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While plenty of rockers have borrowed from epic fantasy, only a handful have fully embraced the fantasy way of life. Certainly, they might embellish their album sleeves with ghouls, imps, captive women and muscular warriors, but did a member ever have to retrieve a lost horn from a unicorn from a wintry landscape in the midst of winter? Did a guitarist spent time squinting in the rear of a traveling vehicle, repairing their own armor?

Living the Fantasy

Created in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have had to face both these scenarios and more as they act out their epic fantasies. From heraldic, earworm-heavy anthems to stunning performances, costume design, visuals and album art, they’re not so much a heavy metal group as a full immersive experience.

“Castle Rat wasn’t meant to be a costumed concept band,” explains vocalist, guitar player, sword-wielder and visionary Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van travels from a packed show in a German city to one more in Aschaffenburg – they are playing several shows in the UK now. “After a couple of performances and got booked on a October show, where I chose at the final moment to wear a costume. It was all highly handmade, but we had an amazing time and the atmosphere was incredible. It occurred to me, ‘What if we could have such enjoyment at every show?’”

The Band’s Evolution

From that point on, the ensemble – which includes Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” together with a medic from history (bass player), aristocratic undead (six-string player) 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 battle their way through a heroic art landscape – a epic masterpiece that places them on the verge of greater success.

This album was a initial step for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her collaborators. “It made it a more powerful record,” she says of the team effort. “It was challenging at first – I often experienced a certain amount of satisfaction being a woman in music doing everything solo. There have been numerous occasions where after a show and an audience member will say, ‘Those guys compose cool melodies!’ and I think, ‘Wait – I wrote all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

With their growing popularity has increased, so has the breadth of their visual elements. “The saying I live by is always that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton laughs. At first, she had been on track for a university studies in art before pulling back at the idea of so much debt. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to demonstrate artistry,” she says. “From creating face coverings, costume design, mastering post-production music videos … it’s all stuff I am unfamiliar with, but it’s enjoyable to discover as we go.”

Even though creating the group’s detailed mythology (“The team is pushing me to write it down because all the ideas are,” Riley says, indicating her head) and sewing costumes wasn’t enough, the vocalist taught herself how to create armor – no mean feat, though she confessedly delegated her all-new scalemail look to a expert from NYC. “It feels like actual armour,” she beams.

Fan Response and Obstacles

What about the crowd? They embraced the fake blood, foam swords and papier-mache rat skulls with as much gusto as the musicians. “We had a show in Detroit and it seemed like a historical festival,” recalls Riley with affection. “All attendees was in cloaks, animal hides, armor.”

That’s not to imply, however, that life on the road as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been smooth. “All our gear is frequently damaged and ends up duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Plus I’ll have endless ideas as to how I desire the presentation, but we tour in a bus with limited room. It’s a unique problem to give the sense like a mythic tale, then pack it down into nothing.”

We’ve encountered further organizational challenges that would never have plagued legendary fantasy heroes. “There was an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we played a Portuguese festival in Portugal and my suitcase – which had my weapon in it – got lost,” says Riley. “It was a nightmare, because there’s not an different option of the concert where I don’t have a sword.”

Goals Ahead

As a genuine leader, Riley is gung-ho about the what’s next. “I want to go all the way – let’s do large venues,” she says. “The main aspect that’s deeply meaningful to me is preserving the self-crafted look, making sure all elements is custom-made. That’s an element I want to remain faithful to, regardless of we scale to. Plus, I want to make an entrance on a magical horse every night. Remember how famous musicians do the motorcycle thing? That, but on a mythical creature.”