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Although plenty of artists have borrowed from epic fantasy, rarely any have genuinely embodied the mythical existence. Admittedly, they might decorate their record jackets with ghouls, goblins, manacled maidens and muscular warriors, but has any musician ever needed to find a lost unicorn horn from a wintry landscape in the depths of winter? Has a guitarist spent time squinting in the back of a tour bus, mending their own metal mesh?

Embracing the Mythos

Established in 2019, New York’s Castle Rat have encountered both these scenarios and more as they live out their grand tales. From heraldic, memorable anthems to eye-popping live shows, costume design, music videos and record designs, they’re more than a heavy metal group as a total artistic immersion.

“Castle Rat wasn’t meant to be a costumed concept band,” says singer, guitar player, sword-wielder and visionary Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van drives from a packed show in Cologne to a second one in another town – they have several shows in the UK currently. “Initially, we performed twice and received an offer on a October show, where I made a last-minute decision to dress up. Everything was highly handmade, but we had a blast and the energy was incredible. I thought, ‘What if we could have this much fun every time?’”

The Band’s Evolution

After that, the ensemble – which includes Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” joined by a plague doctor (low-end instrumentalist), proud bloodsucker (lead guitarist) and enigmatic nature priest (rhythm keeper) – haven’t looked back. Their latest album, the group’s sophomore release, conjures visions of legendary heavy bands joining forces to fight their path through a mythical painted realm – a grand composition that places them on the verge of far grander things.

The Bestiary was a new experience for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her fellow members. “It made it a more powerful project,” she says of the collaborative process. “It was challenging at first – I often experienced a certain amount of satisfaction as a female in music doing everything solo. There have been numerous occasions where after a show and some guy will say, ‘Those guys compose cool melodies!’ and I think, ‘Hey – I wrote all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

As the band’s stature has expanded, so has the scale of their production design. “The saying I live by is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. She was originally on course for a fine art degree before pulling back at the prospect of so much debt. “The fun thing about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to demonstrate creativity,” she says. “From creating face coverings, outfit planning, mastering post-production clips … everything is I have no experience with, but it’s enjoyable to figure it out as we go.”

As if creating the ensemble’s complex backstory (“Everyone’s urging me to write it down because all the ideas are,” Riley says, pointing to her head) and stitching garments didn’t suffice, the singer taught herself how to craft metal mesh – a difficult task, though she admittedly left her all-new scalemail look to a professional in the city. “It feels like actual armour,” she grins.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

As for audiences? They loved the stage blood, foam swords and papier-mache rat skulls with similar excitement as the group. “We performed a gig in Detroit and it seemed like a Renaissance fair,” reminisces Riley fondly. “The whole crowd was in robes, animal hides, armor.”

This isn’t to say, though, that traveling lifestyle as fantasy adventurers has been easy. “Everything is always failing and ends up fixed temporarily,” Riley says. “Moreover I get countless concepts as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we tour in a bus with restricted capacity. It’s a fascinating test to create the impression like a grand epic, then pack it down into a small space.”

We faced further organizational challenges that wouldn’t have troubled legendary fantasy heroes. “There was an ‘disastrous’ moment when we played a music event in Portugal and my baggage – which had my weapon in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “It was a terrible situation, because we don’t have an alternative version of the show where I am without a sword.”

Upcoming Plans

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is enthusiastic about the days to come. “My goal is as far as possible – I dream of huge arenas,” she says. “The main aspect that’s truly essential to me is maintaining the self-crafted look, ensuring all elements is handmade. This is a feature I want to remain faithful to, no matter what we grow into. Plus, I wish to make an entrance on a unicorn every night. Think about how legends ride bikes on stage? Exactly that, but with a unicorn.”