‘I Want to Ride Out on a Unicorn Every Night’: Medieval Heavy Metal Group Castle Rat

Although many musicians have borrowed from fantasy lore, rarely any have genuinely embodied the mythical lifestyle. Certainly, they might decorate their record jackets with ghouls, beasts, chained damsels and muscular warriors, but did a member ever have to recover a lost mythical horn from a frost-covered ground in the depths of winter? Has a guitarist taken the time squinting in the interior of a tour bus, repairing their own chainmail?

Embracing the Mythos

Created in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have dealt with such situations and others as they live out their grand tales. Starting with knightly, catchy songs to stunning concerts, costume design, music videos and cover artwork, they’re not so much a metal band as a full immersive experience.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a costumed concept band,” says singer, guitarist, sword-carrier and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the group’s vehicle speeds from a packed show in Cologne to another in Aschaffenburg – they’re also doing multiple performances in the UK now. “Initially, we performed twice and were scheduled on a spooky event, where I chose at the final moment to wear a costume. The entire setup was completely self-made, but we had a blast and the energy was incredible. It occurred to me, ‘Imagine if we could have such enjoyment always?’”

Development of Castle Rat

Since then, the group – which includes Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” joined by a pestilence physician (low-end instrumentalist), proud bloodsucker (lead guitarist) and mysterious druid (rhythm keeper) – haven’t looked back. The new record, the follow-up record, conjures visions of legendary heavy bands joining forces to battle their way through a heroic art landscape – a epic masterpiece that sets them on the brink of greater success.

The Bestiary was a initial step for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her fellow members. “It made it a more powerful record,” she says of the team effort. “I had difficulty at first – I often experienced a particular degree of satisfaction as a woman in music going it alone. There’ve been numerous occasions where I’ve got off stage and a person will say, ‘The other members compose cool melodies!’ and I’m like, ‘Listen – I created all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

As the band’s stature has grown, so has the scale of their production design. “My motto is always that if something is valuable, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. At first, she had been on path for a fine art degree before pulling back at the prospect of financial burden. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s various avenues to demonstrate artistry,” she says. “Be it making masks, attire creation, learning how to edit clips … everything is I am unfamiliar with, but it’s enjoyable to learn as we go.”

As if building the group’s detailed mythology (“The team is pushing me to write it down because everything is stored,” Riley says, indicating her head) and making clothing were insufficient, the vocalist taught herself how to make chainmail – a difficult task, though she confessedly entrusted her brand-new scalemail look to a expert from NYC. “It’s as if actual armour,” she grins.

Audience Reaction and Challenges

Regarding the fans? They embraced the stage blood, toy blades and crafted rodent bones with as much gusto as the band. “We played a gig in Detroit and it resembled a medieval event,” remembers Riley fondly. “All attendees was in robes, sheepskin, chainmail.”

That’s not to imply, though, that touring existence as fantasy adventurers has been plain sailing. “All our gear is frequently damaged and becomes repaired with tape,” 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 an interesting challenge to make it feel like a grand epic, then store it into nothing.”

There have been other logistical problems that didn’t affect legendary fantasy heroes. “We did have an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we appeared at a Portuguese festival in the European country and my suitcase – which had my weapon in it – went missing,” says Riley. “This became a terrible situation, because there is no an alternative version of the show where I don’t have a weapon.”

Goals Ahead

Like a true warrior queen, Riley is enthusiastic about the future. “My goal is as far as possible – let’s do large venues,” she says. “The key element that’s truly essential to me is maintaining the handmade style, ensuring all elements is handmade. It’s a component I want to keep true to, no matter what we grow into. Plus, I wish to make an entrance on a mythical beast at all performances. Think about how famous musicians do the motorcycle thing? That, but on a mythical creature.”