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While many artists have taken inspiration from epic fantasy, few have fully embraced the fantasy existence. Certainly, they may decorate their album sleeves with creatures, goblins, captive women and strong fighters, but has any musician ever have to retrieve a missing horn from a unicorn from a wintry landscape in the depths of winter? Has anyone spent time peering in the back of a traveling vehicle, fixing their own armor?

Immersed in the Legend

Created in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have dealt with both these scenarios and others as they live out their heroic dreams. From heraldic, memorable songs to eye-popping live shows, attire styling, visuals and cover artwork, they’re not just a heavy metal group as a complete sensory journey.

“Castle Rat wasn’t meant to be a costumed concept band,” states vocalist, guitarist, blade-handler and visionary Riley Pinkerton as the group’s vehicle travels from a packed show in Cologne to a second one in Aschaffenburg – they have multiple performances in the UK this week. “After a couple of performances and got booked on a Halloween gig, where I decided spontaneously to wear a costume. It was all completely self-made, but we had a blast and the feeling in the room was unforgettable. It occurred to me, ‘Imagine if we could have this much fun always?’”

The Band’s Evolution

After that, the band – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” together with a medic from history (low-end instrumentalist), aristocratic undead (lead guitarist) and secretive shaman (rhythm keeper) – never turned back. Their latest album, the group’s sophomore release, evokes images of famous rock groups collaborating to fight their path through a Frank Frazetta fantasy world – a heroic opus that positions them on the brink of far grander things.

The release was a first for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her bandmates. “It made it a more powerful album,” she says of the collaborative process. “I struggled at first – There was a sense of a particular degree of accomplishment as a female in music doing everything solo. I’ve had numerous occasions where I finished performing and a person will say, ‘The other members write great riffs!’ and I respond, ‘Wait – I wrote all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

As the band’s stature has expanded, so has the scale of their production design. “My philosophy is always that if something is valuable, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton chuckles. She was originally on path for a art school education before hesitating at the prospect of so much debt. “The fun thing about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to apply artistic expression,” she says. “Whether it’s crafting disguises, outfit planning, mastering post-production clips … these are all things I am unfamiliar with, but it’s exciting to learn in the moment.”

Even though developing the ensemble’s complex backstory (“Everyone’s urging me to write it down because everything is stored,” Riley says, tapping her head) and stitching garments didn’t suffice, the singer learned on her own how to create armor – a difficult task, though she admittedly left her completely original scalemail look to a professional in the city. “It seems like actual armour,” she beams.

Fan Response and Obstacles

As for audiences? They embraced the fake blood, foam swords and handmade props with as much gusto as the musicians. “We had a gig in Detroit and it resembled a historical festival,” reminisces Riley happily. “The whole crowd was in robes, sheepskin, chainmail.”

This isn’t to say, however, that traveling lifestyle as mythical wanderers has been smooth. “Each item is always failing and becomes fixed temporarily,” Riley says. “Additionally I come up with countless concepts as to how I want things to look, but we tour in a bus with restricted capacity. It’s a fascinating test to make it feel like a mythic tale, then compress it into nothing.”

We faced other logistical problems that would never have plagued fictional warriors. “We experienced an ‘oh shit’ moment when we played SonicBlast festival in the European country and my suitcase – which had my sword in it – went missing,” says Riley. “It was a terrible situation, because there’s not an different option of the show where I lack a weapon.”

Future Ambitions

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is eager about the future. “I want to go all the way – I dream of huge arenas,” she says. “The key element that’s really important to me is maintaining the handmade style, ensuring all elements is handmade. It’s a component I want to remain faithful to, regardless of we achieve. Additionally, I wish to make an entrance on a unicorn every night. Think about how legends use vehicles in concerts? Exactly that, but on a mythical creature.”