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

Although plenty of rockers have borrowed from epic fantasy, only a handful have truly lived the fantasy way of life. Admittedly, they might embellish their album sleeves with creatures, goblins, captive women and brawny barbarians, but did a member ever needed to retrieve a lost mythical horn from a frost-covered ground in the heart of winter? Did a performer spent time squinting in the interior of a road transport, mending their own armor?

Immersed in the Legend

Created in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have encountered such situations and additional ones as they live out their epic fantasies. Starting with heraldic, catchy anthems to stunning live shows, costume design, visuals and album art, they’re not so much a heavy metal group as a total artistic immersion.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a costumed concept band,” explains vocalist, guitarist, sword-wielder and visionary Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport travels from a sold-out gig in a German city to one more in another town – they’re also doing five gigs in the UK now. “Initially, we performed twice and were scheduled on a October show, where I made a last-minute decision to put on an outfit. Everything was super-DIY, but we had so much fun and the energy was electric. I thought, ‘Imagine if we could have this much fun every time?’”

The Band’s Evolution

After that, the group – which features Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” together with a pestilence physician (low-end instrumentalist), aristocratic undead (six-string player) and enigmatic nature priest (drummer) – continued forward. The new record, the follow-up record, conjures visions of legendary heavy bands joining forces to battle their way through a mythical painted realm – a heroic opus that places them on the verge of greater success.

The Bestiary was a first for Pinkerton in that she opened the floor to her collaborators. “It made it a lot stronger album,” she says of the collaborative process. “It was challenging at first – There was a sense of a specific level of satisfaction being a woman in music going it alone. I’ve had numerous occasions where after a show and a person will say, ‘Those guys write great riffs!’ and I think, ‘Wait – I wrote all that.’”

Artistry and Imagination

As the band’s stature has grown, so has the scope of their production design. “My philosophy is always that if something is valuable, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. Initially, she was on course for a fine art degree before hesitating at the possibility of heavy loans. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to express creativity,” she says. “From making masks, attire creation, learning how to edit music videos … these are all things I am unfamiliar with, but it’s enjoyable to figure it out as we go.”

Even though developing the ensemble’s complex backstory (“Everyone’s urging me to write it down because it’s all in here,” Riley says, indicating her head) and sewing costumes were insufficient, the vocalist learned on her own how to create armor – a challenging endeavor, though she confessedly delegated her completely original scale armor design to a professional in the city. “It’s as if actual armour,” she grins.

Audience Reaction and Challenges

As for audiences? They loved the theatrical gore, soft weapons and handmade props with similar excitement as the band. “We had a concert in Detroit and it seemed like a historical festival,” remembers Riley happily. “The whole crowd was in capes, wool garments, chainmail.”

This isn’t to say, however, that life on the road as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been plain sailing. “Everything is frequently damaged and becomes fixed temporarily,” Riley says. “Plus I get countless concepts as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we tour in a vehicle with only so much space. It’s a unique problem to create the impression like a larger-than-life story, then pack it down into minimal luggage.”

There have been additional practical issues that would never have plagued legendary fantasy heroes. “We did have an ‘oh shit’ moment when we performed at a music event in the European country and my luggage – which had my blade in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “This became a worst-case scenario, because there is no an backup plan of the show where I am without a blade.”

Future Ambitions

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is gung-ho about the days to come. “I want to go all the way – we should play large venues,” she says. “The key element that’s truly essential to me is maintaining the handmade style, making sure everything is custom-made. It’s a component I want to remain faithful to, regardless of we achieve. Additionally, I desire to ride out on a magical horse every night. Think about how some artists ride bikes on stage? The same idea, but with a unicorn.”