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Although many artists have taken inspiration from fantasy lore, only a handful have truly lived the fantasy way of life. Sure, they could adorn their record jackets with monsters, imps, chained damsels and muscular warriors, but has an artist ever been forced to recover a lost unicorn horn from a snowy field in the heart of winter? Has anyone taken the time squinting in the back of a tour bus, repairing their own armor?

Immersed in the Legend

Created in 2019, New York’s Castle Rat have dealt with these exact challenges and others as they embody their epic fantasies. Starting with medieval-inspired, catchy anthems to eye-popping live shows, outfit creation, music videos and cover artwork, they’re more than a heavy metal group as a full immersive experience.

“It wasn’t planned to be a costumed concept band,” says singer, guitarist, blade-handler and visionary Riley Pinkerton as the group’s vehicle drives from a sold-out gig in Cologne to one more in another town – they’re also doing five gigs in the UK this week. “We played two shows and were scheduled on a Halloween gig, where I decided spontaneously to wear a costume. It was all completely self-made, but we had a blast and the energy was unforgettable. It occurred to me, ‘Imagine if we could have this much fun at every show?’”

Growth of the Group

After that, the band – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” together with a plague doctor (low-end instrumentalist), haughty vampire (lead guitarist) and secretive shaman (rhythm keeper) – continued forward. The new record, the group’s sophomore release, conjures visions of famous rock groups joining forces to fight their path through a mythical painted realm – a heroic opus that sets them on the brink of far grander things.

The release was a initial step for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her collaborators. “This helped a much better record,” she says of the team effort. “I struggled at first – I’d always felt a certain amount of pride as a female in music doing everything solo. There’ve been so many times where I finished performing and a person will say, ‘Those guys create awesome guitar parts!’ and I think, ‘Listen – I wrote all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

With their growing popularity has increased, so has the scope of their stage presentation. “My motto is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton laughs. At first, she had been on course for a university studies in art before hesitating at the possibility of financial burden. “What’s enjoyable about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to demonstrate artistry,” she says. “Whether it’s making masks, outfit planning, learning how to edit song visuals … it’s all stuff I have no experience with, but it’s enjoyable to figure it out on the fly.”

As if creating the ensemble’s complex backstory (“Everyone’s urging me to write it down because everything is stored,” Riley says, indicating her head) and stitching garments were insufficient, the vocalist taught herself how to craft metal mesh – a difficult task, though she admittedly entrusted her completely original scale armor design to a expert from NYC. “It feels like actual armour,” she grins.

Fan Response and Obstacles

What about the crowd? They loved the fake blood, foam swords and handmade props with similar excitement as the band. “We had a concert in Detroit and it resembled a medieval event,” recalls Riley fondly. “Everyone was in robes, wool garments, armor.”

That’s not to imply, nevertheless, that life on the road as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been smooth. “All our gear is always failing and gets fixed temporarily,” Riley says. “Plus I get countless concepts as to how I want things to look, but we tour in a van with only so much space. It’s an interesting challenge to make it feel like a mythic tale, then store it into a small space.”

We’ve encountered further organizational challenges that wouldn’t have troubled mythic characters. “We did have an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we played a music event in the European country and my baggage – which had my sword in it – went missing,” says Riley. “It was a nightmare, because we don’t have an different option of the show where I don’t have a sword.”

Upcoming Plans

As a genuine leader, Riley is gung-ho about the what’s next. “My goal is all the way – let’s do huge arenas,” she says. “The only thing that’s really important to me is keeping the DIY aesthetic, ensuring everything is crafted by us. This is a feature I want to stay authentic to, regardless of we scale to. Plus, I wish to ride out on a magical horse at all performances. Remember how legends ride bikes on stage? The same idea, but using a unicorn.”