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While plenty of musicians have taken inspiration from epic fantasy, only a handful have genuinely embodied the enchanted existence. Certainly, they might decorate their album sleeves with monsters, goblins, manacled maidens and strong fighters, but has an artist ever have to find a lost unicorn horn from a wintry landscape in the midst of winter? Has a guitarist spent time straining their eyes in the rear of a traveling vehicle, fixing their own armor?

Living the Fantasy

Created in 2019, New York’s Castle Rat have dealt with both these scenarios and additional ones as they embody their epic fantasies. Starting with medieval-inspired, earworm-heavy tunes to breathtaking performances, outfit creation, videos and record designs, they’re not just a heavy metal group as a total artistic immersion.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a themed musical group,” states vocalist, guitar player, blade-handler and creative overlord Riley Pinkerton as the group’s vehicle drives from a full-capacity concert in a German city to another in Aschaffenburg – they have five gigs in the UK now. “After a couple of performances and got booked on a October show, where I chose at the final moment to put on an outfit. The entire setup was completely self-made, but we had so much fun and the atmosphere was unforgettable. It occurred to me, ‘What if we could have so much excitement every time?’”

The Band’s Evolution

After that, the group – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” together with a medic from history (low-end instrumentalist), proud bloodsucker (lead guitarist) and secretive shaman (percussionist) – continued forward. The Bestiary, the group’s sophomore release, conjures visions of classic metal icons uniting to struggle onward through a heroic art landscape – a epic masterpiece that places them on the edge of far grander things.

The release was a first for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her fellow members. “That contributed to 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 woman in music working independently. I’ve had numerous occasions where after a show and an audience member will say, ‘The band create awesome guitar parts!’ and I think, ‘Wait – I wrote all that.’”

Artistry and Imagination

With their growing popularity has expanded, so has the breadth of their stage presentation. “My philosophy is always that if something is valuable, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton laughs. Initially, she was on track for a fine art degree before pulling back at the possibility of heavy loans. “What’s enjoyable about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to demonstrate creativity,” she says. “Be it crafting disguises, costume design, learning how to edit song visuals … it’s all stuff I am unfamiliar with, but it’s exciting to figure it out on the fly.”

As if creating the ensemble’s complex backstory (“Everyone’s urging me to write it down because all the ideas are,” Riley says, pointing to her head) and sewing costumes were insufficient, the vocalist self-educated how to make chainmail – a difficult task, though she confessedly entrusted her completely original scale armor design to a expert from NYC. “It feels like actual armour,” she grins.

Fan Response and Obstacles

Regarding the fans? They embraced the stage blood, soft weapons and papier-mache rat skulls with similar excitement as the musicians. “We performed a show in Detroit and it resembled a historical festival,” recalls Riley fondly. “Everyone was in robes, animal hides, chainmail.”

However, this doesn’t mean, however, that traveling lifestyle as fantasy adventurers has been smooth. “Each item is constantly breaking and ends up duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Moreover I’ll have countless concepts as to how I desire the presentation, but we’re traveling in a vehicle with limited room. It’s a fascinating test to give the sense like a grand epic, then store it into minimal luggage.”

We faced other logistical problems that wouldn’t have troubled fictional warriors. “We did have an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we played a music event in the European country and my suitcase – which had my weapon in it – got lost,” says Riley. “It was a nightmare, because there is no an backup plan of the show where I lack a weapon.”

Future Ambitions

As a genuine leader, Riley is eager about the future. “My goal is to the top – we should play stadiums,” she says. “The key element that’s truly essential to me is keeping the handmade style, ensuring each detail is custom-made. This is a feature I want to remain faithful to, whatever we achieve. Additionally, I want to make an entrance on a mythical beast at all performances. You know how famous musicians ride bikes on stage? Exactly that, but on a mythical creature.”