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While plenty of rockers have borrowed from epic fantasy, rarely any have genuinely embodied the fantasy way of life. Certainly, they may decorate their album covers with ghouls, beasts, chained damsels and brawny barbarians, but did a member ever been forced to retrieve a misplaced horn from a unicorn from a frost-covered ground in the depths of winter? Did anyone devoted hours peering in the back of a road transport, fixing their own metal mesh?

Embracing the Mythos

Created in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have encountered both these scenarios and more as they act out their epic fantasies. From knightly, earworm-heavy songs to eye-popping performances, outfit creation, music videos and cover artwork, they’re more than a rock act as a complete sensory journey.

“Castle Rat wasn’t meant to be a costumed concept band,” states vocalist, guitar player, blade-handler and visionary Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport travels from a full-capacity concert in Cologne to one more in another town – they’re also doing five gigs in the UK this week. “We played two shows and were scheduled on a October show, where I made a last-minute decision to dress up. It was all completely self-made, but we had a blast and the feeling in the room was incredible. I thought, ‘What if we could have this much fun every time?’”

Development of Castle Rat

After that, the group – which features Pinkerton as the “Rat Queen” together with a pestilence physician (low-end instrumentalist), proud bloodsucker (lead guitarist) and secretive shaman (drummer) – never turned back. Their latest album, the group’s sophomore release, brings to mind of famous rock groups uniting to battle their way through a Frank Frazetta fantasy world – a epic masterpiece that places them on the edge of far grander things.

This album was a initial step for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her fellow members. “That contributed to a more powerful project,” she says of the collaborative process. “I had difficulty at first – There was a sense of a certain amount of satisfaction as a woman in music going it alone. I’ve had multiple instances where I’ve got off stage and a person will say, ‘The band create awesome guitar parts!’ and I’m like, ‘Hey – I created all that.’”

Creative Output and Ideas

As the band’s stature has increased, so has the breadth of their visual elements. “The saying I live by is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton chuckles. She was originally on track for a fine art degree before balking at the idea of heavy loans. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to demonstrate artistry,” she says. “Be it creating face coverings, attire creation, figuring out video editing clips … it’s all stuff I am unfamiliar with, but it’s exciting to figure it out on the fly.”

As if developing the group’s detailed mythology (“People are encouraging me to write it down because everything is stored,” Riley says, indicating her head) and stitching garments were insufficient, the singer taught herself how to make chainmail – a difficult task, though she admittedly left her all-new reptilian-inspired outfit to a professional in the city. “It feels like actual armour,” she grins.

Audience Reaction and Challenges

As for audiences? They loved the fake blood, toy blades and crafted rodent bones with similar excitement as the musicians. “We had a gig in the Motor City and it looked like a medieval event,” remembers Riley happily. “All attendees was in capes, wool garments, metal wear.”

That’s not to imply, however, that touring existence as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been easy. “All our gear is frequently damaged and ends up duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Additionally I come up with countless concepts as to how I desire the presentation, but we are on the move in a vehicle with only so much space. It’s an interesting challenge to create the impression like a larger-than-life story, then compress it into nothing.”

There have been additional practical issues that wouldn’t have troubled mythic characters. “We did have an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we played SonicBlast festival in Portugal and my baggage – which had my sword in it – went missing,” says Riley. “This became a terrible situation, because there is no an alternative version of the show where I lack a weapon.”

Future Ambitions

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is enthusiastic about the what’s next. “I aim to reach as far as possible – we should play stadiums,” she says. “The main aspect that’s deeply meaningful to me is maintaining the self-crafted look, ensuring everything is handmade. This is a feature I want to keep true to, regardless of we achieve. Plus, I want to ride out on a unicorn each show. Remember how legends do the motorcycle thing? That, but on a mythical creature.”