🔗 Share this article

While plenty of musicians have borrowed from high fantasy, few have fully embraced the mythical existence. Sure, they could adorn their record jackets with ghouls, goblins, captive women and strong fighters, but has an artist ever have to recover a misplaced horn from a unicorn from a snowy field in the depths of winter? Did a guitarist taken the time squinting in the back of a tour bus, repairing their own chainmail?

Immersed in the Legend

Created in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have encountered such situations and additional ones as they embody their heroic dreams. Starting with knightly, earworm-heavy anthems to stunning performances, outfit creation, videos and album art, they’re not just a rock act as a total artistic immersion.

“Castle Rat wasn’t meant to be a themed musical group,” says vocalist, guitarist, sword-wielder and visionary Riley Pinkerton as the group’s vehicle speeds from a sold-out gig in a German city to one more in Aschaffenburg – they have multiple performances in the UK now. “We played two shows and were scheduled on a Halloween gig, where I made a last-minute decision to dress up. It was all completely self-made, but we had a blast and the atmosphere was electric. I realized, ‘What if we could have so much excitement at every show?’”

The Band’s Evolution

Since then, the ensemble – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” alongside a medic from history (low-end instrumentalist), proud bloodsucker (lead guitarist) and secretive shaman (drummer) – continued forward. Their latest album, the follow-up record, brings to mind of famous rock groups collaborating to fight their path through a mythical painted realm – a epic masterpiece that sets them on the brink of greater success.

The Bestiary was a new experience for Pinkerton in that she opened the floor to her bandmates. “That contributed to a much better project,” she says of the team effort. “I had difficulty at first – I often experienced a specific level of satisfaction as a female in music going it alone. There have been numerous occasions where after a show and some guy will say, ‘The band compose cool melodies!’ and I’m like, ‘Wait – I composed all that.’”

Creative Output and Ideas

As their fame has grown, so has the scope of their visual elements. “The saying I live by is always that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton chuckles. Initially, she was on track for a art school education before balking at the idea of so much debt. “The fun thing about Castle Rat is there’s various avenues to apply creativity,” she says. “From crafting disguises, outfit planning, learning how to edit music videos … it’s all stuff I have no experience with, but it’s fun to learn on the fly.”

Even though building the band’s intricate lore (“People are encouraging me to document it because all the ideas are,” Riley says, indicating her head) and stitching garments didn’t suffice, the vocalist learned on her own how to make chainmail – a difficult task, though she admittedly left her all-new reptilian-inspired outfit to a professional in the city. “It’s as if actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

What about the crowd? They took to the stage blood, soft weapons and papier-mache rat skulls with equal enthusiasm as the band. “We performed a concert in the Motor City and it looked like a historical festival,” reminisces Riley with affection. “The whole crowd was in cloaks, sheepskin, metal wear.”

This isn’t to say, nevertheless, that life on the road as fantasy adventurers has been smooth. “All our gear is always failing and ends up repaired with tape,” Riley says. “Plus I come up with countless concepts as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we tour in a vehicle with only so much space. It’s a fascinating test to make it feel like a mythic tale, then pack it down into nothing.”

There have been additional practical issues that would never have plagued fictional warriors. “We experienced an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we performed at a music event in the European country and my luggage – which had my sword in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “That was a terrible situation, because there is no an alternative version of the concert where I am without a blade.”

Upcoming Plans

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is eager about the future. “I want to go all the way – I dream of stadiums,” she says. “The main aspect that’s deeply meaningful to me is maintaining the handmade style, making sure everything is custom-made. This is a feature I want to keep true to, whatever we grow into. Plus, I want to appear on a mythical beast every night. You know how famous musicians ride bikes on stage? That, but using a unicorn.”