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

Although plenty of artists have taken inspiration from fantasy lore, only a handful have fully embraced the mythical lifestyle. Admittedly, they might embellish their record jackets with monsters, goblins, captive women and muscular warriors, but has any musician ever needed to recover a lost unicorn horn from a snowy field in the midst of winter? Did anyone taken the time straining their eyes in the interior of a traveling vehicle, repairing their own metal mesh?

Immersed in the Legend

Formed in 2019, New York’s Castle Rat have encountered such situations and more as they embody their epic fantasies. From knightly, earworm-heavy tunes to stunning live shows, outfit creation, visuals and cover artwork, they’re not so much a rock act as a total artistic immersion.

“It wasn’t planned to be a outfit with characters,” states vocalist, guitarist, blade-handler and creative overlord Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport speeds from a packed show in a German city to another in another town – they have several shows in the UK this week. “We played two shows and received an offer on a Halloween gig, where I made a last-minute decision to put on an outfit. Everything was super-DIY, but we had an amazing time and the atmosphere was unforgettable. It occurred to me, ‘What if we could have so much excitement at every show?’”

Growth of the Group

Since then, the ensemble – which includes Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” alongside a pestilence physician (bass player), haughty vampire (lead guitarist) and secretive shaman (rhythm keeper) – haven’t looked back. Their latest album, the follow-up record, conjures visions of legendary heavy bands collaborating to battle their way through a mythical painted realm – a epic masterpiece that sets them on the edge of greater success.

The release was a first for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her collaborators. “This helped a lot stronger record,” she says of the collaborative process. “I had difficulty at first – I’d always felt a particular degree of satisfaction as a woman in music going it alone. There’ve been so many times where after a show and some guy will say, ‘Those guys write great riffs!’ and I respond, ‘Hey – I composed all that.’”

Artistry and Imagination

With their growing popularity has increased, so has the scale of their visual elements. “My philosophy is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton laughs. Initially, she was on path for a university studies in art before balking at the prospect of heavy loans. “The fun thing about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to apply artistic expression,” she says. “Be it making masks, costume design, learning how to edit clips … everything is I don’t know how to do, but it’s enjoyable to learn on the fly.”

As if developing the ensemble’s complex backstory (“People are encouraging me to document it because everything is stored,” Riley says, pointing to her head) and sewing costumes wasn’t enough, the vocalist learned on her own how to create armor – no mean feat, though she admittedly delegated her completely original reptilian-inspired outfit to a expert from NYC. “It feels like actual armour,” she beams.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

Regarding the fans? They took to the stage blood, toy blades and crafted rodent bones with similar excitement as the band. “We performed a show in Detroit and it looked like a medieval event,” reminisces Riley with affection. “All attendees was in capes, sheepskin, metal wear.”

This isn’t to say, nevertheless, that traveling lifestyle as mythical wanderers has been easy. “Everything is constantly breaking and ends up repaired with tape,” Riley says. “Additionally I’ll have countless concepts as to how I want things to look, but we tour in a vehicle with limited room. It’s a fascinating test to make it feel like a larger-than-life story, then pack it down into minimal luggage.”

We’ve encountered further organizational challenges that would never have plagued legendary fantasy heroes. “There was an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we played a music event in Portugal and my baggage – which had my weapon in it – got lost,” says Riley. “It was a terrible situation, because we don’t have an different option of the performance where I don’t have a sword.”

Future Ambitions

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is enthusiastic about the days to come. “I aim to reach all the way – we should play stadiums,” she says. “The key element that’s truly essential to me is maintaining the self-crafted look, ensuring all elements is custom-made. It’s a component I want to keep true to, regardless of we achieve. Additionally, I desire to ride out on a mythical beast at all performances. Think about how some artists use vehicles in concerts? The same idea, but on a mythical creature.”