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Although plenty of artists have taken inspiration from fantasy lore, few have genuinely embodied the fantasy way of life. Sure, they may adorn their album covers with ghouls, goblins, manacled maidens and muscular warriors, but has any musician ever have to find a lost unicorn horn from a frost-covered ground in the midst of winter? Did a performer taken the time straining their eyes in the back of a tour bus, fixing their own metal mesh?

Living the Fantasy

Formed in 2019, New York’s Castle Rat have encountered such situations and more as they act out their epic fantasies. Starting with heraldic, memorable tunes to eye-popping live shows, costume design, videos and album art, they’re not so much a metal band as a complete sensory journey.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a costumed concept band,” explains singer, guitar player, sword-carrier and creative overlord Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van drives from a sold-out gig in a German city to a second one in another town – they have several shows in the UK now. “Initially, we performed twice and got booked on a spooky event, where I chose at the final moment to put on an outfit. The entire setup was super-DIY, but we had an amazing time and the feeling in the room was unforgettable. It occurred to me, ‘What if we could have so much excitement at every show?’”

Development of Castle Rat

After that, the ensemble – which includes Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” joined by a plague doctor (low-end instrumentalist), proud bloodsucker (six-string player) and mysterious druid (rhythm keeper) – never turned back. The Bestiary, the band’s second album, brings to mind of classic metal icons joining forces to struggle onward through a Frank Frazetta fantasy world – a heroic opus that sets them on the verge of bigger achievements.

The release was a first for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her bandmates. “That contributed to a much better album,” she says of the group work. “It was challenging at first – I’d always felt a particular degree of accomplishment as a female in music doing everything solo. I’ve had multiple instances where after a show and a person will say, ‘Those guys compose cool melodies!’ and I respond, ‘Hey – I composed all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

As their fame has increased, so has the breadth of their production design. “My motto is always that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton laughs. She was originally on path for a art school education before pulling back at the prospect of heavy loans. “What’s enjoyable about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to express artistry,” she says. “From creating face coverings, outfit planning, mastering post-production song visuals … these are all things I am unfamiliar with, but it’s exciting to discover as we go.”

As if building the band’s intricate lore (“People are encouraging me to document it because it’s all in here,” Riley says, pointing to her head) and stitching garments didn’t suffice, the vocalist self-educated how to create armor – a challenging endeavor, though she admittedly left her all-new scale armor design to a New York-based specialist. “It seems like actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

Regarding the fans? They embraced the stage blood, foam swords and handmade props with as much gusto as the group. “We had a gig in Detroit and it resembled a historical festival,” reminisces Riley with affection. “Everyone was in robes, sheepskin, armor.”

However, this doesn’t mean, nevertheless, that touring existence as mythical wanderers has been plain sailing. “Each item is constantly breaking and gets repaired with tape,” Riley says. “Moreover I get countless concepts as to how I want things to look, but we are on the move in a van with restricted capacity. It’s a fascinating test to create the impression like a mythic tale, then pack it down into minimal luggage.”

There have been additional practical issues that would never have plagued legendary fantasy heroes. “There was an ‘oh shit’ moment when we performed at a music event in Portugal and my luggage – which had my weapon in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “It was a nightmare, because there’s not an backup plan of the show where I lack a blade.”

Upcoming Plans

Like a true warrior queen, Riley is gung-ho about the future. “I aim to reach to the top – let’s do stadiums,” she says. “The key element that’s deeply meaningful to me is preserving the handmade style, ensuring each detail is custom-made. This is a feature I want to keep true to, whatever we scale to. Plus, I desire to ride out on a magical horse at all performances. Remember how legends ride bikes on stage? That, but with a unicorn.”