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While plenty of musicians have taken inspiration from high fantasy, rarely any have genuinely embodied the fantasy existence. Admittedly, they might decorate their album sleeves with monsters, imps, manacled maidens and strong fighters, but has an artist ever needed to find a lost mythical horn from a wintry landscape in the heart of winter? Has a guitarist taken the time peering in the rear of a road transport, fixing their own metal mesh?

Living the Fantasy

Established in 2019, New York’s Castle Rat have dealt with both these scenarios and others as they act out their heroic dreams. Starting with knightly, catchy tunes to stunning performances, outfit creation, videos and album art, they’re not so much a rock act as a complete sensory journey.

“Castle Rat wasn’t meant to be a outfit with characters,” explains vocalist, guitar player, sword-carrier and visionary Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport speeds from a sold-out gig in a German city to a second one in Aschaffenburg – they’re also doing five gigs in the UK now. “Initially, we performed twice and received an offer on a Halloween gig, where I chose at the final moment to put on an outfit. Everything was completely self-made, but we had so much fun and the atmosphere was unforgettable. I realized, ‘How about if we could have this much fun every time?’”

Growth of the Group

From that point on, the band – which features Pinkerton as the “Rat Queen” alongside a plague doctor (bass player), aristocratic undead (guitarist) and mysterious druid (drummer) – haven’t looked back. Their latest album, the group’s sophomore release, brings to mind of famous rock groups collaborating to battle their way through a heroic art landscape – a heroic opus that places them on the verge of greater success.

The release was a first for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her collaborators. “This helped a more powerful project,” she says of the collaborative process. “It was challenging at first – I’d always felt a specific level of accomplishment as a woman in music working independently. There have been numerous occasions where I finished performing and a person will say, ‘The other members compose cool melodies!’ and I think, ‘Hey – I wrote all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

As the band’s stature has increased, so has the scale of their visual elements. “My philosophy is always that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton laughs. Initially, she was on path for a art school education before hesitating at the possibility of heavy loans. “What’s enjoyable about Castle Rat is there’s various avenues to demonstrate artistry,” she says. “Whether it’s crafting disguises, outfit planning, learning how to edit music videos … it’s all stuff I have no experience with, but it’s fun to figure it out on the fly.”

As if developing the group’s detailed mythology (“Everyone’s urging me to record it because everything is stored,” Riley says, pointing to her head) and sewing costumes wasn’t enough, the singer learned on her own how to craft metal mesh – no mean feat, though she confessedly left her all-new reptilian-inspired outfit to a professional in the city. “It feels like actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Audience Reaction and Challenges

Regarding the fans? They took to the theatrical gore, soft weapons and handmade props with as much gusto as the band. “We played a show in the Motor City and it resembled a medieval event,” recalls Riley fondly. “Everyone was in capes, sheepskin, metal wear.”

However, this doesn’t mean, though, that touring existence as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been smooth. “All our gear is frequently damaged and becomes repaired with tape,” Riley says. “Moreover I’ll have numerous thoughts as to how I want things to look, but we’re traveling in a bus with only so much space. It’s an interesting challenge to give the sense like a larger-than-life story, then store it into nothing.”

We faced additional practical issues that would never have plagued mythic characters. “We did have an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we played a Portuguese festival in Portugal and my baggage – which had my sword in it – got lost,” says Riley. “That was a terrible situation, because there’s not an backup plan of the performance where I don’t have a weapon.”

Future Ambitions

Like a true warrior queen, Riley is enthusiastic about the future. “My goal is as far as possible – I dream of stadiums,” she says. “The key element that’s deeply meaningful to me is keeping the self-crafted look, making sure everything is handmade. That’s an element I want to stay authentic to, no matter what we grow into. Oh, and I want to make an entrance on a magical horse every night. Remember how legends do the motorcycle thing? The same idea, but on a mythical creature.”