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Although plenty of artists have drawn from high fantasy, few have fully embraced the enchanted way of life. Admittedly, they might embellish their record jackets with ghouls, goblins, chained damsels and muscular warriors, but has an artist ever been forced to recover a lost mythical horn from a frost-covered ground in the midst of winter? Has a performer spent time squinting in the back of a tour bus, fixing their own metal mesh?

Living the Fantasy

Established in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have dealt with these exact challenges and more as they act out their grand tales. From heraldic, earworm-heavy anthems to eye-popping performances, attire styling, music videos and cover artwork, they’re not so much a heavy metal group as a complete sensory journey.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a themed musical group,” states singer, guitar player, sword-wielder and creative overlord Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport speeds from a packed show in a German city to another in another town – they’re also doing multiple performances in the UK currently. “After a couple of performances and were scheduled on a Halloween gig, where I decided spontaneously to dress up. Everything was highly handmade, but we had so much fun and the energy was electric. I thought, ‘What if we could have such enjoyment at every show?’”

The Band’s Evolution

After that, the ensemble – which includes Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” joined by a plague doctor (bass player), haughty vampire (lead guitarist) and secretive shaman (rhythm keeper) – haven’t looked back. The Bestiary, the group’s sophomore release, conjures visions of classic metal icons collaborating to battle their way through a heroic art landscape – a heroic opus that places them on the verge of greater success.

The release was a new experience for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her collaborators. “It made it a lot stronger album,” she says of the group work. “I had difficulty at first – There was a sense of a particular degree of accomplishment being a woman in music working independently. There have been multiple instances where I finished performing and some guy will say, ‘Those guys write great riffs!’ and I think, ‘Listen – I wrote all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

With their growing popularity has expanded, so has the breadth of their production design. “My motto is always that if something is valuable, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. Initially, she was on course for a university studies in art before balking at the possibility of so much debt. “What’s enjoyable about Castle Rat is there’s various avenues to express artistry,” she says. “Whether it’s making masks, attire creation, mastering post-production clips … everything is I have no experience with, but it’s exciting to learn on the fly.”

Even though developing the ensemble’s complex backstory (“The team is pushing me to record it because it’s all in here,” Riley says, tapping her head) and sewing costumes were insufficient, the vocalist learned on her own how to make chainmail – no mean feat, though she confessedly entrusted her all-new reptilian-inspired outfit to a New York-based specialist. “It feels like actual armour,” she beams.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

Regarding the fans? They loved the stage blood, soft weapons and handmade props with similar excitement as the group. “We played a concert in the Motor City and it seemed like a historical festival,” reminisces Riley fondly. “The whole crowd was in capes, sheepskin, chainmail.”

However, this doesn’t mean, however, that traveling lifestyle as fantasy adventurers has been plain sailing. “All our gear is frequently damaged and becomes fixed temporarily,” Riley says. “Moreover I get countless concepts as to how I desire the presentation, but we’re traveling in a vehicle with limited room. It’s a fascinating test to create the impression like a larger-than-life story, then pack it down into nothing.”

We’ve encountered other logistical problems that wouldn’t have troubled legendary fantasy heroes. “We did have an ‘oh shit’ moment when we played a music event in Portugal and my luggage – which had my sword in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “This became a nightmare, because we don’t have an backup plan of the performance where I don’t have a sword.”

Goals Ahead

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is eager about the what’s next. “I aim to reach as far as possible – I dream of huge arenas,” she says. “The only thing that’s deeply meaningful to me is keeping the self-crafted look, guaranteeing all elements is handmade. That’s an element I want to keep true to, whatever we scale to. Oh, and I want to appear on a unicorn each show. Think about how famous musicians use vehicles in concerts? That, but with a unicorn.”