🔗 Share this article

While plenty of artists have taken inspiration from fantasy lore, few have truly lived the mythical way of life. Admittedly, they could adorn their record jackets with monsters, beasts, manacled maidens and brawny barbarians, but did a member ever have to find a lost unicorn horn from a frost-covered ground in the midst of winter? Has anyone spent time peering in the interior of a tour bus, fixing their own metal mesh?

Immersed in the Legend

Created in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have dealt with such situations and others as they act out their heroic dreams. Starting with medieval-inspired, earworm-heavy songs to stunning live shows, attire styling, visuals and cover artwork, they’re more than a metal band as a complete sensory journey.

“Castle Rat wasn’t meant to be a outfit with characters,” explains vocalist, guitarist, blade-handler and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the group’s vehicle drives from a sold-out gig in Cologne to a second one in another town – they have several shows in the UK this week. “After a couple of performances and received an offer on a spooky event, where I chose at the final moment to put on an outfit. The entire setup was highly handmade, but we had an amazing time and the energy was unforgettable. I realized, ‘Imagine if we could have this much fun always?’”

Growth of the Group

After that, the ensemble – which features Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” joined by a medic from history (bassist), haughty vampire (guitarist) and enigmatic nature priest (rhythm keeper) – haven’t looked back. The Bestiary, the follow-up record, conjures visions of famous rock groups uniting to fight their path through a mythical painted realm – a epic masterpiece that sets them on the edge of bigger achievements.

This album was a initial step for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her fellow members. “It made it a more powerful project,” she says of the group work. “I struggled at first – I’d always felt a particular degree of satisfaction as a female in music working independently. There’ve been so many times where I’ve got off stage and a person will say, ‘The other members create awesome guitar parts!’ and I’m like, ‘Hey – I created all that.’”

Creative Output and Ideas

With their growing popularity has expanded, so has the breadth of their production design. “My philosophy is always that if something is valuable, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton laughs. Initially, she was on track for a art school education before pulling back at the possibility of heavy loans. “The fun thing about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to express artistry,” she says. “Be it crafting disguises, costume design, figuring out video editing song visuals … it’s all stuff I am unfamiliar with, but it’s enjoyable to discover as we go.”

As if creating the group’s detailed mythology (“The team is pushing me to document it because all the ideas are,” Riley says, indicating her head) and making clothing were insufficient, the vocalist taught herself how to craft metal mesh – a difficult task, though she confessedly entrusted her completely original scalemail look to a professional in the city. “It’s as if actual armour,” she beams.

Audience Reaction and Challenges

As for audiences? They loved the stage blood, soft weapons and crafted rodent bones with similar excitement as the musicians. “We had a gig in Detroit and it looked like a Renaissance fair,” remembers Riley with affection. “Everyone was in capes, wool garments, metal wear.”

However, this doesn’t mean, nevertheless, that traveling lifestyle as mythical wanderers has been plain sailing. “Each item is constantly breaking and ends up repaired with tape,” Riley says. “Additionally I get numerous thoughts as to how I desire the presentation, but we’re traveling in a vehicle with restricted capacity. It’s a unique problem to give the sense like a mythic tale, then compress it into minimal luggage.”

There have been other logistical problems that didn’t affect mythic characters. “We experienced an ‘disastrous’ moment when we played SonicBlast festival in Portugal and my luggage – which had my blade in it – got lost,” says Riley. “This became a nightmare, because there’s not an alternative version of the show where I don’t have a weapon.”

Future Ambitions

As a genuine leader, Riley is enthusiastic about the what’s next. “I aim to reach all the way – we should play huge arenas,” she says. “The main aspect that’s deeply meaningful to me is keeping the handmade style, guaranteeing all elements is handmade. This is a feature I want to keep true to, regardless of we scale to. Plus, I want to make an entrance on a unicorn each show. You know how famous musicians use vehicles in concerts? Exactly that, but using a unicorn.”