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

Although numerous rockers have taken inspiration from fantasy lore, only a handful have fully embraced the fantasy way of life. Admittedly, they may embellish their record jackets with ghouls, goblins, chained damsels and muscular warriors, but has an artist ever needed to retrieve a misplaced unicorn horn from a frost-covered ground in the midst of winter? Did a guitarist spent time squinting in the rear of a tour bus, mending their own chainmail?

Immersed in the Legend

Formed in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have had to face these exact challenges and others as they embody their epic fantasies. Starting with knightly, memorable tunes to eye-popping live shows, outfit creation, visuals and record designs, they’re more than a rock act as a full immersive experience.

“It wasn’t planned to be a costumed concept band,” explains singer, guitarist, sword-wielder and creative overlord Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport speeds from a sold-out gig in Cologne to one more in Aschaffenburg – they have multiple performances in the UK currently. “Initially, we performed twice and received an offer on a Halloween gig, where I made a last-minute decision to put on an outfit. It was all super-DIY, but we had so much fun and the feeling in the room was incredible. I realized, ‘Imagine if we could have this much fun every time?’”

The Band’s Evolution

From that point on, the ensemble – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” joined by a pestilence physician (bass player), haughty vampire (lead guitarist) and secretive shaman (rhythm keeper) – continued forward. The Bestiary, the band’s second album, conjures visions of famous rock groups uniting to fight their path through a mythical painted realm – a heroic opus that places them on the brink of bigger achievements.

The release was a new experience for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her collaborators. “That contributed to a lot stronger project,” she says of the collaborative process. “I had difficulty at first – There was a sense of a certain amount of accomplishment as a woman in music doing everything solo. I’ve had so many times where I’ve got off stage and a person will say, ‘The other members compose cool melodies!’ and I respond, ‘Hey – I composed all that.’”

Creative Output and Ideas

As their fame has increased, so has the breadth of their stage presentation. “My philosophy is always that if something is valuable, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton chuckles. She was originally on course for a fine art degree before balking at the prospect of financial burden. “What’s enjoyable about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to express artistry,” she says. “Be it crafting disguises, attire creation, figuring out video editing music videos … it’s all stuff I am unfamiliar with, but it’s exciting to figure it out in the moment.”

As if creating the ensemble’s complex backstory (“People are encouraging me to document it because it’s all in here,” Riley says, pointing to her head) and making clothing didn’t suffice, the vocalist learned on her own how to make chainmail – a challenging endeavor, though she admittedly left her completely original scalemail look to a New York-based specialist. “It seems like actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Audience Reaction and Challenges

What about the crowd? They loved the theatrical gore, soft weapons and papier-mache rat skulls with as much gusto as the group. “We performed a show in Detroit and it seemed like a historical festival,” remembers Riley fondly. “Everyone was in robes, animal hides, armor.”

However, this doesn’t mean, however, that life on the road as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been plain sailing. “All our gear is frequently damaged and becomes duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Moreover I come up with endless ideas as to how I want things to look, but we are on the move in a van with limited room. It’s an interesting challenge to make it feel like a mythic tale, then pack it down into minimal luggage.”

We’ve encountered further organizational challenges that wouldn’t have troubled fictional warriors. “There was an ‘oh shit’ moment when we played SonicBlast festival in the European country and my luggage – which had my weapon in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “That was a nightmare, because there is no an alternative version of the performance where I don’t have a blade.”

Future Ambitions

As a genuine leader, Riley is gung-ho about the what’s next. “My goal is to the top – I dream of huge arenas,” she says. “The key element that’s really important to me is preserving the DIY aesthetic, making sure all elements is custom-made. This is a feature I want to remain faithful to, whatever we achieve. Additionally, I desire to ride out on a magical horse at all performances. Remember how famous musicians ride bikes on stage? Exactly that, but on a mythical creature.”