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While many rockers have drawn from high fantasy, few have genuinely embodied the mythical way of life. Sure, they could adorn their album sleeves with ghouls, goblins, chained damsels and brawny barbarians, but did a member ever been forced to find a lost horn from a unicorn from a snowy field in the heart of winter? Did a performer spent time squinting in the back of a road transport, fixing their own chainmail?

Immersed in the Legend

Formed in 2019, New York’s Castle Rat have encountered these exact challenges and more as they embody their heroic dreams. From knightly, earworm-heavy tunes to stunning live shows, costume design, visuals and cover artwork, they’re not just a metal band as a complete sensory journey.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a themed musical group,” explains vocalist, guitarist, sword-wielder and creative overlord Riley Pinkerton as the group’s vehicle speeds from a sold-out gig in Cologne to another in another town – they’re also doing multiple performances in the UK currently. “We played two shows and received an offer on a spooky event, where I decided spontaneously to dress up. Everything was completely self-made, but we had an amazing time and the feeling in the room was incredible. I thought, ‘What if we could have such enjoyment always?’”

Development of Castle Rat

Since then, the ensemble – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Rat Queen” alongside a plague doctor (bass player), aristocratic undead (guitarist) and enigmatic nature priest (drummer) – never turned back. The new record, the group’s sophomore release, brings to mind of famous rock groups uniting to struggle onward through a mythical painted realm – a heroic opus that positions them on the verge of far grander things.

The Bestiary was a first for Pinkerton in that she opened the floor to her bandmates. “This helped a much better record,” she says of the group work. “I struggled at first – There was a sense of a specific level of satisfaction as a woman in music doing everything solo. There have been numerous occasions where I finished performing and an audience member will say, ‘The band write great riffs!’ and I think, ‘Hey – I created all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

As the band’s stature has increased, so has the breadth of their production design. “My philosophy is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton laughs. Initially, she was on course for a art school education before balking at the prospect of so much debt. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to apply creativity,” she says. “From crafting disguises, costume design, learning how to edit song visuals … these are all things I have no experience with, but it’s exciting to figure it out in the moment.”

As if creating the group’s detailed mythology (“People are encouraging me to document it 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 entrusted her brand-new scalemail look to a professional in the city. “It seems like actual armour,” she beams.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

What about the crowd? They loved the stage blood, foam swords and papier-mache rat skulls with as much gusto as the group. “We had a show in the Motor City and it resembled a Renaissance fair,” reminisces Riley fondly. “All attendees was in capes, sheepskin, metal wear.”

That’s not to imply, though, that touring existence as mythical wanderers has been plain sailing. “Everything is constantly breaking and ends up duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Moreover I come up with endless ideas as to how I desire the presentation, but we are on the move in a vehicle with restricted capacity. It’s an interesting challenge to give the sense like a larger-than-life story, then store it into nothing.”

There have been further organizational challenges that didn’t affect fictional warriors. “There was an ‘oh shit’ moment when we played SonicBlast festival in Portugal and my baggage – which had my blade in it – went missing,” says Riley. “It was a nightmare, because there is no an different option of the concert where I am without a blade.”

Upcoming Plans

As a genuine leader, Riley is gung-ho about the days to come. “I aim to reach as far as possible – I dream of stadiums,” she says. “The key element that’s really important to me is preserving the DIY aesthetic, ensuring all elements is custom-made. That’s an element I want to stay authentic to, regardless of we scale to. Oh, and I desire to appear on a mythical beast each show. Remember how legends use vehicles in concerts? Exactly that, but on a mythical creature.”