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Although many musicians have borrowed from fantasy lore, rarely any have genuinely embodied the mythical existence. Certainly, they may adorn their album sleeves with ghouls, imps, chained damsels and muscular warriors, but did a member ever needed to retrieve a misplaced mythical horn from a snowy field in the depths of winter? Has a performer taken the time peering in the back of a traveling vehicle, repairing their own metal mesh?

Immersed in the Legend

Established in 2019, New York’s Castle Rat have had to face both these scenarios and others as they act out their grand tales. From medieval-inspired, catchy songs to breathtaking concerts, attire styling, videos and album art, they’re more than a rock act as a total artistic immersion.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a outfit with characters,” states singer, guitarist, sword-wielder and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the group’s vehicle travels from a packed show in Cologne to one more in Aschaffenburg – they are playing multiple performances in the UK currently. “After a couple of performances and were scheduled on a spooky event, where I decided spontaneously to dress up. Everything was super-DIY, but we had an amazing time and the feeling in the room was unforgettable. I realized, ‘Imagine if we could have so much excitement every time?’”

Growth of the Group

Since then, the group – which features Pinkerton as the “Rat Queen” joined by a medic from history (low-end instrumentalist), haughty vampire (guitarist) and enigmatic nature priest (percussionist) – never turned back. The new record, the group’s sophomore release, brings to mind of legendary heavy bands joining forces to struggle onward through a Frank Frazetta fantasy world – a epic masterpiece that positions them on the edge of bigger achievements.

The Bestiary was a first for Pinkerton in that she opened the floor to her bandmates. “This helped a much better record,” she says of the collaborative process. “I struggled at first – I often experienced a specific level of pride being a woman in music doing everything solo. There have been multiple instances where I’ve got off stage and a person will say, ‘Those guys compose cool melodies!’ and I’m like, ‘Wait – I wrote all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

As their fame has grown, 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 chuckles. Initially, she was on course for a fine art degree before balking at the idea of heavy loans. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to express artistic expression,” she says. “From crafting disguises, costume design, figuring out video editing song visuals … these are all things I am unfamiliar with, but it’s exciting to discover on the fly.”

Even though creating the band’s intricate lore (“People are encouraging me to document it because it’s all in here,” Riley says, tapping her head) and stitching garments wasn’t enough, the singer taught herself how to craft metal mesh – no mean feat, though she confessedly left her brand-new reptilian-inspired outfit to a New York-based specialist. “It seems like actual armour,” she beams.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

What about the crowd? They took to the stage blood, toy blades and papier-mache rat skulls with equal enthusiasm as the musicians. “We played a concert in Detroit and it resembled a historical festival,” reminisces Riley happily. “The whole crowd was in robes, sheepskin, chainmail.”

That’s not to imply, nevertheless, that touring existence as mythical wanderers has been plain sailing. “All our gear is always failing and becomes duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Additionally I get numerous thoughts as to how I want things to look, but we are on the move in a bus with limited room. It’s a fascinating test to create the impression like a grand epic, then compress it into nothing.”

There have been further organizational challenges that would never have plagued legendary fantasy heroes. “There was an ‘oh shit’ moment when we appeared at a music event in the European country and my baggage – which had my weapon in it – got lost,” says Riley. “It was a terrible situation, because there’s not an alternative version of the performance where I lack a weapon.”

Goals Ahead

As a genuine leader, Riley is gung-ho about the days to come. “I aim to reach as far as possible – we should play large venues,” she says. “The key element that’s really important to me is maintaining the DIY aesthetic, guaranteeing each detail is crafted by us. That’s an element I want to stay authentic to, whatever we grow into. Oh, and I wish to ride out on a unicorn each show. Remember how famous musicians do the motorcycle thing? Exactly that, but using a unicorn.”