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Although many artists have taken inspiration from epic fantasy, rarely any have genuinely embodied the enchanted existence. Certainly, they may decorate their album covers with monsters, goblins, captive women and muscular warriors, but has any musician ever have to find a misplaced horn from a unicorn from a wintry landscape in the depths of winter? Has anyone spent time straining their eyes in the back of a traveling vehicle, repairing their own armor?

Immersed in the Legend

Formed in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have encountered these exact challenges and additional ones as they act out their heroic dreams. From heraldic, earworm-heavy tunes to eye-popping performances, costume design, visuals and record designs, they’re not so much a metal band as a complete sensory journey.

“It wasn’t planned to be a costumed concept band,” says vocalist, guitar player, sword-carrier and creative overlord Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport travels from a full-capacity concert in a German city to one more in Aschaffenburg – they are playing multiple performances in the UK currently. “Initially, we performed twice and received an offer on a October show, where I chose at the final moment to wear a costume. It was all completely self-made, but we had a blast and the feeling in the room was incredible. It occurred to me, ‘How about if we could have so much excitement every time?’”

Growth of the Group

From that point on, the ensemble – which includes Pinkerton as the “Rat Queen” alongside a plague doctor (bassist), aristocratic undead (six-string player) and enigmatic nature priest (percussionist) – continued forward. The new record, the band’s second album, brings to mind of legendary heavy bands joining forces to fight their path through a Frank Frazetta fantasy world – a epic masterpiece that positions them on the edge of bigger achievements.

The Bestiary was a new experience for Pinkerton in that she opened the floor to her bandmates. “That contributed to a lot stronger project,” she says of the group work. “I struggled at first – I often experienced a particular degree of pride as a woman in music going it alone. There have been numerous occasions where I’ve got off stage and an audience member will say, ‘Those guys compose cool melodies!’ and I’m like, ‘Wait – I composed all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

With their growing popularity has grown, so has the scope of their visual elements. “The saying I live by is always that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton chuckles. Initially, she was on path for a fine art degree before pulling back at the prospect of financial burden. “The fun thing about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to express creativity,” she says. “From creating face coverings, attire creation, mastering post-production clips … it’s all stuff I have no experience with, but it’s exciting to figure it out as we go.”

As if building the band’s intricate lore (“Everyone’s urging me to write it down because it’s all in here,” Riley says, pointing to her head) and sewing costumes wasn’t enough, the vocalist learned on her own how to make chainmail – a challenging endeavor, though she confessedly left her brand-new scale armor design to a New York-based specialist. “It feels like actual armour,” she grins.

Fan Response and Obstacles

What about the crowd? They loved the fake blood, toy blades and papier-mache rat skulls with similar excitement as the musicians. “We performed a show in Detroit and it resembled a Renaissance fair,” recalls Riley happily. “Everyone was in cloaks, animal hides, chainmail.”

This isn’t to say, however, that life on the road as mythical wanderers has been smooth. “All our gear is constantly breaking and ends up repaired with tape,” Riley says. “Additionally I come up with numerous thoughts as to how I want things to look, but we’re traveling in a vehicle with limited room. It’s an interesting challenge to make it feel like a grand epic, then compress it into nothing.”

We faced further organizational challenges that wouldn’t have troubled legendary fantasy heroes. “We did have an ‘disastrous’ moment when we played a Portuguese festival in Portugal and my baggage – which had my sword in it – went missing,” says Riley. “That was a worst-case scenario, because we don’t have an backup plan of the performance where I don’t have a weapon.”

Goals Ahead

As a genuine leader, Riley is eager about the what’s next. “I aim to reach to the top – we should play large venues,” she says. “The only thing that’s truly essential to me is maintaining the self-crafted look, ensuring each detail is crafted by us. It’s a component I want to remain faithful to, whatever we achieve. Plus, I want to make an entrance on a magical horse at all performances. Think about how legends ride bikes on stage? Exactly that, but with a unicorn.”