‘I Want to Ride Out on a Unicorn Every Night’: Fantasy-Themed Metal Band Castle Rat

Although plenty of artists have drawn from epic fantasy, few have fully embraced the fantasy existence. Certainly, they might decorate their album sleeves with creatures, goblins, manacled maidens and brawny barbarians, but has any musician ever been forced to find a misplaced mythical horn from a snowy field in the heart of winter? Did a performer devoted hours squinting in the rear of a road transport, fixing their own chainmail?

Embracing the Mythos

Established in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have had to face these exact challenges and more as they embody their epic fantasies. Starting with heraldic, memorable songs to stunning concerts, costume design, music videos and album art, they’re not so much a metal band as a full immersive experience.

“It wasn’t planned to be a costumed concept band,” states singer, guitarist, sword-carrier and visionary Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport drives from a full-capacity concert in a German city to another in another town – they are playing several shows in the UK currently. “We played two shows and received an offer on a Halloween gig, where I chose at the final moment to put on an outfit. Everything was highly handmade, but we had a blast and the feeling in the room was unforgettable. It occurred to me, ‘What if we could have so much excitement always?’”

Development of Castle Rat

After that, the group – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Rat Queen” together with a medic from history (bassist), aristocratic undead (lead guitarist) and enigmatic nature priest (rhythm keeper) – continued forward. The Bestiary, the group’s sophomore release, evokes images of legendary heavy bands collaborating to battle their way through a Frank Frazetta fantasy world – a epic masterpiece that sets them on the verge of greater success.

The Bestiary was a initial step for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her bandmates. “This helped a more powerful album,” she says of the collaborative process. “I struggled at first – There was a sense of a certain amount of satisfaction being a woman in music working independently. There’ve been multiple instances where I finished performing and a person will say, ‘The other members create awesome guitar parts!’ and I respond, ‘Wait – I composed all that.’”

Creative Output and Ideas

With their growing popularity has expanded, so has the scope of their visual elements. “My motto is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. Initially, she was on track for a fine art degree before balking at the idea of heavy loans. “What’s enjoyable about Castle Rat is there’s various avenues to demonstrate artistry,” she says. “Be it making masks, attire creation, mastering post-production music videos … everything is I don’t know how to do, but it’s enjoyable to discover as we go.”

As if creating the ensemble’s complex backstory (“People are encouraging me to record it because everything is stored,” Riley says, pointing to her head) and making clothing were insufficient, the singer self-educated how to craft metal mesh – a difficult task, though she admittedly left her brand-new scale armor design to a New York-based specialist. “It feels like actual armour,” she grins.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

As for audiences? They embraced the stage blood, toy blades and papier-mache rat skulls with as much gusto as the band. “We had a show in the Motor City and it looked like a medieval event,” reminisces Riley fondly. “All attendees was in robes, sheepskin, armor.”

That’s not to imply, however, that touring existence as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been plain sailing. “All our gear is constantly breaking and becomes duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Moreover I come up with endless ideas 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 store it into minimal luggage.”

There have been additional practical issues that wouldn’t have troubled mythic characters. “There was an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we played SonicBlast festival in Portugal and my suitcase – which had my weapon in it – went missing,” says Riley. “This became a nightmare, because we don’t have an backup plan of the performance where I lack a blade.”

Future Ambitions

As a genuine leader, Riley is enthusiastic about the what’s next. “My goal is as far as possible – let’s do huge arenas,” she says. “The only thing that’s really important to me is keeping the handmade style, making sure everything is crafted by us. It’s a component I want to stay authentic to, regardless of we achieve. Oh, and I desire to make an entrance on a unicorn at all performances. You know how legends use vehicles in concerts? Exactly that, but using a unicorn.”