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While plenty of artists have taken inspiration from high fantasy, few have truly lived the mythical way of life. Admittedly, they might decorate their record jackets with creatures, imps, manacled maidens and muscular warriors, but did a member ever been forced to retrieve a misplaced horn from a unicorn from a wintry landscape in the midst of winter? Did a guitarist taken the time peering in the interior of a tour bus, repairing their own armor?

Embracing the Mythos

Established in 2019, New York’s Castle Rat have encountered such situations and additional ones as they live out their heroic dreams. Starting with heraldic, memorable anthems to eye-popping live shows, outfit creation, music videos and album art, they’re not so much a rock act as a complete sensory journey.

“It wasn’t planned to be a costumed concept band,” explains vocalist, guitarist, blade-handler and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van drives from a packed show in a German city to a second one in another town – they are playing multiple performances in the UK currently. “We played two shows and received an offer on a October show, where I decided spontaneously to dress up. It was all completely self-made, but we had an amazing time and the energy was unforgettable. It occurred to me, ‘Imagine if we could have such enjoyment every time?’”

Development of Castle Rat

After that, the group – which features Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” alongside a plague doctor (bass player), aristocratic undead (six-string player) and enigmatic nature priest (drummer) – never turned back. The Bestiary, the follow-up record, evokes images of legendary heavy bands collaborating to fight their path through a heroic art landscape – a epic masterpiece that places them on the verge of bigger achievements.

The Bestiary was a first for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her fellow members. “That contributed to a much better record,” she says of the collaborative process. “It was challenging at first – There was a sense of a certain amount of satisfaction as a female in music doing everything solo. There have been numerous occasions where I finished performing and an audience member will say, ‘Those guys create awesome guitar parts!’ and I respond, ‘Wait – I composed all that.’”

Creative Output and Ideas

As the band’s stature has grown, so has the scale of their production design. “My philosophy is always that if something is valuable, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton laughs. She was originally on track for a art school education before balking at the idea of financial burden. “What’s enjoyable about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to demonstrate creativity,” she says. “Whether it’s crafting disguises, outfit planning, mastering post-production music videos … these are all things I don’t know how to do, but it’s exciting to discover as we go.”

As if creating the group’s detailed mythology (“People are encouraging me to document it because everything is stored,” Riley says, pointing to her head) and making clothing were insufficient, the vocalist learned on her own how to craft metal mesh – a challenging endeavor, though she admittedly delegated her completely original reptilian-inspired outfit to a expert from NYC. “It seems like actual armour,” she beams.

Fan Response and Obstacles

What about the crowd? They loved the fake blood, soft weapons and handmade props with similar excitement as the band. “We performed a concert in the Motor City and it looked like a historical festival,” recalls Riley happily. “The whole crowd was in capes, sheepskin, metal wear.”

This isn’t to say, nevertheless, that life on the road as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been plain sailing. “All our gear is constantly breaking and gets duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Moreover I get countless concepts as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we tour in a bus with only so much space. It’s an interesting challenge to make it feel like a grand epic, then pack it down into minimal luggage.”

There have been additional practical issues that didn’t affect legendary fantasy heroes. “We did have an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we performed at a music event in the European country and my baggage – which had my blade in it – got lost,” says Riley. “It was a terrible situation, because there is no an backup plan of the show where I am without a sword.”

Goals Ahead

As a genuine leader, Riley is enthusiastic about the what’s next. “I aim to reach as far as possible – we should play large venues,” she says. “The key element that’s really important to me is maintaining the handmade style, ensuring each detail is crafted by us. That’s an element I want to keep true to, regardless of we achieve. Plus, I want to ride out on a mythical beast each show. Think about how some artists ride bikes on stage? That, but with a unicorn.”