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While many artists have drawn from fantasy lore, only a handful have genuinely embodied the mythical existence. Sure, they may embellish their album covers with monsters, beasts, captive women and muscular warriors, but has any musician ever have to retrieve a lost horn from a unicorn from a frost-covered ground in the midst of winter? Has a guitarist devoted hours squinting in the rear of a road transport, mending their own chainmail?

Embracing the Mythos

Established in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have dealt with these exact challenges and additional ones as they embody their heroic dreams. From heraldic, catchy anthems to stunning live shows, attire styling, visuals and cover artwork, they’re more than a metal band as a full immersive experience.

“Castle Rat wasn’t meant to be a themed musical group,” explains singer, guitarist, blade-handler and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport speeds from a full-capacity concert in a German city to one more in another town – they’re also doing five gigs in the UK currently. “Initially, we performed twice and received an offer on a October show, where I made a last-minute decision to put on an outfit. Everything was completely self-made, but we had so much fun and the atmosphere was unforgettable. I realized, ‘How about if we could have so much excitement always?’”

The Band’s Evolution

After that, the band – which features Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” alongside a pestilence physician (bassist), aristocratic undead (six-string player) and enigmatic nature priest (drummer) – haven’t looked back. Their latest album, the follow-up record, conjures visions of famous rock groups collaborating to struggle onward through a mythical painted realm – a heroic opus that positions them on the brink of bigger achievements.

This album was a initial step for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her bandmates. “That contributed to a lot stronger project,” she says of the team effort. “I struggled at first – I’d always felt a specific level of satisfaction as a female in music going it alone. There have been numerous occasions where I’ve got off stage and an audience member will say, ‘The other members write great riffs!’ and I respond, ‘Wait – I composed all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

With their growing popularity has grown, so has the scope of their production design. “My motto is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. At first, she had been on course 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 express artistic expression,” she says. “Whether it’s crafting disguises, attire creation, mastering post-production clips … these are all things I am unfamiliar with, but it’s fun to figure it out on the fly.”

Even though building the band’s intricate lore (“Everyone’s urging me to write it down because all the ideas are,” Riley says, indicating her head) and making clothing wasn’t enough, the vocalist taught herself how to create armor – a difficult task, though she admittedly entrusted her brand-new scale armor design to a expert from NYC. “It feels like actual armour,” she grins.

Fan Response and Obstacles

As for audiences? They embraced the stage blood, soft weapons and handmade props with as much gusto as the group. “We performed a show in Detroit and it resembled a Renaissance fair,” reminisces Riley fondly. “Everyone was in capes, wool garments, armor.”

That’s not to imply, nevertheless, that life on the road as mythical wanderers has been smooth. “Each item is always failing and gets fixed temporarily,” Riley says. “Moreover I’ll have countless concepts as to how I desire the presentation, but we tour in a bus with restricted capacity. It’s a unique problem to give the sense like a grand epic, then pack it down into a small space.”

We faced other logistical problems that wouldn’t have troubled mythic characters. “We did have an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we performed at a music event in the European country and my baggage – which had my weapon in it – went missing,” says Riley. “This became a worst-case scenario, because there is no an alternative version of the show where I lack a blade.”

Goals Ahead

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is gung-ho about the what’s next. “I aim to reach to the top – let’s do large venues,” she says. “The key element that’s truly essential to me is preserving the DIY aesthetic, ensuring each detail is crafted by us. This is a feature I want to remain faithful to, no matter what we grow into. Additionally, I want to ride out on a mythical beast each show. Remember how legends ride bikes on stage? Exactly that, but using a unicorn.”