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While numerous musicians have taken inspiration from fantasy lore, few have truly lived the fantasy lifestyle. Certainly, they may decorate their album sleeves with creatures, imps, manacled maidens and strong fighters, but has an artist ever have to recover a misplaced mythical horn from a wintry landscape in the depths of winter? Has a performer taken the time squinting in the back of a tour bus, mending their own chainmail?

Immersed in the Legend

Formed in 2019, New York’s Castle Rat have encountered such situations and additional ones as they live out their epic fantasies. From medieval-inspired, catchy anthems to eye-popping concerts, attire styling, videos and album art, they’re not just a rock act as a complete sensory journey.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a themed musical group,” explains vocalist, guitarist, sword-carrier and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport travels from a sold-out gig in Cologne to a second one in Aschaffenburg – they’re also doing multiple performances in the UK currently. “We played two shows and got booked on a Halloween gig, where I chose at the final moment to dress up. Everything was highly handmade, but we had so much fun and the atmosphere was electric. I thought, ‘What if we could have such enjoyment every time?’”

The Band’s Evolution

From that point on, the group – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Rat Queen” joined by a medic from history (bassist), proud bloodsucker (six-string player) and enigmatic nature priest (percussionist) – continued forward. Their latest album, the band’s second album, evokes images of classic metal icons uniting to battle their way through a heroic art landscape – a heroic opus that sets them on the edge of bigger achievements.

The release was a initial step for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her collaborators. “It made it a lot stronger project,” she says of the collaborative process. “I had difficulty at first – There was a sense of a specific level of satisfaction being a woman in music working independently. There’ve been numerous occasions where after a show and some guy will say, ‘The band create awesome guitar parts!’ and I think, ‘Hey – I wrote all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

As their fame has expanded, so has the breadth of their visual elements. “My motto is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. She was originally on course for a art school education before pulling back at the prospect of so much debt. “What’s enjoyable about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to apply artistic expression,” she says. “Be it creating face coverings, outfit planning, mastering post-production music videos … it’s all stuff I have no experience with, but it’s enjoyable to discover as we go.”

As if developing the ensemble’s complex backstory (“The team is pushing me to write it down because all the ideas are,” Riley says, indicating her head) and sewing costumes were insufficient, the vocalist self-educated how to make chainmail – a challenging endeavor, though she confessedly delegated her completely original scale armor design to a professional in the city. “It seems like actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Fan Response and Obstacles

What about the crowd? They took to the fake blood, toy blades and papier-mache rat skulls with equal enthusiasm as the group. “We had a show in the Motor City and it seemed like a historical festival,” recalls Riley happily. “All attendees was in robes, animal hides, metal wear.”

That’s not to imply, nevertheless, that touring existence as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been plain sailing. “All our gear is frequently damaged and becomes repaired with tape,” Riley says. “Plus I get numerous thoughts as to how I desire the presentation, but we tour in a van with restricted capacity. It’s an interesting challenge to make it feel like a grand epic, then compress it into nothing.”

We’ve encountered additional practical issues that didn’t affect mythic characters. “We did have an ‘oh shit’ moment when we performed at a music event in the European country and my baggage – which had my weapon in it – went missing,” says Riley. “This became a worst-case scenario, because there’s not an alternative version of the concert where I am without a blade.”

Upcoming Plans

As a genuine leader, Riley is eager about the future. “I want to go all the way – I dream of huge arenas,” she says. “The main aspect that’s really important to me is keeping the DIY aesthetic, guaranteeing everything is custom-made. That’s an element I want to remain faithful to, regardless of we achieve. Oh, and I want to ride out on a magical horse every night. Remember how some artists ride bikes on stage? The same idea, but with a unicorn.”