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Although many musicians have drawn from epic fantasy, rarely any have truly lived the enchanted way of life. Certainly, they could adorn their album sleeves with ghouls, beasts, manacled maidens and muscular warriors, but did a member ever been forced to retrieve a missing mythical horn from a snowy field in the midst of winter? Has anyone taken the time straining their eyes in the interior of a traveling vehicle, fixing their own metal mesh?

Embracing the Mythos

Formed in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have had to face such situations and others as they embody their heroic dreams. From heraldic, catchy anthems to stunning concerts, outfit creation, visuals and album art, they’re not just a metal band as a total artistic immersion.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a outfit with characters,” says vocalist, guitarist, sword-carrier and creative overlord Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport travels from a sold-out gig in a German city to one more in another town – they’re also doing several shows in the UK now. “Initially, we performed twice and were scheduled on a spooky event, where I decided spontaneously to dress up. It was all super-DIY, but we had an amazing time and the feeling in the room was incredible. I thought, ‘What if we could have this much fun at every show?’”

The Band’s Evolution

Since then, the group – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Rat Queen” together with a plague doctor (bass player), haughty vampire (lead guitarist) and enigmatic nature priest (percussionist) – never turned back. The Bestiary, the band’s second album, brings to mind of classic metal icons uniting to battle their way through a heroic art landscape – a heroic opus that positions them on the brink of greater success.

This album was a initial step for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her bandmates. “This helped a lot stronger record,” she says of the group work. “I had difficulty at first – I often experienced a specific level of accomplishment as a woman in music going it alone. There have been numerous occasions where I finished performing and some guy will say, ‘The band compose cool melodies!’ and I’m like, ‘Listen – I composed all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

As the band’s stature has grown, 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 track for a art school education before balking at the prospect of so much debt. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to express artistic expression,” she says. “Be it crafting disguises, attire creation, learning how to edit clips … it’s all stuff I don’t know how to do, but it’s exciting to learn in the moment.”

Even though developing the ensemble’s complex backstory (“People are encouraging me to record it because everything is stored,” Riley says, tapping her head) and sewing costumes didn’t suffice, the singer taught herself how to craft metal mesh – a challenging endeavor, though she admittedly entrusted her completely original scalemail look to a New York-based specialist. “It’s as if actual armour,” she grins.

Audience Reaction and Challenges

Regarding the fans? They took to the fake blood, toy blades and handmade props with as much gusto as the musicians. “We performed a gig in Detroit and it resembled a medieval event,” recalls Riley with affection. “Everyone was in capes, wool garments, armor.”

However, this doesn’t mean, though, that touring existence as mythical wanderers has been plain sailing. “Everything is always failing and gets repaired with tape,” Riley says. “Moreover I get numerous thoughts as to how I desire the presentation, but we tour in a bus with limited room. It’s a fascinating test to make it feel like a mythic tale, then compress it into nothing.”

We’ve encountered further organizational challenges that would never have plagued mythic characters. “We experienced an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we played a music event in the European country and my luggage – which had my sword in it – went missing,” says Riley. “That was a nightmare, because there is no an backup plan of the show where I don’t have a blade.”

Future Ambitions

Like a true warrior queen, Riley is gung-ho about the future. “I aim to reach to the top – let’s do stadiums,” she says. “The only thing that’s deeply meaningful to me is preserving the self-crafted look, making sure everything is handmade. It’s a component I want to remain faithful to, whatever we scale to. Additionally, I wish to ride out on a mythical beast every night. You know how famous musicians ride bikes on stage? The same idea, but using a unicorn.”