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While numerous musicians have drawn from fantasy lore, rarely any have truly lived the enchanted existence. Sure, they may decorate their album sleeves with ghouls, goblins, captive women and brawny barbarians, but has an artist ever been forced to retrieve a missing horn from a unicorn from a snowy field in the depths of winter? Did a performer devoted hours peering in the rear of a tour bus, mending their own chainmail?

Immersed in the Legend

Established in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have dealt with such situations and additional ones as they embody their heroic dreams. From medieval-inspired, memorable tunes to eye-popping performances, outfit creation, visuals and album art, they’re more than a rock act as a full immersive experience.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a costumed concept band,” explains singer, guitarist, sword-carrier and visionary Riley Pinkerton as the group’s vehicle drives from a full-capacity concert in Cologne to another in Aschaffenburg – they are playing five gigs in the UK now. “Initially, we performed twice and received an offer on a October show, where I decided spontaneously to wear a costume. The entire setup was highly handmade, but we had an amazing time and the energy was incredible. It occurred to me, ‘Imagine if we could have such enjoyment every time?’”

Growth of the Group

From that point on, the band – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” together with a medic from history (low-end instrumentalist), proud bloodsucker (six-string player) and mysterious druid (rhythm keeper) – continued forward. The new record, the band’s second album, conjures visions of legendary heavy bands joining forces to struggle onward through a Frank Frazetta fantasy world – a epic masterpiece that positions them on the verge of greater success.

The release was a first for Pinkerton in that she opened the floor to her bandmates. “That contributed to a more powerful record,” she says of the group work. “It was challenging at first – I often experienced a particular degree of pride as a female in music doing everything solo. I’ve had multiple instances where after a show and some guy will say, ‘The other members compose cool melodies!’ and I respond, ‘Listen – I composed all that.’”

Creative Output and Ideas

As the band’s stature has increased, 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 chuckles. Initially, she was on track for a fine art degree before balking at the idea of so much debt. “The fun thing about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to apply creativity,” she says. “Be it creating face coverings, attire creation, figuring out video editing clips … it’s all stuff I don’t know how to do, but it’s enjoyable to figure it out as we go.”

As if creating the band’s intricate lore (“People are encouraging me to write it down because everything is stored,” Riley says, indicating her head) and making clothing wasn’t enough, the vocalist learned on her own how to craft metal mesh – a challenging endeavor, though she admittedly entrusted her completely original reptilian-inspired outfit to a expert from NYC. “It’s as if actual armour,” she beams.

Fan Response and Obstacles

As for audiences? They embraced the theatrical gore, soft weapons and crafted rodent bones with similar excitement as the group. “We played a gig in the Motor City and it seemed like a Renaissance fair,” remembers Riley happily. “The whole crowd was in cloaks, sheepskin, metal wear.”

That’s not to imply, nevertheless, that traveling lifestyle as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been easy. “Each item is constantly breaking and gets fixed temporarily,” Riley says. “Additionally I come up with countless concepts as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we tour in a bus with limited room. It’s a unique problem to give the sense like a larger-than-life story, then store it into minimal luggage.”

There have been additional practical issues that didn’t affect fictional warriors. “We did have an ‘oh shit’ moment when we performed at a Portuguese festival in Portugal and my baggage – which had my sword in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “It was a worst-case scenario, because there’s not an alternative version of the performance where I don’t have a blade.”

Upcoming Plans

As a genuine leader, Riley is gung-ho about the future. “I want to go all the way – we should play huge arenas,” she says. “The only thing that’s really important to me is keeping the handmade style, ensuring each detail is custom-made. It’s a component I want to stay authentic to, regardless of we grow into. Plus, I wish to appear on a magical horse each show. Think about how some artists use vehicles in concerts? The same idea, but with a unicorn.”