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Although plenty of artists have drawn from epic fantasy, rarely any have genuinely embodied the mythical existence. Admittedly, they might adorn their album sleeves with ghouls, goblins, manacled maidens and muscular warriors, but did a member ever have to retrieve a missing unicorn horn from a frost-covered ground in the depths of winter? Has a guitarist devoted hours peering in the back of a traveling vehicle, repairing their own chainmail?

Embracing the Mythos

Established in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have had to face these exact challenges and more as they embody their epic fantasies. Starting with medieval-inspired, earworm-heavy anthems to eye-popping concerts, outfit creation, music videos and cover artwork, they’re not so much a heavy metal group as a full immersive experience.

“It wasn’t planned to be a outfit with characters,” states vocalist, guitar player, sword-carrier and creative overlord Riley Pinkerton as the group’s vehicle speeds from a packed show in a German city to a second one in another town – they are playing multiple performances in the UK this week. “After a couple of performances and received an offer on a October show, where I made a last-minute decision to put on an outfit. The entire setup was super-DIY, but we had so much fun and the feeling in the room was unforgettable. It occurred to me, ‘How about if we could have this much fun always?’”

Growth of the Group

From that point on, the group – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” alongside a pestilence physician (low-end instrumentalist), haughty vampire (lead guitarist) and enigmatic nature priest (drummer) – never turned back. The new record, the follow-up record, evokes images of famous rock groups uniting to fight their path through a Frank Frazetta fantasy world – a heroic opus that sets them on the brink of far grander things.

This album was a first for Pinkerton in that she opened the floor to her bandmates. “That contributed to a much better record,” she says of the group work. “It was challenging at first – There was a sense of a specific level of satisfaction as a female in music working independently. There have been multiple instances where I finished performing and some guy will say, ‘The band create awesome guitar parts!’ and I respond, ‘Wait – I created all that.’”

Creative Output and Ideas

As their fame has expanded, so has the scope of their visual elements. “My motto is always that if something is valuable, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton laughs. Initially, she was on path for a university studies in art before hesitating at the prospect of so much debt. “What’s enjoyable about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to demonstrate artistry,” she says. “Be it crafting disguises, outfit planning, mastering post-production clips … it’s all stuff I don’t know how to do, but it’s exciting to figure it out as we go.”

As if creating the ensemble’s complex backstory (“People are encouraging me to write it down because everything is stored,” Riley says, indicating her head) and sewing costumes wasn’t enough, the singer taught herself how to create armor – a challenging endeavor, though she admittedly left her completely original scalemail look to a New York-based specialist. “It feels like actual armour,” she beams.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

What about the crowd? They took to the fake blood, soft weapons and handmade props with similar excitement as the group. “We performed a gig in the Motor City and it looked like a historical festival,” reminisces Riley with affection. “Everyone was in robes, wool garments, metal wear.”

This isn’t to say, though, that life on the road as fantasy adventurers has been smooth. “All our gear is frequently damaged and becomes duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Plus I get numerous thoughts as to how I want things to look, but we are on the move in a vehicle with restricted capacity. It’s an interesting challenge to give the sense like a mythic tale, then store it into nothing.”

There have been further organizational challenges that would never have plagued fictional warriors. “There was an ‘oh shit’ moment when we performed at a Portuguese festival in the European country and my luggage – which had my sword in it – went missing,” says Riley. “It was a worst-case scenario, because there’s not an different option of the performance where I lack a weapon.”

Future Ambitions

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is enthusiastic about the what’s next. “I aim to reach as far as possible – let’s do large venues,” she says. “The main aspect that’s truly essential to me is maintaining the DIY aesthetic, making sure everything is handmade. It’s a component I want to keep true to, no matter what we achieve. Additionally, I desire to appear on a mythical beast every night. Remember how famous musicians do the motorcycle thing? Exactly that, but using a unicorn.”