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Although many rockers have borrowed from fantasy lore, only a handful have fully embraced the fantasy existence. Admittedly, they might decorate their album sleeves with monsters, beasts, chained damsels and strong fighters, but has any musician ever been forced to recover a lost mythical horn from a wintry landscape in the depths of winter? Did a guitarist taken the time squinting in the interior of a traveling vehicle, mending their own chainmail?

Living the Fantasy

Formed in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have encountered both these scenarios and more as they act out their heroic dreams. Starting with medieval-inspired, earworm-heavy anthems to stunning concerts, costume design, music videos and cover artwork, they’re not so much a rock act as a full immersive experience.

“Castle Rat wasn’t meant to be a costumed concept band,” says singer, guitarist, sword-carrier and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport travels from a full-capacity concert in a German city to one more in another town – they’re also doing several shows in the UK now. “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 every time?’”

Growth of the Group

Since then, the ensemble – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” together with a medic from history (low-end instrumentalist), proud bloodsucker (lead guitarist) and enigmatic nature priest (percussionist) – haven’t looked back. Their latest album, the band’s second album, brings to mind of legendary heavy bands joining forces to struggle onward through a Frank Frazetta fantasy world – a epic masterpiece that positions them on the verge of greater success.

This album was a first for Pinkerton in that she opened the floor to her fellow members. “This helped a much better album,” she says of the collaborative process. “I had difficulty at first – There was a sense of a certain amount of accomplishment as a female in music doing everything solo. There have been so many times where I’ve got off stage and some guy will say, ‘The other members write great riffs!’ and I think, ‘Listen – I composed all that.’”

Creative Output and Ideas

As their fame has expanded, so has the breadth of their production design. “My philosophy is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. She was originally on path for a art school education before pulling back at the idea of so much debt. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s various avenues to demonstrate artistry,” she says. “Whether it’s crafting disguises, costume design, learning how to edit song visuals … it’s all stuff I have no experience with, but it’s fun to learn as we go.”

As if building the band’s intricate lore (“People are encouraging me to document it because everything is stored,” Riley says, pointing to her head) and sewing costumes were insufficient, the singer taught herself how to craft metal mesh – a difficult task, though she admittedly entrusted her brand-new scale armor design to a expert from NYC. “It feels like actual armour,” she beams.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

As for audiences? They embraced the fake blood, foam swords and papier-mache rat skulls with as much gusto as the group. “We had a concert in Detroit and it resembled a Renaissance fair,” recalls Riley happily. “The whole crowd was in robes, animal hides, armor.”

However, this doesn’t mean, though, that touring existence as mythical wanderers has been easy. “Each item is constantly breaking and ends up fixed temporarily,” Riley says. “Additionally I get endless ideas as to how I want things to look, but we are on the move in a van with restricted capacity. It’s a fascinating test to make it feel like a larger-than-life story, then store it into minimal luggage.”

We’ve encountered other logistical problems that wouldn’t have troubled legendary fantasy heroes. “There was an ‘oh shit’ moment when we appeared at SonicBlast festival in Portugal and my baggage – which had my weapon in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “This became a terrible situation, because we don’t have an alternative version of the show where I lack a sword.”

Future Ambitions

Like a true warrior queen, Riley is eager about the what’s next. “I want to go as far as possible – we should play large venues,” she says. “The only thing that’s deeply meaningful to me is maintaining the handmade style, ensuring each detail is crafted by us. This is a feature I want to stay authentic to, regardless of we grow into. Additionally, I desire to ride out on a mythical beast at all performances. You know how some artists do the motorcycle thing? Exactly that, but on a mythical creature.”