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While numerous artists have drawn from fantasy lore, few have fully embraced the fantasy way of life. Admittedly, they could adorn their album sleeves with monsters, imps, captive women and brawny barbarians, but has an artist ever have to find a missing horn from a unicorn from a wintry landscape in the midst of winter? Did a performer taken the time straining their eyes in the back of a traveling vehicle, mending their own metal mesh?

Living the Fantasy

Created in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have dealt with both these scenarios and additional ones as they live out their heroic dreams. Starting with heraldic, memorable songs to stunning concerts, outfit creation, videos and album art, they’re not so much a rock act as a complete sensory journey.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a themed musical group,” says vocalist, guitar player, blade-handler and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport travels from a full-capacity concert in a German city to one more in Aschaffenburg – they are playing multiple performances in the UK now. “After a couple of performances and received an offer on a spooky event, where I decided spontaneously to dress up. It was all super-DIY, but we had an amazing time and the feeling in the room was unforgettable. It occurred to me, ‘What if we could have so much excitement every time?’”

Growth of the Group

After that, the band – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Rat Queen” together with a medic from history (bassist), haughty vampire (six-string player) and mysterious druid (drummer) – continued forward. The new record, the band’s second album, evokes images of classic metal icons joining forces to struggle onward through a mythical painted realm – a epic masterpiece that positions them on the edge of bigger achievements.

This album was a initial step for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her bandmates. “This helped a lot stronger record,” she says of the team effort. “I had difficulty at first – There was a sense of a certain amount of pride as a female in music doing everything solo. There have been so many times where I finished performing and some guy will say, ‘The band create awesome guitar parts!’ and I respond, ‘Listen – I composed all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

As the band’s stature has expanded, so has the scope of their visual elements. “My motto is always that if something is valuable, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. She was originally on path for a fine art degree before balking at the possibility of heavy loans. “What’s enjoyable about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to apply artistic expression,” she says. “Whether it’s creating face coverings, costume design, learning how to edit music videos … everything is I don’t know how to do, but it’s exciting to learn in the moment.”

Even though building 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 vocalist taught herself how to make chainmail – no mean feat, though she admittedly entrusted her brand-new reptilian-inspired outfit to a professional in the city. “It’s as if actual armour,” she grins.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

Regarding the fans? They embraced the theatrical gore, soft weapons and papier-mache rat skulls with as much gusto as the band. “We had a concert in the Motor City and it seemed like a historical festival,” recalls Riley happily. “Everyone was in capes, sheepskin, chainmail.”

However, this doesn’t mean, nevertheless, that life on the road as fantasy adventurers has been easy. “All our gear is constantly breaking and ends up duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Moreover I’ll have endless ideas as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we’re traveling in a vehicle with limited room. It’s an interesting challenge to create the impression like a grand epic, then store it into minimal luggage.”

We faced other logistical problems that wouldn’t have troubled mythic characters. “There was an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we played a Portuguese festival in Portugal and my suitcase – which had my blade in it – went missing,” says Riley. “This became a worst-case scenario, because we don’t have an backup plan of the concert where I am without a weapon.”

Upcoming Plans

Like a true warrior queen, Riley is gung-ho about the what’s next. “My goal is as far as possible – I dream of large venues,” she says. “The key element that’s truly essential to me is keeping the handmade style, guaranteeing each detail is custom-made. That’s an element I want to keep true to, no matter what we achieve. Oh, and I wish to appear on a magical horse each show. You know how legends ride bikes on stage? Exactly that, but on a mythical creature.”