‘My Fantasy Is to Ride a Unicorn Nightly’: Fantasy-Themed Heavy Metal Band Castle Rat

While plenty of artists have drawn from fantasy lore, only a handful have genuinely embodied the fantasy way of life. Admittedly, they could embellish their record jackets with creatures, beasts, captive women and strong fighters, but did a member ever needed to find a misplaced mythical horn from a frost-covered ground in the midst of winter? Has a performer taken the time squinting in the rear of a road transport, mending their own metal mesh?

Immersed in the Legend

Formed in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have dealt with these exact challenges and more as they embody their grand tales. From heraldic, catchy songs to eye-popping performances, attire styling, videos and cover artwork, they’re more than a rock act as a complete sensory journey.

“Castle Rat wasn’t meant to be a themed musical group,” states singer, guitarist, sword-wielder and visionary Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van travels from a full-capacity concert in a German city to one more in Aschaffenburg – they are playing several shows in the UK this week. “We played two shows and received an offer on a Halloween gig, where I chose at the final moment to wear a costume. Everything was highly handmade, but we had an amazing time and the energy was incredible. It occurred to me, ‘How about if we could have so much excitement always?’”

The Band’s Evolution

After that, the band – which features Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” together with a pestilence physician (bass player), haughty vampire (six-string player) and secretive shaman (rhythm keeper) – haven’t looked back. The new record, the group’s sophomore release, brings to mind of classic metal icons uniting to struggle onward through a mythical painted realm – a heroic opus that places them on the verge of greater success.

The Bestiary was a new experience for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her fellow members. “That contributed to a more powerful project,” she says of the collaborative process. “I had difficulty at first – There was a sense of a certain amount of pride being a woman in music doing everything solo. There have been numerous occasions where I’ve got off stage and some guy will say, ‘The band write great riffs!’ and I respond, ‘Wait – I composed all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

As their fame has increased, so has the breadth of their visual elements. “My motto is always that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton laughs. At first, she had been on course for a art school education before balking at the prospect of heavy loans. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to apply creativity,” she says. “From making masks, costume design, learning how to edit clips … everything is I am unfamiliar with, but it’s enjoyable to figure it out as we go.”

Even though developing the ensemble’s complex backstory (“The team is pushing me to record it because all the ideas are,” Riley says, indicating her head) and making clothing wasn’t enough, the singer learned on her own how to create armor – a difficult task, though she admittedly entrusted her completely original scalemail look to a New York-based specialist. “It’s as if actual armour,” she beams.

Audience Reaction and Challenges

Regarding the fans? They loved the fake blood, toy blades and handmade props with similar excitement as the band. “We played a gig in Detroit and it looked like a historical festival,” remembers Riley with affection. “All attendees was in robes, sheepskin, chainmail.”

This isn’t to say, though, that life on the road as mythical wanderers has been smooth. “All our gear is frequently damaged and ends up duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Additionally I come up with numerous thoughts as to how I desire the presentation, but we’re traveling in a vehicle with limited room. It’s a unique problem to make it feel like a mythic tale, then compress it into a small space.”

We’ve encountered further organizational challenges that would never have plagued fictional warriors. “We did have an ‘disastrous’ moment when we played a music event in Portugal and my baggage – which had my weapon in it – went missing,” says Riley. “That was a terrible situation, because we don’t have an different option of the concert where I lack a blade.”

Goals Ahead

As a genuine leader, Riley is gung-ho about the what’s next. “I want to go all the way – let’s do huge arenas,” she says. “The main aspect that’s really important to me is preserving the self-crafted look, guaranteeing all elements is custom-made. That’s an element I want to remain faithful to, regardless of we achieve. Plus, I desire to appear on a mythical beast every night. You know how some artists do the motorcycle thing? That, but on a mythical creature.”