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

While plenty of musicians have borrowed from fantasy lore, rarely any have genuinely embodied the mythical lifestyle. Admittedly, they may embellish their record jackets with creatures, beasts, manacled maidens and muscular warriors, but did a member ever needed to find a lost unicorn horn from a frost-covered ground in the heart of winter? Has anyone taken the time straining their eyes in the back of a traveling vehicle, fixing their own metal mesh?

Embracing the Mythos

Formed in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have dealt with both these scenarios and more as they embody their heroic dreams. Starting with knightly, memorable anthems to breathtaking live shows, attire styling, videos and album art, they’re not just a rock act as a complete sensory journey.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a outfit with characters,” says singer, guitar player, sword-carrier and creative overlord Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van speeds from a sold-out gig in Cologne to one more in Aschaffenburg – they are playing multiple performances in the UK now. “We played two shows and got booked on a spooky event, where I decided spontaneously to put on an outfit. The entire setup was super-DIY, but we had a blast and the feeling in the room was incredible. I realized, ‘How about if we could have so much excitement at every show?’”

Development of Castle Rat

From that point on, the band – which includes Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” joined by a pestilence physician (bassist), aristocratic undead (six-string player) and mysterious druid (rhythm keeper) – never turned back. The new record, the group’s sophomore release, conjures visions of legendary heavy bands collaborating to fight their path through a Frank Frazetta fantasy world – a epic masterpiece that positions them on the brink of far grander things.

The release was a new experience for Pinkerton in that she opened the floor to her bandmates. “This helped a lot stronger record,” she says of the group work. “It was challenging at first – There was a sense of a particular degree of pride as 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 respond, ‘Listen – I composed all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

With their growing popularity has expanded, so has the scale of their production design. “My philosophy is always that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton chuckles. At first, she had been on course for a fine art degree before hesitating at the idea of financial burden. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to express creativity,” she says. “Be it creating face coverings, costume design, mastering post-production music videos … everything is I have no experience with, but it’s exciting to learn on the fly.”

Even though developing the group’s detailed mythology (“Everyone’s urging me to record it because everything is stored,” Riley says, tapping her head) and stitching garments were insufficient, the singer taught herself how to create armor – a challenging endeavor, though she admittedly entrusted her brand-new reptilian-inspired outfit to a New York-based specialist. “It’s as if actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

What about the crowd? They took to the theatrical gore, toy blades and papier-mache rat skulls with similar excitement as the band. “We performed a concert in the Motor City and it looked like a historical festival,” remembers Riley fondly. “Everyone was in capes, sheepskin, chainmail.”

However, this doesn’t mean, nevertheless, that life on the road as fantasy adventurers has been easy. “All our gear is constantly breaking and gets repaired with tape,” Riley says. “Plus I come up with countless concepts as to how I desire the presentation, but we’re traveling in a van with limited room. It’s a fascinating test to create the impression like a mythic tale, then pack it down into a small space.”

We faced other logistical problems that wouldn’t have troubled mythic characters. “We experienced an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we played SonicBlast festival in the European country and my luggage – which had my sword in it – went missing,” says Riley. “That was a worst-case scenario, because there is no an alternative version of the show where I lack a sword.”

Goals Ahead

Like a true warrior queen, Riley is gung-ho about the days to come. “My goal is as far as possible – let’s do large venues,” she says. “The key element that’s really important to me is preserving the handmade style, guaranteeing all elements is custom-made. This is a feature I want to remain faithful to, no matter what we achieve. Oh, and I want to make an entrance on a mythical beast each show. You know how famous musicians ride bikes on stage? Exactly that, but on a mythical creature.”