🔗 Share this article

Although many rockers have borrowed from epic fantasy, few have fully embraced the fantasy lifestyle. Admittedly, they could embellish their album sleeves with monsters, beasts, manacled maidens and muscular warriors, but has an artist ever needed to find a misplaced mythical horn from a wintry landscape in the heart of winter? Has a performer devoted hours straining their eyes in the rear of a tour bus, repairing their own armor?

Living the Fantasy

Formed in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have encountered both these scenarios and others as they embody their heroic dreams. Starting with knightly, memorable tunes to stunning performances, attire styling, music videos and album art, they’re more than a rock act as a complete sensory journey.

“It wasn’t planned to be a themed musical group,” states singer, guitar player, sword-carrier and creative overlord Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van travels from a sold-out gig in Cologne to one more in another town – they have several shows in the UK now. “Initially, we performed twice and were scheduled on a October show, where I decided spontaneously to wear a costume. It was all highly handmade, but we had an amazing time and the energy was electric. I realized, ‘How about if we could have such enjoyment every time?’”

Growth of the Group

After that, the group – which features Pinkerton as the “Rat Queen” together with a plague doctor (low-end instrumentalist), aristocratic undead (six-string player) and secretive shaman (rhythm keeper) – continued forward. Their latest album, the follow-up record, evokes images of legendary heavy bands joining forces to struggle onward through a heroic art landscape – a epic masterpiece that positions them on the brink of bigger achievements.

The release was a initial step for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her bandmates. “That contributed to a lot stronger album,” she says of the collaborative process. “It was challenging at first – There was a sense of a specific level of accomplishment as a female in music going it alone. There’ve been numerous occasions where I’ve got off stage and a person will say, ‘The band compose cool melodies!’ and I think, ‘Listen – I composed all that.’”

Artistry and Imagination

As the band’s stature has increased, so has the scope of their visual elements. “The saying I live by is always that if something is valuable, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton laughs. Initially, she was on path for a art school education before balking at the idea of financial burden. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to demonstrate artistic expression,” she says. “From crafting disguises, outfit planning, mastering post-production clips … these are all things I don’t know how to do, but it’s fun to discover on the fly.”

As if building the band’s intricate lore (“People are encouraging me to write it down because all the ideas are,” Riley says, tapping her head) and making clothing didn’t suffice, the vocalist taught herself how to make chainmail – a challenging endeavor, though she admittedly delegated her brand-new scalemail look to a New York-based specialist. “It seems like actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Audience Reaction and Challenges

What about the crowd? They took to the theatrical gore, foam swords and papier-mache rat skulls with equal enthusiasm as the musicians. “We performed a show in Detroit and it seemed like a historical festival,” recalls Riley happily. “All attendees was in robes, wool garments, chainmail.”

That’s not to imply, though, that touring existence as mythical wanderers has been easy. “All our gear is constantly breaking and becomes duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Plus I get countless concepts as to how I desire the presentation, but we are on the move in a vehicle with limited room. It’s a fascinating test to give the sense like a mythic tale, then store it into minimal luggage.”

There have been additional practical issues that didn’t affect mythic characters. “We did have an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we played a music event in Portugal and my baggage – which had my weapon in it – went missing,” says Riley. “That was a terrible situation, because we don’t have an backup plan of the concert where I am without a sword.”

Goals Ahead

Like a true warrior queen, Riley is gung-ho about the what’s next. “I aim to reach as far as possible – let’s do large venues,” she says. “The main aspect that’s really important to me is preserving the handmade style, guaranteeing all elements is handmade. It’s a component I want to remain faithful to, no matter what we grow into. Plus, I wish to appear on a magical horse each show. Think about how legends use vehicles in concerts? Exactly that, but with a unicorn.”