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

While numerous artists have borrowed from high fantasy, rarely any have genuinely embodied the fantasy way of life. Sure, they may embellish their album sleeves with ghouls, imps, chained damsels and brawny barbarians, but has an artist ever needed to recover a misplaced mythical horn from a frost-covered ground in the heart of winter? Did anyone spent time peering in the interior of a tour bus, mending their own armor?

Living the Fantasy

Formed in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have dealt with such situations and others as they embody their grand tales. From medieval-inspired, memorable songs to stunning performances, outfit creation, music videos and cover artwork, they’re not so much a metal band as a complete sensory journey.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a themed musical group,” explains singer, guitar player, sword-carrier and creative overlord Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van travels from a full-capacity concert in a German city to another in Aschaffenburg – they’re also doing multiple performances in the UK this week. “We played two shows and got booked on a October show, where I decided spontaneously to put on an outfit. The entire setup was completely self-made, but we had a blast and the atmosphere was unforgettable. I thought, ‘How about if we could have this much fun every time?’”

Growth of the Group

Since then, the band – which features Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” alongside a medic from history (bass player), aristocratic undead (guitarist) and enigmatic nature priest (percussionist) – never turned back. Their latest album, the group’s sophomore release, brings to mind of legendary heavy bands uniting to struggle onward through a heroic art landscape – a epic masterpiece that places them on the brink of greater success.

This album was a new experience for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her bandmates. “It made it a much better record,” she says of the collaborative process. “I had difficulty at first – I’d always felt a particular degree of pride as a woman in music doing everything solo. There’ve been so many times where after a show and an audience member will say, ‘Those guys compose cool melodies!’ and I’m like, ‘Listen – I created all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

With their growing popularity has expanded, so has the scope of their visual elements. “My philosophy is always that if something is valuable, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. She was originally on course for a fine art degree before hesitating at the idea of so much debt. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to apply artistry,” she says. “From crafting disguises, attire creation, learning how to edit song visuals … it’s all stuff I am unfamiliar with, but it’s enjoyable to discover as we go.”

As if creating the band’s intricate lore (“The team is pushing me to record it because all the ideas are,” Riley says, tapping her head) and sewing costumes wasn’t enough, the vocalist learned on her own how to craft metal mesh – a difficult task, though she confessedly delegated her completely original reptilian-inspired outfit to a New York-based specialist. “It’s as if actual armour,” she beams.

Audience Reaction and Challenges

Regarding the fans? They loved the theatrical gore, foam swords and handmade props with similar excitement as the band. “We performed a show in Detroit and it seemed like a Renaissance fair,” recalls Riley fondly. “The whole crowd was in cloaks, wool garments, chainmail.”

This isn’t to say, nevertheless, that traveling lifestyle as fantasy adventurers has been easy. “Everything is frequently damaged and gets repaired with tape,” Riley says. “Plus I get numerous thoughts as to how I want things to look, but we’re traveling in a vehicle with limited room. It’s an interesting challenge to give the sense like a grand epic, then pack it down into a small space.”

There have been further organizational challenges that didn’t affect legendary fantasy heroes. “There was an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we played a music event in Portugal and my baggage – which had my blade in it – got lost,” says Riley. “That was a worst-case scenario, because there’s not an alternative version of the concert where I am without a weapon.”

Goals Ahead

Like a true warrior queen, Riley is enthusiastic about the what’s next. “I want to go to the top – we should play stadiums,” she says. “The key element that’s really important to me is keeping the self-crafted look, guaranteeing everything is custom-made. That’s an element I want to keep true to, no matter what we achieve. Plus, I want to appear on a magical horse every night. Remember how legends ride bikes on stage? That, but with a unicorn.”