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Although plenty of artists have taken inspiration from high fantasy, few have truly lived the mythical lifestyle. Certainly, they may decorate their album sleeves with monsters, beasts, manacled maidens and muscular warriors, but has any musician ever been forced to retrieve a lost mythical horn from a frost-covered ground in the heart of winter? Has a guitarist devoted hours squinting in the interior of a road transport, mending their own chainmail?

Living the Fantasy

Formed in 2019, New York’s Castle Rat have dealt with such situations and more as they embody their epic fantasies. From medieval-inspired, memorable tunes to stunning live shows, attire styling, visuals and album art, they’re more than a heavy metal group as a total artistic immersion.

“It wasn’t planned to be a themed musical group,” explains singer, guitarist, sword-carrier and visionary Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van speeds from a full-capacity concert in Cologne to another in another town – they are playing multiple performances in the UK this week. “We played two shows and got booked on a spooky event, where I decided spontaneously to wear a costume. It was all highly handmade, but we had a blast and the feeling in the room was unforgettable. I realized, ‘How about if we could have this much fun every time?’”

The Band’s Evolution

From that point on, the group – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Rat Queen” alongside a plague doctor (bassist), aristocratic undead (lead guitarist) and enigmatic nature priest (rhythm keeper) – never turned back. Their latest album, the band’s second album, conjures visions of classic metal icons joining forces to battle their way through a mythical painted realm – a epic masterpiece that positions them on the edge of far grander things.

This album was a initial step for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her collaborators. “This helped a lot stronger project,” she says of the group work. “I struggled at first – I’d always felt a certain amount of pride as a female in music going it alone. There’ve been so many times where I finished performing and an audience member will say, ‘The other members compose cool melodies!’ and I’m like, ‘Hey – I wrote all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

As their fame has expanded, so has the breadth of their visual elements. “My philosophy is always that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton chuckles. Initially, she was on path for a university studies in art before pulling back at the idea of so much debt. “What’s enjoyable about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to express artistry,” she says. “From making masks, outfit planning, learning how to edit music videos … these are all things I have no experience with, but it’s exciting to discover in the moment.”

Even though building the ensemble’s complex backstory (“People are encouraging me to write it down because everything is stored,” Riley says, pointing to her head) and stitching garments didn’t suffice, the singer taught herself how to create armor – a difficult task, though she admittedly left her completely original scalemail look to a professional in the city. “It seems like actual armour,” she beams.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

What about the crowd? They took to the fake blood, foam swords and crafted rodent bones with equal enthusiasm as the musicians. “We had a concert in the Motor City and it seemed like a historical festival,” reminisces Riley with affection. “All attendees was in capes, animal hides, metal wear.”

That’s not to imply, however, that touring existence as mythical wanderers has been smooth. “Each item is constantly breaking and gets duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Additionally I come up with countless concepts as to how I want things to look, but we’re traveling in a van with only so much space. It’s an interesting challenge to make it feel like a grand epic, then pack it down into minimal luggage.”

We faced further organizational challenges that didn’t affect mythic characters. “There was an ‘disastrous’ moment when we performed at a music event in Portugal and my baggage – which had my weapon in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “It was a terrible situation, because there is no an different option of the concert where I am without a sword.”

Upcoming Plans

Like a true warrior queen, Riley is gung-ho about the what’s next. “I want to go as far as possible – I dream of huge arenas,” she says. “The main aspect that’s truly essential to me is maintaining the handmade style, making sure all elements is crafted by us. That’s an element I want to stay authentic to, whatever we achieve. Plus, I want to ride out on a unicorn each show. Think about how some artists do the motorcycle thing? Exactly that, but with a unicorn.”