Although many artists have borrowed from high fantasy, only a handful have genuinely embodied the mythical lifestyle. Sure, they might decorate their record jackets with ghouls, imps, manacled maidens and brawny barbarians, but has an artist ever have to retrieve a lost horn from a unicorn from a snowy field in the midst of winter? Did anyone devoted hours straining their eyes in the back of a tour bus, fixing their own armor?
Immersed in the Legend
Formed in 2019, New York’s Castle Rat have had to face such situations and more as they embody their epic fantasies. Starting with medieval-inspired, memorable anthems to stunning live shows, outfit creation, videos and cover artwork, they’re not just a rock act as a total artistic immersion.
“The band wasn’t intended to be a costumed concept band,” says singer, guitarist, sword-carrier and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport drives from a sold-out gig 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 decided spontaneously to dress up. Everything was super-DIY, but we had so much fun and the atmosphere was incredible. I realized, ‘Imagine if we could have so much excitement at every show?’”
Development of Castle Rat
After that, the ensemble – which features Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” joined by a medic from history (bassist), aristocratic undead (six-string player) and mysterious druid (percussionist) – haven’t looked back. Their latest album, the follow-up record, brings to mind of classic metal icons uniting to battle their way through a heroic art landscape – a grand composition that places them on the edge of greater success.
The release was a new experience for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her bandmates. “It made it a lot stronger record,” she says of the team effort. “I had difficulty at first – I’d always felt a specific level of satisfaction as a female in music working independently. I’ve had so many times where after a show and an audience member will say, ‘Those guys create awesome guitar parts!’ and I’m like, ‘Wait – I created all that.’”
Artistry and Imagination
With their growing popularity has grown, so has the breadth of their visual elements. “My motto is always that if something is valuable, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton laughs. At first, she had been on course for a fine art degree before pulling back at the possibility of so much debt. “What’s enjoyable about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to express artistry,” she says. “Be it creating face coverings, attire creation, figuring out video editing clips … everything is I don’t know how to do, but it’s exciting to figure it out on the fly.”
Even though 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 stitching garments were insufficient, the singer taught herself how to create armor – a difficult task, though she confessedly entrusted her all-new reptilian-inspired outfit to a New York-based specialist. “It seems like actual armour,” she grins.
Audience Reaction and Challenges
What about the crowd? They took to the stage blood, foam swords and papier-mache rat skulls with as much gusto as the musicians. “We played a show in Detroit and it looked like a Renaissance fair,” reminisces Riley happily. “All attendees was in cloaks, wool garments, metal wear.”
However, this doesn’t mean, though, that touring existence as mythical wanderers has been easy. “Each item is frequently damaged and becomes fixed temporarily,” Riley says. “Additionally I’ll have endless ideas as to how I want things to look, but we’re traveling in a vehicle with restricted capacity. It’s a unique problem to make it feel like a larger-than-life story, then compress it into nothing.”
We’ve encountered additional practical issues that didn’t affect fictional warriors. “We experienced an ‘oh shit’ moment when we played a music event in Portugal and my suitcase – which had my weapon in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “This became a nightmare, because we don’t have an different option of the show where I don’t have a sword.”
Goals Ahead
As a genuine leader, Riley is gung-ho about the days to come. “I aim to reach as far as possible – let’s do large venues,” she says. “The key element that’s really important to me is preserving the DIY aesthetic, guaranteeing all elements is custom-made. It’s a component I want to remain faithful to, regardless of we grow into. Additionally, I want to appear on a magical horse each show. Remember how some artists ride bikes on stage? Exactly that, but with a unicorn.”
