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Although numerous rockers have borrowed from high fantasy, few have genuinely embodied the mythical way of life. Sure, they could embellish their album covers with ghouls, imps, chained damsels and muscular warriors, but has any musician ever have to recover a misplaced horn from a unicorn from a frost-covered ground in the heart of winter? Has a performer devoted hours straining their eyes in the rear of a road transport, fixing their own metal mesh?

Living the Fantasy

Established in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have had to face such situations and more as they act out their heroic dreams. From heraldic, catchy tunes to eye-popping performances, outfit creation, visuals and record designs, they’re more than a rock act as a full immersive experience.

“Castle Rat wasn’t meant to be a themed musical group,” states singer, guitarist, sword-wielder and creative overlord Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport speeds from a packed show in Cologne to one more in Aschaffenburg – they have multiple performances in the UK now. “Initially, we performed twice and received an offer on a Halloween gig, where I decided spontaneously to dress up. It was all highly handmade, but we had an amazing time and the atmosphere was incredible. It occurred to me, ‘How about if we could have such enjoyment every time?’”

Growth of the Group

From that point on, the group – which features Pinkerton as the “Rat Queen” joined by a pestilence physician (bassist), aristocratic undead (guitarist) and enigmatic nature priest (drummer) – continued forward. The new record, the group’s sophomore release, conjures visions of famous rock groups joining forces to struggle onward through a heroic art landscape – a epic masterpiece that sets them on the verge of bigger achievements.

The Bestiary was a new experience for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her fellow members. “This helped a much better project,” she says of the team effort. “I struggled at first – There was a sense of a particular degree of accomplishment as a woman in music going it alone. There have been numerous occasions where I finished performing and some guy will say, ‘Those guys write great riffs!’ and I think, ‘Listen – I composed all that.’”

Artistry and Imagination

As their fame has increased, so has the scope of their stage presentation. “The saying I live by is always that if something is valuable, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. She was originally on course for a art school education before hesitating at the idea of so much debt. “The fun thing about Castle Rat is there’s various avenues to apply artistry,” she says. “From creating face coverings, outfit planning, learning how to edit clips … these are all things I am unfamiliar with, but it’s fun to discover on the fly.”

Even though developing the group’s detailed mythology (“The team is pushing me to document it because all the ideas are,” Riley says, pointing to her head) and stitching garments were insufficient, the vocalist self-educated how to create armor – a difficult task, though she admittedly left her completely original scale armor design to a New York-based specialist. “It’s as if actual armour,” she beams.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

As for audiences? They embraced the fake blood, foam swords and papier-mache rat skulls with equal enthusiasm as the musicians. “We played a concert in the Motor City and it looked like a medieval event,” reminisces Riley with affection. “The whole crowd was in cloaks, animal hides, chainmail.”

That’s not to imply, nevertheless, that touring existence as fantasy adventurers has been smooth. “All our gear is always failing and becomes repaired with tape,” Riley says. “Plus I come up with endless ideas as to how I desire the presentation, but we are on the move in a vehicle with limited room. It’s a fascinating test to give the sense like a mythic tale, then compress it into nothing.”

There have been additional practical issues that didn’t affect legendary fantasy heroes. “There was an ‘oh shit’ moment when we played a music event in the European country and my suitcase – which had my sword in it – went missing,” says Riley. “It was a nightmare, because we don’t have an backup plan of the performance where I don’t have a weapon.”

Upcoming Plans

As a genuine leader, Riley is gung-ho about the days to come. “My goal is as far as possible – we should play stadiums,” she says. “The main aspect that’s truly essential to me is maintaining the DIY aesthetic, ensuring all elements is custom-made. That’s an element I want to remain faithful to, whatever we grow into. Oh, and I wish to appear on a unicorn each show. You know how famous musicians use vehicles in concerts? The same idea, but on a mythical creature.”