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While numerous artists have borrowed from high fantasy, rarely any have truly lived the enchanted existence. Certainly, they might adorn their album covers with monsters, beasts, captive women and brawny barbarians, but has any musician ever been forced to retrieve a lost unicorn horn from a frost-covered ground in the depths of winter? Did a guitarist taken the time squinting in the back of a tour bus, fixing their own armor?

Living the Fantasy

Established in 2019, New York’s Castle Rat have encountered such situations and more as they live out their heroic dreams. Starting with knightly, earworm-heavy songs to stunning live shows, outfit creation, visuals and album art, they’re not so much a metal band as a full immersive experience.

“Castle Rat wasn’t meant to be a costumed concept band,” states vocalist, guitarist, sword-wielder and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van speeds from a sold-out gig in Cologne to another in another town – they have multiple performances in the UK this week. “Initially, we performed twice and were scheduled on a Halloween gig, where I decided spontaneously to put on an outfit. Everything was highly handmade, but we had an amazing time and the feeling in the room was unforgettable. I realized, ‘How about if we could have this much fun every time?’”

Growth of the Group

Since then, the band – which features Pinkerton as the “Rat Queen” joined by a pestilence physician (bass player), aristocratic undead (guitarist) and secretive shaman (rhythm keeper) – continued forward. Their latest album, the band’s second album, conjures visions of classic metal icons collaborating to struggle onward through a heroic art landscape – a heroic opus that places them on the edge of greater success.

This album was a initial step for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her fellow members. “That contributed to a lot stronger album,” she says of the team effort. “I struggled at first – I’d always felt a particular degree of accomplishment as a female in music going it alone. There have been so many times where I finished performing and an audience member will say, ‘The other members create awesome guitar parts!’ and I think, ‘Wait – I wrote all that.’”

Creative Output and Ideas

As their fame has increased, so has the scope of their stage presentation. “My philosophy is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton chuckles. Initially, she was on path for a university studies in art before hesitating at the idea of heavy loans. “What’s enjoyable about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to express creativity,” she says. “From crafting disguises, costume design, figuring out video editing music videos … everything is I am unfamiliar with, but it’s exciting to discover in the moment.”

Even though creating the band’s intricate lore (“The team is pushing me to document it because everything is stored,” Riley says, tapping her head) and sewing costumes were insufficient, the singer self-educated how to craft metal mesh – no mean feat, though she admittedly left her all-new scale armor design to a expert from NYC. “It’s as if actual armour,” she beams.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

Regarding the fans? They loved the theatrical gore, foam swords and papier-mache rat skulls with as much gusto as the group. “We played a concert in the Motor City and it seemed like a historical festival,” recalls Riley happily. “All attendees was in cloaks, sheepskin, armor.”

That’s not to imply, nevertheless, that touring existence as fantasy adventurers has been easy. “Each item is always failing and gets fixed temporarily,” Riley says. “Moreover I get endless ideas as to how I want things to look, but we tour in a van with only so much space. It’s a unique problem to give the sense like a mythic tale, then compress it into a small space.”

There have been further organizational challenges that would never have plagued legendary fantasy heroes. “We experienced an ‘disastrous’ moment when we appeared at a Portuguese festival in Portugal and my suitcase – which had my blade in it – got lost,” says Riley. “This became a nightmare, because we don’t have an different option of the performance where I lack a weapon.”

Future Ambitions

Like a true warrior queen, Riley is enthusiastic about the what’s next. “I aim to reach all the way – I dream of large venues,” she says. “The key element that’s deeply meaningful to me is preserving the handmade style, ensuring all elements is custom-made. This is a feature I want to remain faithful to, regardless of we achieve. Plus, I desire to appear on a mythical beast each show. Think about how legends ride bikes on stage? That, but using a unicorn.”