‘My Fantasy Is to Ride a Unicorn Nightly’: Swords’n’Sorcery Heavy Metal Band Castle Rat

While numerous artists have borrowed from fantasy lore, rarely any have fully embraced the enchanted way of life. Certainly, they could adorn their album covers with creatures, beasts, captive women and strong fighters, but did a member ever have to recover a lost mythical horn from a wintry landscape in the midst of winter? Did a guitarist taken the time peering in the back of a road transport, mending their own metal mesh?

Immersed in the Legend

Created in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have dealt with both these scenarios and additional ones as they act out their heroic dreams. From knightly, memorable songs to breathtaking live shows, attire styling, visuals and cover artwork, they’re not so much a heavy metal group as a complete sensory journey.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a outfit with characters,” states singer, guitar player, sword-carrier and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport travels from a sold-out gig in a German city to a second one in another town – they’re also doing five gigs in the UK now. “After a couple of performances and were scheduled on a spooky event, where I made a last-minute decision to wear a costume. Everything was highly handmade, but we had so much fun and the feeling in the room was unforgettable. I realized, ‘Imagine if we could have such enjoyment always?’”

Development of Castle Rat

Since then, the group – which features Pinkerton as the “Rat Queen” together with a medic from history (bass player), haughty vampire (lead guitarist) and mysterious druid (drummer) – continued forward. Their latest album, the group’s sophomore release, brings to mind of famous rock groups uniting to battle their way through a mythical painted realm – a epic masterpiece that sets them on the brink of bigger achievements.

This album was a first for Pinkerton in that she opened the floor to her collaborators. “This helped a lot stronger album,” she says of the group work. “I struggled at first – I’d always felt a certain amount of satisfaction being a woman in music working independently. There have been numerous occasions where I finished performing and some guy will say, ‘Those guys compose cool melodies!’ and I’m like, ‘Hey – I composed all that.’”

Creative Output and Ideas

As their fame has expanded, so has the scale of their stage presentation. “My philosophy is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton chuckles. At first, she had been on course for a art school education before pulling back at the idea of financial burden. “The fun thing about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to demonstrate artistry,” she says. “Whether it’s creating face coverings, costume design, learning how to edit song visuals … it’s all stuff I have no experience with, but it’s fun to figure it out in the moment.”

As if developing the group’s detailed mythology (“The team is pushing me to record it because all the ideas are,” Riley says, tapping her head) and stitching garments wasn’t enough, the vocalist taught herself how to make chainmail – no mean feat, though she confessedly left her brand-new scalemail look to a New York-based specialist. “It’s as if actual armour,” she grins.

Audience Reaction and Challenges

What about the crowd? They took to the theatrical gore, soft weapons and papier-mache rat skulls with similar excitement as the group. “We played a concert in the Motor City and it looked like a medieval event,” recalls Riley fondly. “All attendees was in capes, animal hides, armor.”

This isn’t to say, however, that touring existence as fantasy adventurers has been smooth. “All our gear is frequently damaged and gets duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Moreover I’ll have numerous thoughts 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 create the impression like a grand epic, then compress it into minimal luggage.”

We’ve encountered other logistical problems that didn’t affect fictional warriors. “We experienced an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we played SonicBlast festival in the European country and my suitcase – which had my blade in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “This became a nightmare, because there is no an different option of the performance where I lack a sword.”

Upcoming Plans

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is enthusiastic about the what’s next. “My goal is as far as possible – let’s do huge arenas,” she says. “The main aspect that’s truly essential to me is preserving the handmade style, making sure everything is handmade. It’s a component I want to keep true to, whatever we grow into. Oh, and I want to ride out on a mythical beast each show. You know how some artists do the motorcycle thing? Exactly that, but on a mythical creature.”