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Although numerous musicians have borrowed from fantasy lore, only a handful have truly lived the mythical lifestyle. Certainly, they might embellish their record jackets with monsters, goblins, captive women and brawny barbarians, but has any musician ever have to retrieve a misplaced horn from a unicorn from a snowy field in the heart of winter? Did a guitarist taken the time squinting in the interior of a tour bus, repairing their own armor?

Living the Fantasy

Created in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have encountered these exact challenges and more as they act out their epic fantasies. From heraldic, catchy tunes to stunning performances, attire styling, videos and record designs, they’re not so much a rock act as a total artistic immersion.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a costumed concept band,” states vocalist, guitar player, sword-wielder and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport drives from a packed show in a German city to another in Aschaffenburg – they have five gigs 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. The entire setup was completely self-made, but we had so much fun and the energy was unforgettable. I thought, ‘What if we could have such enjoyment every time?’”

Growth of the Group

Since then, the ensemble – which includes Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” together with a plague doctor (bassist), aristocratic undead (six-string player) and enigmatic nature priest (drummer) – never turned back. The Bestiary, the group’s sophomore release, brings to mind of famous rock groups collaborating to struggle onward through a mythical painted realm – a grand composition that sets them on the brink of far grander things.

The Bestiary was a new experience for Pinkerton in that she opened the floor to her fellow members. “That contributed to a lot stronger record,” she says of the team effort. “I had difficulty at first – There was a sense of a certain amount of pride as a woman in music going it alone. There’ve been so many times where after a show and a person will say, ‘The other members create awesome guitar parts!’ and I’m like, ‘Hey – I created all that.’”

Artistry and Imagination

As their fame has increased, so has the scope of their visual elements. “The saying I live by is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton laughs. Initially, she was on path for a university studies in art before pulling back at the prospect of so much debt. “The fun thing about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to express artistry,” she says. “Whether it’s making masks, attire creation, mastering post-production music videos … it’s all stuff I am unfamiliar with, but it’s exciting to figure it out in the moment.”

Even though building the band’s intricate lore (“People are encouraging me to write it down because it’s all in here,” Riley says, pointing to her head) and making clothing wasn’t enough, the vocalist learned on her own how to craft metal mesh – a challenging endeavor, though she confessedly left her completely original scale armor design to a New York-based specialist. “It’s as if actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Audience Reaction and Challenges

Regarding the fans? They took to the stage blood, foam swords and papier-mache rat skulls with equal enthusiasm as the band. “We performed a show in the Motor City and it resembled a historical festival,” reminisces Riley happily. “All attendees was in capes, animal hides, chainmail.”

However, this doesn’t mean, nevertheless, that traveling lifestyle as fantasy adventurers has been easy. “Everything is frequently damaged and gets duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Moreover I come up with countless concepts as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we are on the move in a van with limited room. It’s a fascinating test to make it feel like a larger-than-life story, then store it into a small space.”

We’ve encountered additional practical issues that would never have plagued 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. “That was a nightmare, because we don’t have an backup plan of the show where I lack a blade.”

Upcoming Plans

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is enthusiastic about the future. “I want to go as far as possible – we should play stadiums,” she says. “The main aspect that’s really important to me is preserving the self-crafted look, making sure each detail is crafted by us. That’s an element I want to stay authentic to, no matter what we grow into. Additionally, I want to ride out on a magical horse every night. Remember how some artists ride bikes on stage? Exactly that, but on a mythical creature.”