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Although numerous artists have borrowed from fantasy lore, rarely any have fully embraced the fantasy lifestyle. Admittedly, they might adorn their record jackets with creatures, imps, manacled maidens and brawny barbarians, but did a member ever have to recover a misplaced horn from a unicorn from a snowy field in the midst of winter? Has a performer taken the time straining their eyes in the rear of a traveling vehicle, repairing their own armor?

Living the Fantasy

Formed in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have had to face both these scenarios and more as they embody their grand tales. Starting with heraldic, catchy anthems to eye-popping concerts, outfit creation, music videos and cover artwork, they’re more than a rock act as a total artistic immersion.

“Castle Rat wasn’t meant to be a outfit with characters,” says singer, guitar player, sword-carrier and visionary Riley Pinkerton as the group’s vehicle speeds from a sold-out gig in a German city to one more in another town – they are playing several shows in the UK currently. “After a couple of performances and got booked on a October show, where I made a last-minute decision to put on an outfit. It was all super-DIY, but we had an amazing time and the feeling in the room was electric. I realized, ‘What if we could have so much excitement always?’”

Development of Castle Rat

From that point on, the ensemble – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” joined by a plague doctor (bass player), haughty vampire (six-string player) and secretive shaman (drummer) – continued forward. The new record, the band’s second album, brings to mind of legendary heavy bands joining forces to battle their way through a Frank Frazetta fantasy world – a epic masterpiece that sets them on the brink of bigger achievements.

The Bestiary was a first for Pinkerton in that she opened the floor to her collaborators. “It made it a much better record,” she says of the group work. “It was challenging at first – I often experienced a particular degree of pride as a female in music working independently. There have been numerous occasions where after a show and a person will say, ‘The band create awesome guitar parts!’ and I respond, ‘Listen – I created all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

As the band’s stature has expanded, so has the breadth of their visual elements. “The saying I live by is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton chuckles. Initially, she was on path for a fine art degree before balking at the prospect of financial burden. “The fun thing about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to apply artistry,” she says. “Be it making masks, attire creation, figuring out video editing music videos … these are all things I don’t know how to do, but it’s enjoyable to discover in the moment.”

As if creating the band’s intricate lore (“The team is pushing me to write it down because it’s all in here,” Riley says, indicating her head) and sewing costumes wasn’t enough, the singer taught herself how to make chainmail – a difficult task, though she confessedly left her all-new scalemail look to a professional in the city. “It feels like actual armour,” she beams.

Fan Response and Obstacles

Regarding the fans? They embraced the stage blood, foam swords and crafted rodent bones with equal enthusiasm as the musicians. “We had a show in the Motor City and it seemed like a medieval event,” remembers Riley fondly. “The whole crowd was in capes, animal hides, metal wear.”

This isn’t to say, though, that traveling lifestyle as mythical wanderers has been plain sailing. “Everything is always failing and ends up repaired with tape,” Riley says. “Plus I’ll have countless concepts as to how I desire the presentation, but we are on the move in a bus with restricted capacity. It’s a fascinating test to make it feel like a mythic tale, then pack it down into nothing.”

We’ve encountered other logistical problems that didn’t affect fictional warriors. “We did have an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we performed at a Portuguese festival in the European country and my suitcase – which had my blade in it – went missing,” says Riley. “That was a nightmare, because we don’t have an backup plan of the concert where I am without a weapon.”

Goals Ahead

Like a true warrior queen, Riley is gung-ho about the future. “I want to go as far as possible – let’s do huge arenas,” she says. “The main aspect that’s deeply meaningful to me is preserving the DIY aesthetic, ensuring each detail is handmade. This is a feature I want to keep true to, regardless of we grow into. Additionally, I desire to make an entrance on a mythical beast each show. Think about how legends do the motorcycle thing? The same idea, but using a unicorn.”