While plenty of artists have borrowed from fantasy lore, few have truly lived the enchanted way of life. Sure, they might adorn their album covers with creatures, beasts, captive women and brawny barbarians, but has any musician ever needed to recover a missing horn from a unicorn from a snowy field in the depths of winter? Did a performer devoted hours squinting in the back of a tour bus, repairing their own chainmail?
Formed in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have had to face both these scenarios and more as they embody their grand tales. Starting with heraldic, catchy anthems to stunning concerts, attire styling, music videos and cover artwork, they’re more than a rock act as a complete sensory journey.
“The band wasn’t intended to be a themed musical group,” says singer, guitar player, sword-carrier and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van travels from a full-capacity concert in a German city to another in Aschaffenburg – they have multiple performances in the UK now. “We played two shows and received an offer on a Halloween gig, where I made a last-minute decision to dress up. The entire setup was highly handmade, but we had so much fun and the atmosphere was unforgettable. I thought, ‘Imagine if we could have so much excitement always?’”
After that, the ensemble – which features Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” together with a plague doctor (low-end instrumentalist), proud bloodsucker (lead guitarist) and enigmatic nature priest (drummer) – haven’t looked back. The new record, the follow-up record, evokes images of classic metal icons joining forces to struggle onward through a Frank Frazetta fantasy world – a epic masterpiece that positions them on the edge of far grander things.
The release was a new experience for Pinkerton in that she opened the floor to her fellow members. “That contributed to a lot stronger project,” she says of the collaborative process. “I had difficulty at first – There was a sense of a specific level of pride being a woman in music working independently. I’ve had so many times where I’ve got off stage and a person will say, ‘The band write great riffs!’ and I’m like, ‘Hey – I created all that.’”
As the band’s stature has expanded, so has the scope of their stage presentation. “The saying I live by is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton chuckles. She was originally on path for a university studies in art before hesitating at the idea of heavy loans. “What’s enjoyable about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to apply artistry,” she says. “From making masks, attire creation, learning how to edit song visuals … these are all things I have no experience with, but it’s exciting to learn on the fly.”
As if developing the band’s intricate lore (“People are encouraging me to record it because everything is stored,” Riley says, pointing to her head) and stitching garments wasn’t enough, the singer learned on her own how to make chainmail – a challenging endeavor, though she confessedly left her completely original scale armor design to a expert from NYC. “It seems like actual armour,” she smiles proudly.
Regarding the fans? They took to the fake blood, foam swords and handmade props with similar excitement as the musicians. “We performed a concert in the Motor City and it seemed like a medieval event,” recalls Riley happily. “All attendees was in capes, sheepskin, chainmail.”
That’s not to imply, however, that touring existence as mythical wanderers has been easy. “Everything is always failing and ends up fixed temporarily,” Riley says. “Moreover I’ll have numerous thoughts as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we are on the move in a bus with restricted capacity. It’s a fascinating test to make it feel like a larger-than-life story, then compress it into minimal luggage.”
There have been other logistical problems that would never have plagued legendary fantasy heroes. “We experienced an ‘oh shit’ moment when we played SonicBlast festival in the European country and my suitcase – which had my weapon in it – went missing,” says Riley. “It was a worst-case scenario, because there is no an backup plan of the show where I am without a blade.”
Like a true warrior queen, Riley is gung-ho about the what’s next. “My goal is as far as possible – let’s do large venues,” she says. “The main aspect that’s really important to me is keeping the DIY aesthetic, guaranteeing each detail is crafted by us. This is a feature I want to stay authentic to, regardless of we scale to. Additionally, I wish to make an entrance on a unicorn at all performances. Think about how famous musicians ride bikes on stage? Exactly that, but using a unicorn.”
A seasoned casino analyst with over a decade of experience in online gambling, specializing in slot machine reviews and player strategy.
