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While numerous rockers have drawn from epic fantasy, rarely any have genuinely embodied the mythical way of life. Sure, they may embellish their album covers with creatures, imps, captive women and muscular warriors, but did a member ever have to recover a misplaced mythical horn from a frost-covered ground in the heart of winter? Has a guitarist taken the time squinting in the interior of a road transport, mending their own armor?

Embracing the Mythos

Established in 2019, New York’s Castle Rat have encountered such situations and others as they act out their heroic dreams. From heraldic, memorable tunes to stunning live shows, attire styling, visuals and album art, they’re not just a rock act as a full immersive experience.

“Castle Rat wasn’t meant to be a themed musical group,” states singer, guitarist, sword-carrier and visionary Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport travels from a sold-out gig in Cologne to another in Aschaffenburg – they’re also doing several shows in the UK now. “Initially, we performed twice and received an offer on a Halloween gig, where I decided spontaneously to dress up. The entire setup was super-DIY, but we had an amazing time and the feeling in the room was electric. I realized, ‘Imagine if we could have such enjoyment at every show?’”

The Band’s Evolution

Since then, the ensemble – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Rat Queen” joined by a plague doctor (bass player), haughty vampire (guitarist) and mysterious druid (percussionist) – haven’t looked back. The Bestiary, the band’s second album, conjures visions of famous rock groups collaborating to battle their way through a heroic art landscape – a heroic opus that sets them on the edge of bigger achievements.

The release was a new experience for Pinkerton in that she opened the floor to her bandmates. “It made it a much better record,” she says of the team effort. “I had difficulty at first – There was a sense of a specific level of accomplishment being a woman in music going it alone. There’ve been so many times where I’ve got off stage and some guy will say, ‘The band write great riffs!’ and I’m like, ‘Wait – I created all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

With their growing popularity has increased, so has the breadth of their production design. “My motto is always that if something is valuable, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. At first, she had been on track for a university studies in art before balking at the idea of financial burden. “The fun thing about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to apply creativity,” she says. “Whether it’s crafting disguises, costume design, figuring out video editing music videos … everything is I am unfamiliar with, but it’s fun to learn on the fly.”

Even though creating the band’s intricate lore (“People are encouraging me to record it because all the ideas are,” Riley says, tapping her head) and sewing costumes wasn’t enough, the vocalist learned on her own how to create armor – a challenging endeavor, though she admittedly entrusted her all-new scale armor design to a professional in the city. “It seems like actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

What about the crowd? They loved the stage blood, soft weapons and papier-mache rat skulls with as much gusto as the musicians. “We played a gig in the Motor City and it looked like a Renaissance fair,” remembers Riley fondly. “The whole crowd was in capes, sheepskin, chainmail.”

This isn’t to say, nevertheless, that touring existence as mythical wanderers has been smooth. “Each item is always failing and ends up repaired with tape,” Riley says. “Plus I come up with numerous thoughts as to how I desire the presentation, but we are on the move in a van with limited room. It’s a unique problem to make it feel like a larger-than-life story, then store it into a small space.”

There have been other logistical problems that didn’t affect legendary fantasy heroes. “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. “That was a worst-case scenario, because there’s not an different option of the concert where I don’t have a sword.”

Future Ambitions

As a genuine leader, Riley is gung-ho about the what’s next. “I aim to reach as far as possible – let’s do huge arenas,” she says. “The main aspect that’s truly essential to me is preserving the self-crafted look, guaranteeing all elements is handmade. It’s a component I want to remain faithful to, no matter what we achieve. Oh, and I desire to ride out on a mythical beast every night. You know how some artists do the motorcycle thing? Exactly that, but using a unicorn.”