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Although many rockers have taken inspiration from fantasy lore, only a handful have truly lived the enchanted way of life. Sure, they might embellish their album sleeves with creatures, beasts, chained damsels and muscular warriors, but has an artist ever been forced to recover a lost unicorn horn from a wintry landscape in the depths of winter? Did a performer spent time squinting in the back of a traveling vehicle, mending their own metal mesh?

Immersed in the Legend

Created in 2019, New York’s Castle Rat have encountered these exact challenges and more as they act out their epic fantasies. Starting with heraldic, catchy anthems to stunning live shows, outfit creation, visuals and album art, they’re not just a rock act as a complete sensory journey.

“Castle Rat wasn’t meant to be a costumed concept band,” states vocalist, guitarist, sword-carrier and visionary Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van speeds from a packed show in a German city to a second one in Aschaffenburg – they have several shows in the UK now. “We played two shows and got booked on a October show, where I decided spontaneously to put on an outfit. Everything was completely self-made, but we had a blast and the atmosphere was unforgettable. It occurred to me, ‘Imagine if we could have such enjoyment every time?’”

The Band’s Evolution

Since then, the band – which includes Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” joined by a plague doctor (bass player), haughty vampire (guitarist) and mysterious druid (rhythm keeper) – haven’t looked back. The new record, the follow-up record, evokes images of famous rock groups joining forces to battle their way through a heroic art landscape – a grand composition that positions them on the brink of far grander things.

The Bestiary was a first for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her fellow members. “It made it a more powerful record,” she says of the collaborative process. “I had difficulty at first – There was a sense of a specific level of accomplishment being a woman in music going it alone. There have been numerous occasions where I’ve got off stage and an audience member will say, ‘The other members compose cool melodies!’ and I’m like, ‘Hey – I created all that.’”

Artistry and Imagination

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 art school education before balking at the possibility of financial burden. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s various avenues to apply artistry,” she says. “Be it making masks, attire creation, mastering post-production music videos … these are all things I am unfamiliar with, but it’s enjoyable to learn in the moment.”

As if developing the group’s detailed mythology (“The team is pushing me to write it down because it’s all in here,” Riley says, pointing to her head) and sewing costumes were insufficient, the singer self-educated how to craft metal mesh – no mean feat, though she confessedly delegated her all-new scalemail look to a New York-based specialist. “It’s as if actual armour,” she beams.

Audience Reaction and Challenges

Regarding the fans? They embraced the theatrical gore, foam swords and handmade props with equal enthusiasm as the musicians. “We performed a gig in Detroit and it looked like a Renaissance fair,” remembers Riley with affection. “Everyone was in robes, sheepskin, metal wear.”

That’s not to imply, though, that traveling lifestyle as fantasy adventurers has been easy. “Everything is constantly breaking and gets fixed temporarily,” Riley says. “Additionally I’ll have numerous thoughts as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we are on the move in a bus with restricted capacity. It’s a unique problem to give the sense like a mythic tale, then compress it into nothing.”

There have been additional practical issues that wouldn’t have troubled mythic characters. “We did have an ‘disastrous’ moment when we appeared at SonicBlast festival in Portugal and my suitcase – which had my blade in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “This became a worst-case scenario, because there’s not an different option of the performance where I lack a weapon.”

Goals Ahead

Like a true warrior queen, Riley is eager about the future. “I want to go as far as possible – I dream of stadiums,” she says. “The key element that’s truly essential to me is keeping the handmade style, ensuring all elements is crafted by us. That’s an element I want to stay authentic to, regardless of we achieve. Plus, I desire to make an entrance on a unicorn every night. Think about how legends use vehicles in concerts? Exactly that, but with a unicorn.”