‘Every Night, I Dream of Riding a Unicorn’: Fantasy-Themed Heavy Metal Group Castle Rat

While numerous artists have borrowed from epic fantasy, only a handful have genuinely embodied the fantasy way of life. Sure, they might embellish their record jackets with monsters, beasts, manacled maidens and brawny barbarians, but has an artist ever needed to retrieve a lost mythical horn from a frost-covered ground in the heart of winter? Has anyone taken the time peering in the interior of a tour bus, mending their own armor?

Immersed in the Legend

Created in 2019, New York’s Castle Rat have had to face such situations and additional ones as they live out their grand tales. Starting with heraldic, memorable anthems to breathtaking performances, attire styling, music videos and cover artwork, they’re not just a rock act as a complete sensory journey.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a outfit with characters,” explains vocalist, guitar player, blade-handler and creative overlord Riley Pinkerton as the group’s vehicle travels from a packed show in Cologne to one more in another town – they’re also doing multiple performances in the UK currently. “Initially, we performed twice and got booked on a October show, where I chose at the final moment to put on an outfit. Everything was completely self-made, but we had so much fun and the energy was unforgettable. It occurred to me, ‘How about if we could have this much fun every time?’”

The Band’s Evolution

From that point on, the band – which features Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” joined by a plague doctor (low-end instrumentalist), aristocratic undead (lead guitarist) and secretive shaman (drummer) – never turned back. The Bestiary, the band’s second album, evokes images of classic metal icons uniting to struggle onward through a heroic art landscape – a grand composition 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 more powerful project,” she says of the team effort. “I struggled at first – I’d always felt a specific level of accomplishment as a female in music doing everything solo. There have been numerous occasions where after a show and a person will say, ‘The band write great riffs!’ and I think, ‘Listen – I created all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

As their fame has expanded, so has the scope of their stage presentation. “The saying I live by is always that if something is valuable, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. At first, she had been on path for a art school education before pulling back at the possibility of so much debt. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to apply artistic expression,” she says. “Be it crafting disguises, outfit planning, mastering post-production music videos … it’s all stuff I don’t know how to do, but it’s enjoyable to discover in the moment.”

As if developing the band’s intricate lore (“People are encouraging me to write it down because everything is stored,” Riley says, tapping her head) and making clothing wasn’t enough, the singer learned on her own how to craft metal mesh – a difficult task, though she confessedly delegated her all-new reptilian-inspired outfit to a expert from NYC. “It seems like actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Audience Reaction and Challenges

What about the crowd? They embraced the theatrical gore, toy blades and handmade props with similar excitement as the group. “We had a concert in Detroit and it resembled a Renaissance fair,” reminisces Riley fondly. “All attendees was in cloaks, sheepskin, chainmail.”

That’s not to imply, however, that traveling lifestyle as fantasy adventurers has been plain sailing. “Each item is always failing and ends up fixed temporarily,” Riley says. “Moreover I get numerous thoughts as to how I want things to look, but we are on the move in a van with limited room. It’s a fascinating test to make it feel like a grand epic, then pack it down into a small space.”

There have been additional practical issues that didn’t affect legendary fantasy heroes. “We did have an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we appeared at a music event in the European country and my suitcase – which had my sword in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “This became a nightmare, because we don’t have an different option of the concert where I am without a weapon.”

Future Ambitions

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is gung-ho 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 handmade style, making sure all elements is custom-made. It’s a component I want to remain faithful to, regardless of we achieve. Plus, I want to appear on a mythical beast each show. Think about how legends use vehicles in concerts? The same idea, but on a mythical creature.”