‘Every Night, I Dream of Riding a Unicorn’: Fantasy-Themed Metal Group Castle Rat

While many musicians have borrowed from epic fantasy, only a handful have fully embraced the mythical lifestyle. Sure, they may adorn their record jackets with monsters, beasts, manacled maidens 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 devoted hours straining their eyes in the back of a road transport, mending their own armor?

Immersed in the Legend

Established in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have dealt with these exact challenges and more as they embody their grand tales. Starting with heraldic, memorable anthems to eye-popping concerts, outfit creation, music videos and album art, they’re more than a metal band as a total artistic immersion.

“It wasn’t planned to be a themed musical group,” says vocalist, guitarist, sword-wielder and creative overlord Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van drives from a packed show in Cologne to one more in another town – they are playing several shows in the UK this week. “Initially, we performed twice and got booked on a October show, where I decided spontaneously to dress up. It was all completely self-made, but we had a blast and the energy was electric. I realized, ‘Imagine if we could have this much fun every time?’”

The Band’s Evolution

Since then, the band – which includes Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” joined by a plague doctor (bass player), haughty vampire (guitarist) and secretive shaman (drummer) – haven’t looked back. The Bestiary, the band’s second album, conjures visions of famous rock groups joining forces to struggle onward through a heroic art landscape – a grand composition that positions them on the edge of far grander things.

The Bestiary was a new experience for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her collaborators. “That contributed to a more powerful project,” she says of the collaborative process. “I struggled at first – I often experienced a particular degree of pride being a woman in music doing everything solo. I’ve had so many times where after a show and an audience member will say, ‘The band create awesome guitar parts!’ and I think, ‘Listen – I created all that.’”

Artistry and Imagination

As their fame has grown, so has the scope of their stage presentation. “My motto is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton laughs. She was originally on track for a university studies in art before hesitating at the idea of so much debt. “The fun thing about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to apply artistry,” she says. “Whether it’s crafting disguises, costume design, learning how to edit song visuals … everything is I don’t know how to do, but it’s enjoyable to learn as we go.”

As if building the band’s intricate lore (“The team is pushing me to document it because everything is stored,” Riley says, indicating her head) and making clothing didn’t suffice, the singer taught herself how to create armor – a difficult task, though she admittedly entrusted her completely original reptilian-inspired outfit to a professional in the city. “It seems like actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

Regarding the fans? They embraced the fake blood, foam swords and handmade props with as much gusto as the musicians. “We performed a concert in the Motor City and it seemed like a historical festival,” remembers Riley happily. “All attendees was in capes, animal hides, armor.”

This isn’t to say, however, that traveling lifestyle as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been plain sailing. “All our gear is always failing and ends up duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Additionally I get endless ideas as to how I desire the presentation, but we’re traveling in a vehicle with only so much space. It’s a fascinating test to give the sense like a grand epic, then store it into a small space.”

There have been further organizational challenges that would never have plagued mythic characters. “We did have an ‘oh shit’ moment when we appeared at a Portuguese festival in Portugal and my suitcase – which had my sword in it – went missing,” says Riley. “That was a terrible situation, because we don’t have an alternative version of the performance where I am without a weapon.”

Upcoming Plans

Like a true warrior queen, Riley is eager about the what’s next. “I aim to reach all the way – let’s do huge arenas,” she says. “The key element that’s truly essential to me is preserving the self-crafted look, guaranteeing all elements is custom-made. It’s a component I want to keep true to, regardless of we achieve. Plus, I want to make an entrance on a magical horse at all performances. Think about how legends do the motorcycle thing? Exactly that, but on a mythical creature.”