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While many rockers have borrowed from fantasy lore, only a handful have truly lived the fantasy way of life. Sure, they might adorn their record jackets with ghouls, goblins, manacled maidens and strong fighters, but has any musician ever been forced to recover a misplaced unicorn horn from a wintry landscape in the heart of winter? Did a guitarist spent time squinting in the rear of a traveling vehicle, repairing their own chainmail?

Immersed in the Legend

Established in 2019, New York’s Castle Rat have dealt with such situations and more as they act out their heroic dreams. From knightly, catchy tunes to eye-popping performances, outfit creation, music videos and record designs, they’re not so much a heavy metal group as a complete sensory journey.

“It wasn’t planned to be a outfit with characters,” states singer, guitar player, sword-carrier and visionary Riley Pinkerton as the group’s vehicle drives from a packed show in a German city to a second one in another town – they’re also doing five gigs in the UK now. “After a couple of performances and got booked on a spooky event, where I made a last-minute decision to dress up. Everything was completely self-made, but we had an amazing time and the feeling in the room was unforgettable. It occurred to me, ‘How about if we could have such enjoyment every time?’”

Growth of the Group

After that, the group – which includes Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” together with a plague doctor (bassist), aristocratic undead (six-string player) and secretive shaman (percussionist) – never turned back. The new record, the follow-up record, evokes images of classic metal icons uniting to fight their path through a mythical painted realm – a grand composition that sets them on the verge of bigger achievements.

The Bestiary was a new experience for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her collaborators. “This helped a more powerful album,” she says of the collaborative process. “I had difficulty at first – I’d always felt a specific level of satisfaction being a woman in music working independently. I’ve had numerous occasions where I finished performing and some guy will say, ‘The other members write great riffs!’ and I’m like, ‘Listen – I composed all that.’”

Artistry and Imagination

As the band’s stature has increased, so has the breadth of their stage presentation. “My philosophy is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. Initially, she was on course for a fine art degree before balking at the prospect of financial burden. “The fun thing about Castle Rat is there’s various avenues to apply artistic expression,” she says. “From creating face coverings, outfit planning, figuring out video editing music videos … these are all things I don’t know how to do, but it’s enjoyable to discover as we go.”

Even though creating the ensemble’s complex backstory (“People are encouraging me to document it because it’s all in here,” Riley says, tapping her head) and stitching garments didn’t suffice, the singer taught herself how to make chainmail – no mean feat, though she admittedly delegated her completely original scale armor design to a New York-based specialist. “It seems like actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

Regarding the fans? They took to the stage blood, soft weapons and crafted rodent bones with equal enthusiasm as the band. “We performed a gig in Detroit and it seemed like a historical festival,” recalls Riley with affection. “The whole crowd was in robes, sheepskin, armor.”

This isn’t to say, nevertheless, that life on the road as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been plain sailing. “All our gear is always failing and gets duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Plus I come up with numerous thoughts as to how I desire the presentation, but we tour in a bus with only so much space. It’s a unique problem to make it feel like a larger-than-life story, then store it into minimal luggage.”

We’ve encountered further organizational challenges that didn’t affect legendary fantasy heroes. “There was an ‘disastrous’ moment when we performed at SonicBlast festival in Portugal and my luggage – which had my weapon in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “It was a worst-case scenario, because there’s not an alternative version of the performance where I am without a weapon.”

Future Ambitions

Like a true warrior queen, Riley is enthusiastic about the what’s next. “I aim to reach all the way – we should play large venues,” she says. “The only thing that’s truly essential to me is preserving the DIY aesthetic, ensuring all elements is crafted by us. That’s an element I want to keep true to, whatever we scale to. Plus, I wish to make an entrance on a unicorn every night. Think about how legends ride bikes on stage? That, but with a unicorn.”