is custom-made. That’s an element I want to stay authentic to, regardless of we scale to. Oh, and I wish to ride out on a mythical beast every night. Remember how some artists do the motorcycle thing? That, but with a unicorn.”