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

While numerous artists have borrowed from epic fantasy, few have genuinely embodied the mythical existence. Certainly, they might decorate their album covers with creatures, imps, captive women and muscular warriors, but did a member ever been forced to find a misplaced mythical horn from a frost-covered ground in the depths of winter? Has a guitarist taken the time peering in the back of a road transport, repairing their own metal mesh?

Embracing the Mythos

Created in 2019, New York’s Castle Rat have had to face these exact challenges and additional ones as they act out their epic fantasies. From medieval-inspired, memorable tunes to breathtaking concerts, outfit creation, videos and record designs, they’re more than a rock act as a total artistic immersion.

“It wasn’t planned to be a costumed concept band,” states vocalist, guitarist, sword-wielder and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the group’s vehicle travels from a packed show in a German city to another in another town – they are playing multiple performances in the UK currently. “After a couple of performances and were scheduled on a October show, where I decided spontaneously to dress up. It was all highly handmade, but we had a blast and the atmosphere was unforgettable. It occurred to me, ‘What if we could have this much fun at every show?’”

The Band’s Evolution

Since then, the band – which includes Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” together with a medic from history (bass player), proud bloodsucker (guitarist) and secretive shaman (drummer) – haven’t looked back. The new record, the group’s sophomore release, conjures visions of famous rock groups joining forces to struggle onward through a heroic art landscape – a heroic opus that positions them on the edge of bigger achievements.

This album was a initial step for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her collaborators. “It made it a more powerful album,” she says of the group work. “I struggled at first – I often experienced a certain amount of pride as a female in music going it alone. I’ve had multiple instances where after a show and a person will say, ‘The other members compose cool melodies!’ and I think, ‘Listen – I composed all that.’”

Artistry and Imagination

With their growing popularity has expanded, so has the breadth of their visual elements. “My motto is always that if something is valuable, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. At first, she had been on course for a university studies in art before pulling back at the prospect of heavy loans. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s various avenues to apply artistic expression,” she says. “Whether it’s making masks, costume design, learning how to edit music videos … these are all things I am unfamiliar with, but it’s enjoyable to figure it out in the moment.”

As if developing the group’s detailed mythology (“Everyone’s urging me to record it because everything is stored,” Riley says, indicating her head) and stitching garments didn’t suffice, the vocalist self-educated how to craft metal mesh – a challenging endeavor, though she admittedly delegated her completely original scale armor design to a New York-based specialist. “It seems like actual armour,” she beams.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

What about the crowd? They loved the theatrical gore, foam swords and papier-mache rat skulls with as much gusto as the band. “We performed a show in Detroit and it resembled a Renaissance fair,” remembers Riley with affection. “The whole crowd was in capes, sheepskin, chainmail.”

However, this doesn’t mean, nevertheless, that touring existence as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been plain sailing. “Everything is always failing and gets fixed temporarily,” Riley says. “Plus I’ll have countless concepts as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we tour in a bus with limited room. It’s an interesting challenge to create the impression like a mythic tale, then pack it down into a small space.”

We faced further organizational challenges that would never have plagued mythic characters. “There was an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we performed at a Portuguese festival in Portugal and my luggage – which had my blade in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “That was a worst-case scenario, because we don’t have an alternative version of the concert where I am without a weapon.”

Goals Ahead

As a genuine leader, Riley is enthusiastic about the what’s next. “I aim to reach as far as possible – we should play large venues,” she says. “The only thing that’s truly essential to me is preserving the self-crafted look, guaranteeing all elements is crafted by us. This is a feature I want to stay authentic to, no matter what we scale to. Oh, and I desire to make an entrance on a magical horse every night. Remember how legends do the motorcycle thing? That, but on a mythical creature.”