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Although plenty of artists have drawn from fantasy lore, only a handful have genuinely embodied the mythical lifestyle. Admittedly, they could adorn their album sleeves with ghouls, imps, manacled maidens and brawny barbarians, but has any musician ever have to recover a missing unicorn horn from a frost-covered ground in the depths of winter? Has a performer devoted hours straining their eyes in the back of a traveling vehicle, repairing their own metal mesh?

Immersed in the Legend

Formed in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have had to face both these scenarios and more as they live out their grand tales. Starting with medieval-inspired, memorable anthems to breathtaking concerts, outfit creation, music videos and cover artwork, they’re not so much a rock act as a total artistic immersion.

“It wasn’t planned to be a themed musical group,” says singer, guitarist, sword-wielder and visionary Riley Pinkerton as the group’s vehicle travels from a packed show in Cologne to one more in Aschaffenburg – they have several shows in the UK currently. “We played two shows and were scheduled on a spooky event, where I made a last-minute decision to dress up. The entire setup was super-DIY, but we had so much fun and the feeling in the room was electric. I realized, ‘How about if we could have this much fun always?’”

The Band’s Evolution

Since then, the band – which features Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” together with a plague doctor (bass player), aristocratic undead (lead guitarist) and secretive shaman (rhythm keeper) – haven’t looked back. Their latest album, the band’s second album, evokes images of legendary heavy bands joining forces to fight their path through a Frank Frazetta fantasy world – a grand composition that sets them on the verge of bigger achievements.

The Bestiary was a initial step for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her collaborators. “It made it a more powerful album,” she says of the team effort. “I had difficulty at first – I often experienced a specific level of accomplishment as a woman in music doing everything solo. I’ve had numerous occasions where I finished performing and a person will say, ‘Those guys compose cool melodies!’ and I think, ‘Wait – I composed all that.’”

Artistry and Imagination

With their growing popularity has increased, so has the breadth of their stage presentation. “The saying I live by is always that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton chuckles. Initially, she was on path for a art school education before pulling back at the possibility of financial burden. “The fun thing about Castle Rat is there’s various avenues to demonstrate creativity,” she says. “From crafting disguises, attire creation, learning how to edit song visuals … these are all things I am unfamiliar with, but it’s fun to learn on the fly.”

Even though developing the group’s detailed mythology (“People are encouraging me to document it because it’s all in here,” Riley says, pointing to her head) and making clothing wasn’t enough, the singer self-educated how to make chainmail – a challenging endeavor, though she confessedly entrusted her all-new reptilian-inspired outfit to a expert from NYC. “It feels like actual armour,” she grins.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

What about the crowd? They embraced the stage blood, toy blades and crafted rodent bones with similar excitement as the band. “We performed a concert in the Motor City and it seemed like a historical festival,” reminisces Riley with affection. “All attendees was in capes, wool garments, armor.”

This isn’t to say, however, that touring existence as mythical wanderers has been smooth. “All our gear is frequently damaged and becomes repaired with tape,” Riley says. “Moreover I come up with endless ideas as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we tour in a vehicle with only so much space. It’s a unique problem to give the sense like a mythic tale, then store it into minimal luggage.”

We faced additional practical issues that would never have plagued mythic characters. “We experienced an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we played a Portuguese festival in Portugal and my suitcase – which had my blade in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “That was a nightmare, because there is no an backup plan of the performance where I don’t have a weapon.”

Future Ambitions

As a genuine leader, Riley is eager about the what’s next. “My goal is to the top – let’s do huge arenas,” she says. “The key element that’s truly essential to me is preserving the handmade style, ensuring all elements is handmade. It’s a component I want to remain faithful to, regardless of we achieve. Plus, I wish to appear on a magical horse every night. You know how some artists ride bikes on stage? Exactly that, but on a mythical creature.”