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

Although plenty of rockers have borrowed from high fantasy, few have genuinely embodied the mythical existence. Certainly, they could decorate their album sleeves with monsters, beasts, chained damsels and brawny barbarians, but did a member ever have to recover a misplaced unicorn horn from a wintry landscape in the heart of winter? Has a performer devoted hours squinting in the back of a road transport, repairing their own armor?

Immersed in the Legend

Created in 2019, New York’s Castle Rat have encountered both these scenarios and additional ones as they live out their heroic dreams. From knightly, catchy tunes to stunning live shows, outfit creation, music videos and cover artwork, they’re more than a metal band as a full immersive experience.

“It wasn’t planned to be a costumed concept band,” explains vocalist, guitarist, sword-carrier and visionary Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van drives from a packed show in Cologne to another in Aschaffenburg – they have several shows in the UK now. “We played two shows and got booked on a spooky event, where I chose at the final moment to dress up. It was all completely self-made, but we had a blast and the atmosphere was unforgettable. It occurred to me, ‘Imagine if we could have this much fun at every show?’”

Growth of the Group

Since then, the ensemble – which includes Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” alongside a pestilence physician (low-end instrumentalist), haughty vampire (six-string player) and mysterious druid (percussionist) – continued forward. Their latest album, the follow-up record, conjures visions of classic metal icons collaborating to fight their path through a mythical painted realm – a heroic opus that sets them on the verge 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 team effort. “I had difficulty at first – I’d always felt a certain amount of accomplishment as a female in music working independently. There have been numerous occasions where I finished performing 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 expanded, so has the scale of their production design. “My motto is always that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton laughs. She was originally on course for a fine art degree before balking at the possibility of heavy loans. “The fun thing about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to express creativity,” she says. “Whether it’s crafting disguises, costume design, mastering post-production clips … these are all things I am unfamiliar with, but it’s fun to discover in the moment.”

Even though developing the ensemble’s complex backstory (“Everyone’s urging me to document it because it’s all in here,” Riley says, tapping her head) and stitching garments didn’t suffice, the vocalist taught herself how to craft metal mesh – a difficult task, though she admittedly entrusted her completely original reptilian-inspired outfit to a New York-based specialist. “It’s as if actual armour,” she grins.

Fan Response and Obstacles

What about the crowd? They embraced the stage blood, foam swords and crafted rodent bones with equal enthusiasm as the musicians. “We played a gig in the Motor City and it resembled a medieval event,” recalls Riley fondly. “The whole crowd was in cloaks, wool garments, chainmail.”

However, this doesn’t mean, nevertheless, that life on the road as fantasy adventurers has been plain sailing. “All our gear is frequently damaged and gets repaired with tape,” Riley says. “Plus I’ll have endless ideas as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we’re traveling in a van with only so much space. It’s a unique problem to make it feel like a larger-than-life story, then pack it down into nothing.”

There have been further organizational challenges that would never have plagued mythic characters. “We did have an ‘disastrous’ moment when we appeared at a music event in Portugal and my baggage – which had my blade in it – went missing,” says Riley. “It was a nightmare, because we don’t have an different option of the performance where I am without a sword.”

Goals Ahead

Like a true warrior queen, Riley is gung-ho about the what’s next. “I want to go to the top – I dream of stadiums,” she says. “The key element that’s deeply meaningful to me is keeping the DIY aesthetic, guaranteeing all elements is handmade. It’s a component I want to remain faithful to, regardless of we grow into. Additionally, I wish to make an entrance on a unicorn every night. Remember how legends do the motorcycle thing? That, but on a mythical creature.”