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While many rockers have taken inspiration from fantasy lore, rarely any have truly lived the enchanted way of life. Admittedly, they could decorate their album sleeves with ghouls, goblins, chained damsels and strong fighters, but has any musician ever been forced to recover a lost mythical horn from a frost-covered ground in the depths of winter? Did anyone taken the time straining their eyes in the rear of a road transport, fixing their own armor?

Immersed in the Legend

Established in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have encountered such situations and more as they live out their epic fantasies. Starting with heraldic, earworm-heavy tunes to eye-popping performances, outfit creation, videos and album art, they’re more than a rock act as a complete sensory journey.

“Castle Rat wasn’t meant to be a themed musical group,” states vocalist, guitarist, sword-wielder and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport drives from a full-capacity concert in a German city to one more in Aschaffenburg – they have five gigs in the UK this week. “Initially, we performed twice and received an offer on a Halloween gig, where I made a last-minute decision to dress up. It was all completely self-made, but we had so much fun and the feeling in the room was unforgettable. I realized, ‘What if we could have such enjoyment always?’”

Growth of the Group

Since then, the ensemble – which includes Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” joined by a pestilence physician (low-end instrumentalist), aristocratic undead (guitarist) and mysterious druid (drummer) – never turned back. Their latest album, the band’s second album, brings to mind of famous rock groups joining forces to fight their path through a heroic art landscape – a heroic opus that places them on the brink of bigger achievements.

This album was a new experience for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her collaborators. “It made it a more powerful album,” she says of the group work. “I struggled at first – I’d always felt a certain amount of pride as a woman in music going it alone. There’ve been numerous occasions where I finished performing and some guy will say, ‘The band write great riffs!’ and I respond, ‘Hey – I composed all that.’”

Creative Output and Ideas

As their fame has increased, so has the scale of their production design. “My motto is always that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. Initially, she was on path for a art school education before hesitating at the idea of financial burden. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to demonstrate artistic expression,” she says. “From crafting disguises, costume design, learning how to edit music videos … these are all things I am unfamiliar with, but it’s enjoyable to discover as we go.”

As if developing the group’s detailed mythology (“People are encouraging me to write it down because all the ideas are,” Riley says, tapping her head) and sewing costumes wasn’t enough, the singer learned on her own how to make chainmail – no mean feat, though she confessedly delegated her all-new scalemail look to a expert from NYC. “It feels like actual armour,” she beams.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

Regarding the fans? They embraced the theatrical gore, toy blades and crafted rodent bones with similar excitement as the musicians. “We had a concert in Detroit and it seemed like a Renaissance fair,” recalls Riley fondly. “The whole crowd was in cloaks, animal hides, metal wear.”

That’s not to imply, nevertheless, that touring existence as mythical wanderers has been smooth. “All our gear is constantly breaking and becomes fixed temporarily,” Riley says. “Additionally I’ll have endless ideas as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we tour in a van with only so much space. It’s an interesting challenge to give the sense like a mythic tale, then pack it down into minimal luggage.”

We’ve encountered other logistical problems that didn’t affect mythic characters. “There was an ‘oh shit’ moment when we played a Portuguese festival in Portugal and my suitcase – which had my sword in it – got lost,” says Riley. “This became a worst-case scenario, because we don’t have an backup plan of the concert where I lack a weapon.”

Upcoming Plans

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is enthusiastic about the future. “I aim to reach all the way – let’s do stadiums,” she says. “The only thing that’s really important to me is preserving the DIY aesthetic, guaranteeing each detail is crafted by us. That’s an element I want to remain faithful to, no matter what we achieve. Oh, and I want to make an entrance on a mythical beast every night. You know how some artists use vehicles in concerts? That, but with a unicorn.”