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While many rockers have drawn from epic fantasy, few have truly lived the enchanted way of life. Certainly, they might adorn their album sleeves with creatures, imps, manacled maidens and muscular warriors, but has any musician ever needed to find a misplaced horn from a unicorn from a wintry landscape in the depths of winter? Has anyone devoted hours squinting in the back of a road transport, fixing their own metal mesh?

Embracing the Mythos

Created in 2019, New York’s Castle Rat have dealt with these exact challenges and others as they act out their epic fantasies. From knightly, memorable songs to eye-popping performances, outfit creation, music videos and record designs, they’re not just a metal band as a full immersive experience.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a themed musical group,” says vocalist, guitarist, sword-wielder and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van drives from a sold-out gig in a German city to one more in another town – they are playing several shows in the UK currently. “Initially, we performed twice and received an offer on a Halloween gig, where I decided spontaneously to wear a costume. The entire setup was super-DIY, but we had an amazing time and the feeling in the room was unforgettable. It occurred to me, ‘What if we could have this much fun at every show?’”

Growth of the Group

After that, the group – which features Pinkerton as the “Rat Queen” together with a medic from history (bassist), haughty vampire (lead guitarist) and secretive shaman (drummer) – continued forward. The new record, the group’s sophomore release, brings to mind of famous rock groups uniting to fight their path through a mythical painted realm – a heroic opus that positions them on the edge of bigger achievements.

The Bestiary was a initial step for Pinkerton in that she opened the floor to her collaborators. “That contributed to a much better record,” she says of the group work. “I had difficulty at first – I often experienced a certain amount of pride being a woman in music doing everything solo. I’ve had so many times where I finished performing and an audience member will say, ‘The band write great riffs!’ and I respond, ‘Hey – I wrote all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

As their fame has expanded, so has the scope of their stage presentation. “My motto is always that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton chuckles. Initially, she was on path for a university studies in art before balking at the prospect of heavy loans. “What’s enjoyable about Castle Rat is there’s various avenues to demonstrate artistic expression,” she says. “Be it crafting disguises, costume design, learning how to edit clips … these are all things I have no experience with, but it’s fun to discover on the fly.”

As if developing the group’s detailed mythology (“People are encouraging me to write it down because everything is stored,” Riley says, tapping her head) and stitching garments wasn’t enough, the singer self-educated how to create armor – a challenging endeavor, though she confessedly left her completely original reptilian-inspired outfit to a New York-based specialist. “It feels like actual armour,” she grins.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

Regarding the fans? They loved the theatrical gore, foam swords and crafted rodent bones with as much gusto as the musicians. “We performed a show in Detroit and it resembled a historical festival,” reminisces Riley with affection. “The whole crowd was in robes, animal hides, metal wear.”

This isn’t to say, however, that life on the road as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been smooth. “All our gear is constantly breaking and ends up repaired with tape,” Riley says. “Additionally I’ll have endless ideas as to how I desire the presentation, but we tour in a van with restricted capacity. It’s a fascinating test to give the sense like a grand epic, then store it into a small space.”

We faced additional practical issues that would never have plagued fictional warriors. “We experienced an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we performed at a music event in Portugal and my suitcase – which had my sword in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “It was a nightmare, because there’s not an different option of the show where I don’t have a weapon.”

Goals Ahead

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is gung-ho about the future. “My goal is as far as possible – I dream of large venues,” she says. “The only thing that’s really important to me is keeping the handmade style, making sure all elements is crafted by us. This is a feature I want to stay authentic to, regardless of we grow into. Additionally, I desire to make an entrance on a mythical beast every night. Think about how famous musicians do the motorcycle thing? That, but with a unicorn.”