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While numerous artists have taken inspiration from epic fantasy, only a handful have genuinely embodied the enchanted way of life. Admittedly, they could adorn their album sleeves with monsters, imps, chained damsels and brawny barbarians, but did a member ever have to recover a missing horn from a unicorn from a snowy field in the depths of winter? Did a performer devoted hours straining their eyes in the interior of a traveling vehicle, fixing their own chainmail?

Embracing the Mythos

Formed in 2019, New York’s Castle Rat have encountered these exact challenges and others as they live out their heroic dreams. Starting with knightly, catchy songs to eye-popping performances, attire styling, music videos and cover artwork, they’re not so much a rock act as a total artistic immersion.

“Castle Rat wasn’t meant to be a themed musical group,” says singer, guitar player, sword-wielder and visionary Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van drives from a full-capacity concert in a German city to another in another town – they have multiple performances in the UK this week. “Initially, we performed twice and got booked on a October show, where I made a last-minute decision to put on an outfit. The entire setup was completely self-made, but we had a blast and the feeling in the room was electric. I thought, ‘How about if we could have this much fun always?’”

Growth of the Group

After that, the band – which includes Pinkerton as the “Rat Queen” alongside a plague doctor (bassist), proud bloodsucker (six-string player) and mysterious druid (rhythm keeper) – haven’t looked back. The new record, the group’s sophomore release, conjures visions of legendary heavy bands joining forces to fight their path through a Frank Frazetta fantasy world – a grand composition that positions them on the brink of far grander things.

The Bestiary was a new experience for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her bandmates. “It made it a more powerful album,” she says of the group work. “It was challenging at first – I often experienced a particular degree of accomplishment as a female in music going it alone. I’ve had numerous occasions where I finished performing and some guy will say, ‘The other members compose cool melodies!’ and I’m like, ‘Hey – I composed all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

As their fame has expanded, so has the breadth of their production design. “The saying I live by is always that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton laughs. Initially, she was 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 so many different ways to apply artistry,” she says. “Be it crafting disguises, costume design, mastering post-production music videos … it’s all stuff I don’t know how to do, but it’s fun to figure it out on the fly.”

As if developing the group’s detailed mythology (“Everyone’s urging me to record it because all the ideas are,” Riley says, indicating her head) and making clothing didn’t suffice, the singer self-educated how to make chainmail – no mean feat, though she confessedly delegated her brand-new reptilian-inspired outfit to a New York-based specialist. “It’s as if actual armour,” she beams.

Fan Response and Obstacles

As for audiences? They took to the theatrical gore, toy blades and papier-mache rat skulls with as much gusto as the musicians. “We performed a concert in the Motor City and it seemed like a medieval event,” remembers Riley fondly. “All attendees was in capes, sheepskin, metal wear.”

However, this doesn’t mean, however, that traveling lifestyle as mythical wanderers has been smooth. “All our gear is constantly breaking and gets fixed temporarily,” Riley says. “Plus I come up with endless ideas as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we are on the move in a bus with only so much space. It’s a fascinating test to give the sense like a mythic tale, then compress it into minimal luggage.”

There have been further organizational challenges that didn’t affect legendary fantasy heroes. “We experienced an ‘disastrous’ moment when we performed at a Portuguese festival in the European country and my luggage – which had my weapon in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “It was a worst-case scenario, because there is no an backup plan of the performance where I don’t have a sword.”

Goals Ahead

Like a true warrior queen, Riley is enthusiastic about the days to come. “I aim to reach as far as possible – we should play huge arenas,” she says. “The only thing that’s deeply meaningful to me is preserving the DIY aesthetic, making sure everything is custom-made. This is a feature I want to keep true to, whatever we achieve. Additionally, I wish to make an entrance on a unicorn every night. You know how famous musicians do the motorcycle thing? The same idea, but with a unicorn.”