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Although numerous musicians have drawn from epic fantasy, only a handful have genuinely embodied the mythical lifestyle. Sure, they could decorate their album covers with ghouls, goblins, chained damsels and brawny barbarians, but did a member ever needed to find a missing unicorn horn from a snowy field in the heart of winter? Did anyone devoted hours squinting in the interior of a road transport, fixing their own chainmail?

Living the Fantasy

Formed in 2019, New York’s Castle Rat have dealt with such situations and more as they act out their epic fantasies. Starting with knightly, memorable tunes to eye-popping concerts, attire styling, videos and cover artwork, they’re not just a metal band as a complete sensory journey.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a outfit with characters,” says vocalist, guitar player, blade-handler and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport speeds from a sold-out gig in a German city to a second one in Aschaffenburg – they are playing several shows in the UK currently. “We played two shows and got booked on a Halloween gig, where I chose at the final moment to dress up. Everything was highly handmade, but we had so much fun and the feeling in the room was electric. I thought, ‘Imagine if we could have so much excitement always?’”

Development of Castle Rat

After that, the group – which includes Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” joined by a pestilence physician (bassist), proud bloodsucker (six-string player) and secretive shaman (rhythm keeper) – haven’t looked back. The new record, the group’s sophomore release, brings to mind of classic metal icons joining forces to struggle onward through a heroic art landscape – a heroic opus that positions them on the edge of bigger achievements.

The Bestiary was a initial step for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her bandmates. “This helped a more powerful project,” she says of the collaborative process. “It was challenging at first – I’d always felt a specific level of accomplishment as a woman in music doing everything solo. I’ve had multiple instances where I’ve got off stage and a person will say, ‘The band write great riffs!’ and I think, ‘Wait – I composed all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

As their fame has expanded, so has the scale of their stage presentation. “The saying I live by is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. At first, she had been on course for a university studies in art before hesitating at the idea of financial burden. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s various avenues to demonstrate creativity,” she says. “From creating face coverings, attire creation, figuring out video editing music videos … these are all things I have no experience with, but it’s exciting to discover 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, tapping her head) and stitching garments wasn’t enough, the vocalist taught herself how to craft metal mesh – a difficult task, though she confessedly delegated her completely original scalemail look to a professional in the city. “It’s as if actual armour,” she beams.

Fan Response and Obstacles

Regarding the fans? They loved the stage blood, soft weapons and crafted rodent bones with similar excitement as the musicians. “We performed a concert in the Motor City and it looked like a historical festival,” remembers Riley with affection. “The whole crowd was in robes, sheepskin, metal wear.”

This isn’t to say, nevertheless, that life on the road as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been easy. “Each item is always failing and gets fixed temporarily,” Riley says. “Moreover I get numerous thoughts as to how I want things to look, but we tour in a vehicle with only so much space. It’s an interesting challenge to create the impression like a mythic tale, then pack it down into minimal luggage.”

We’ve encountered other logistical problems that wouldn’t have troubled legendary fantasy heroes. “We did have an ‘disastrous’ moment when we appeared at a music event in the European country and my baggage – which had my sword in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “That was a nightmare, because there is no an backup plan of the performance where I lack a weapon.”

Future Ambitions

Like a true warrior queen, Riley is enthusiastic about the days to come. “I want to go all the way – let’s do large venues,” she says. “The key element that’s truly essential to me is maintaining the handmade style, making sure all elements is crafted by us. This is a feature I want to remain faithful to, no matter what we achieve. Additionally, I wish to appear on a magical horse every night. Remember how famous musicians do the motorcycle thing? Exactly that, but using a unicorn.”