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Although numerous artists have borrowed from epic fantasy, only a handful have genuinely embodied the fantasy way of life. Certainly, they might embellish their album sleeves with monsters, imps, manacled maidens and strong fighters, but has any musician ever have to recover a misplaced mythical horn from a wintry landscape in the heart of winter? Has a guitarist taken the time peering in the back of a road transport, mending their own chainmail?

Immersed in the Legend

Formed in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have encountered these exact challenges and more as they live out their grand tales. Starting with heraldic, earworm-heavy songs to stunning concerts, outfit creation, visuals and album art, they’re not just a heavy metal group as a full immersive experience.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a outfit with characters,” explains singer, guitar player, sword-wielder and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the group’s vehicle speeds from a packed show in a German city to a second one in Aschaffenburg – they’re also doing several shows in the UK now. “We played two shows and got booked on a spooky event, where I decided spontaneously to dress up. The entire setup was highly handmade, but we had an amazing time and the feeling in the room was unforgettable. I thought, ‘Imagine if we could have such enjoyment always?’”

Growth of the Group

After that, the ensemble – which includes Pinkerton as the “Rat Queen” joined by a pestilence physician (bass player), aristocratic undead (six-string player) and secretive shaman (percussionist) – continued forward. The new record, the group’s sophomore release, conjures visions of legendary heavy bands joining forces to fight their path through a mythical painted realm – a epic masterpiece that positions them on the verge of far grander things.

The release was a new experience for Pinkerton in that she opened the floor to her collaborators. “That contributed to a lot stronger record,” she says of the group work. “I struggled at first – I often experienced a particular degree of accomplishment being a woman in music doing everything solo. I’ve had so many times where after a show and an audience member will say, ‘Those guys create awesome guitar parts!’ and I’m like, ‘Hey – I wrote all that.’”

Creative Output and Ideas

With their growing popularity has increased, so has the scope of their production design. “My motto is always that if something is valuable, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. Initially, she was on course for a fine art degree before hesitating at the possibility of so much debt. “The fun thing about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to apply creativity,” she says. “Whether it’s creating face coverings, costume design, figuring out video editing song visuals … it’s all stuff I am unfamiliar with, but it’s enjoyable to learn as we go.”

Even though building the band’s intricate lore (“The team is pushing me to record it because it’s all in here,” Riley says, indicating her head) and stitching garments wasn’t enough, the vocalist self-educated how to make chainmail – a challenging endeavor, though she admittedly left her completely original scalemail look to a New York-based specialist. “It’s as if actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

What about the crowd? They took to the fake blood, soft weapons and papier-mache rat skulls with similar excitement as the band. “We played a gig in Detroit and it seemed like a historical festival,” remembers Riley happily. “All attendees was in cloaks, animal hides, chainmail.”

This isn’t to say, however, that touring existence as mythical wanderers has been smooth. “Each item is constantly breaking and becomes duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Moreover I come up with countless concepts as to how I desire the presentation, but we are on the move in a vehicle with limited room. It’s an interesting challenge to give the sense like a mythic tale, then compress it into minimal luggage.”

There have been other logistical problems that wouldn’t have troubled legendary fantasy heroes. “There was an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we appeared at a Portuguese festival in the European country and my suitcase – which had my sword in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “That was a nightmare, because we don’t have an backup plan of the performance where I am without a sword.”

Goals Ahead

As a genuine leader, Riley is gung-ho about the days to come. “I want to go to the top – I dream of large venues,” she says. “The key element that’s truly essential to me is keeping the handmade style, ensuring everything is handmade. That’s an element I want to stay authentic to, whatever we grow into. Oh, and I wish to appear on a magical horse at all performances. You know how famous musicians do the motorcycle thing? Exactly that, but on a mythical creature.”