‘My Fantasy Is to Ride a Unicorn Nightly’: Medieval Metal Group Castle Rat

While plenty of musicians have drawn from epic fantasy, only a handful have fully embraced the mythical existence. Sure, they might embellish their album sleeves with creatures, goblins, manacled maidens and muscular warriors, but did a member ever have to find a missing mythical horn from a frost-covered ground in the depths of winter? Did a guitarist devoted hours straining their eyes in the back of a tour bus, repairing their own metal mesh?

Immersed in the Legend

Established in 2019, New York’s Castle Rat have dealt with both these scenarios and more as they act out their epic fantasies. From heraldic, earworm-heavy anthems to eye-popping performances, costume design, visuals and record designs, they’re not so much a metal band as a complete sensory journey.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a themed musical group,” states singer, guitarist, sword-wielder and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van drives from a full-capacity concert in a German city to a second one in another town – they are playing several shows in the UK now. “After a couple of performances and got booked on a Halloween gig, where I made a last-minute decision to wear a costume. It was all highly handmade, but we had a blast and the energy was incredible. I realized, ‘How about if we could have this much fun every time?’”

Development of Castle Rat

Since then, the ensemble – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” joined by a plague doctor (bass player), haughty vampire (six-string player) and secretive shaman (drummer) – haven’t looked back. The Bestiary, the follow-up record, evokes images of famous rock groups uniting to struggle onward through a mythical painted realm – a epic masterpiece that sets them on the brink of far grander things.

The release was a first for Pinkerton in that she opened the floor to her collaborators. “That contributed to a lot stronger album,” she says of the team effort. “I had difficulty at first – I’d always felt a certain amount of satisfaction as a female in music going it alone. There’ve been so many times where after a show and a person will say, ‘The band create awesome guitar parts!’ and I’m like, ‘Listen – I wrote all that.’”

Creative Output and Ideas

As their fame has grown, so has the breadth of their stage presentation. “My philosophy is always that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton chuckles. Initially, she was on track for a fine art degree before hesitating at the prospect of financial burden. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to express artistic expression,” she says. “Be it making masks, costume design, learning how to edit clips … it’s all stuff I am unfamiliar with, but it’s enjoyable to figure it out in the moment.”

As if developing the ensemble’s complex backstory (“The team is pushing me to document it because all the ideas are,” Riley says, indicating her head) and making clothing were insufficient, the vocalist taught herself how to make chainmail – no mean feat, though she admittedly left her brand-new scalemail look to a New York-based specialist. “It feels like actual armour,” she beams.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

Regarding the fans? They took to the fake blood, foam swords and crafted rodent bones with similar excitement as the band. “We had a concert in Detroit and it looked like a Renaissance fair,” recalls Riley fondly. “All attendees was in robes, wool garments, chainmail.”

However, this doesn’t mean, nevertheless, that life on the road as fantasy adventurers has been easy. “Each item is always failing and gets repaired with tape,” Riley says. “Plus I’ll have numerous thoughts as to how I want things to look, but we’re traveling in a bus with limited room. It’s a unique problem to create the impression like a grand epic, then compress it into minimal luggage.”

We faced further organizational challenges that wouldn’t have troubled legendary fantasy heroes. “We experienced an ‘oh shit’ moment when we performed at a Portuguese festival in Portugal and my luggage – which had my sword in it – went missing,” says Riley. “It was a terrible situation, because we don’t have an backup plan of the performance where I am without a sword.”

Goals Ahead

As a genuine leader, Riley is eager about the what’s next. “My goal is to the top – I dream of huge arenas,” she says. “The only thing that’s deeply meaningful to me is maintaining the DIY aesthetic, ensuring everything is custom-made. That’s an element I want to keep true to, whatever we achieve. Oh, and I want to ride out on a unicorn every night. You know how some artists use vehicles in concerts? That, but on a mythical creature.”