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

Although many musicians have borrowed from fantasy lore, rarely any have fully embraced the enchanted way of life. Admittedly, they might embellish their album covers with ghouls, goblins, captive women and strong fighters, but has an artist ever been forced to recover a misplaced horn from a unicorn from a frost-covered ground in the midst of winter? Has a guitarist taken the time peering in the rear of a tour bus, fixing their own metal mesh?

Immersed in the Legend

Created in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have dealt with both these scenarios and additional ones as they act out their grand tales. From knightly, earworm-heavy tunes to stunning performances, costume design, music videos and record designs, they’re not so much a metal band as a total artistic immersion.

“It wasn’t planned to be a outfit with characters,” says singer, guitarist, sword-wielder and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van travels from a full-capacity concert in a German city to one more in Aschaffenburg – they have several shows in the UK this week. “Initially, we performed twice and were scheduled on a spooky event, where I chose at the final moment to put on an outfit. The entire setup was super-DIY, but we had an amazing time and the energy was incredible. It occurred to me, ‘What if we could have this much fun at every show?’”

The Band’s Evolution

After that, the ensemble – which features Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” joined by a medic from history (bassist), haughty vampire (six-string player) and secretive shaman (drummer) – haven’t looked back. Their latest album, the group’s sophomore release, conjures visions of classic metal icons uniting to battle their way through a Frank Frazetta fantasy world – a heroic opus that sets them on the verge of far grander things.

The release was a initial step for Pinkerton in that she opened the floor to her fellow members. “This helped a lot stronger record,” she says of the team effort. “I had difficulty at first – I’d always felt a particular degree of pride as a woman in music doing everything solo. There’ve been multiple instances where I’ve got off stage and a person will say, ‘The other members compose cool melodies!’ and I respond, ‘Wait – I composed all that.’”

Creative Output and Ideas

As their fame has grown, so has the scope of their visual elements. “My philosophy is always that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. She was originally on course for a fine art degree before pulling back at the idea of financial burden. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s various avenues to demonstrate artistic expression,” she says. “Be it creating face coverings, outfit planning, figuring out video editing music videos … these are all things I don’t know how to do, but it’s fun to figure it out as we go.”

Even though creating the band’s intricate lore (“Everyone’s urging me to record it because all the ideas are,” Riley says, indicating her head) and stitching garments didn’t suffice, the singer self-educated how to craft metal mesh – a difficult task, though she confessedly delegated her brand-new reptilian-inspired outfit to a professional in the city. “It seems like actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

What about the crowd? They loved the stage blood, foam swords and crafted rodent bones with as much gusto as the band. “We performed a concert in Detroit and it resembled a Renaissance fair,” recalls Riley happily. “The whole crowd was in cloaks, wool garments, metal wear.”

That’s not to imply, however, that life on the road as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been smooth. “Everything is frequently damaged and ends up fixed temporarily,” Riley says. “Plus I’ll have numerous thoughts as to how I want things to look, but we tour in a vehicle with restricted capacity. It’s a fascinating test to make it feel like a mythic tale, then pack it down into a small space.”

We faced other logistical problems that didn’t affect legendary fantasy heroes. “There was an ‘disastrous’ moment when we performed at a music event in the European country and my suitcase – which had my sword in it – got lost,” says Riley. “It was a nightmare, because there’s not an backup plan of the performance where I am without a blade.”

Future Ambitions

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is eager about the what’s next. “My goal is to the top – I dream of huge arenas,” she says. “The key element that’s truly essential to me is maintaining the self-crafted look, guaranteeing everything is custom-made. That’s an element I want to remain faithful to, no matter what we grow into. Oh, and I wish to make an entrance on a magical horse at all performances. You know how some artists use vehicles in concerts? The same idea, but using a unicorn.”