‘I Want to Ride Out on a Unicorn Every Night’: Swords’n’Sorcery Metal Group Castle Rat

Although many musicians have borrowed from high fantasy, only a handful have genuinely embodied the fantasy way of life. Certainly, they might adorn their album covers with creatures, imps, chained damsels and muscular warriors, but has an artist ever needed to find a lost horn from a unicorn from a frost-covered ground in the depths of winter? Has a guitarist spent time squinting in the back of a tour bus, repairing their own armor?

Embracing the Mythos

Established in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have encountered both these scenarios and additional ones as they embody their heroic dreams. From knightly, earworm-heavy tunes to breathtaking performances, costume design, visuals and cover artwork, they’re more than a metal band as a complete sensory journey.

“Castle Rat wasn’t meant to be a costumed concept band,” explains singer, guitar player, sword-carrier and creative overlord Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport travels from a packed show in a German city to one more in Aschaffenburg – they have several shows in the UK this week. “We played two shows and got booked on a Halloween gig, where I decided spontaneously to put on an outfit. It was all super-DIY, but we had so much fun and the atmosphere was incredible. I thought, ‘Imagine if we could have so much excitement at every show?’”

Growth of the Group

From that point on, the band – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Rat Queen” alongside a medic from history (bass player), aristocratic undead (lead guitarist) and enigmatic nature priest (drummer) – never turned back. Their latest album, the follow-up record, evokes images of famous rock groups joining forces to battle their way through a heroic art landscape – a heroic opus that places them on the brink of greater success.

This album was a first for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her fellow members. “This helped a more powerful record,” she says of the group work. “It was challenging at first – I’d always felt a particular degree of pride as a woman in music working independently. There’ve been numerous occasions where I finished performing and a person will say, ‘The other members compose cool melodies!’ and I think, ‘Wait – I created all that.’”

Creative Output and Ideas

As the band’s stature has grown, so has the breadth of their visual elements. “My philosophy is always that if something is valuable, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton chuckles. She was originally on path for a fine art degree before balking at the idea of financial burden. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s various avenues to apply artistry,” she says. “Whether it’s crafting disguises, outfit planning, learning how to edit clips … these are all things I have no experience with, but it’s fun to discover as we go.”

Even though creating the group’s detailed mythology (“The team is pushing me to record it because all the ideas are,” Riley says, indicating her head) and sewing costumes wasn’t enough, the singer learned on her own how to make chainmail – a challenging endeavor, though she admittedly delegated her brand-new scale armor design to a expert from NYC. “It’s as if actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Fan Response and Obstacles

What about the crowd? They loved the theatrical gore, toy blades and papier-mache rat skulls with equal enthusiasm as the group. “We played a concert in the Motor City and it seemed like a Renaissance fair,” reminisces Riley happily. “Everyone was in robes, animal hides, chainmail.”

That’s not to imply, however, that traveling lifestyle as mythical wanderers has been easy. “Each item is constantly breaking and ends up duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Additionally I’ll have numerous thoughts as to how I desire the presentation, but we’re traveling in a vehicle with limited room. It’s a unique problem to create the impression like a mythic tale, then pack it down into a small space.”

We’ve encountered additional practical issues that would never have plagued legendary fantasy heroes. “We experienced an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we performed at SonicBlast festival in the European country and my luggage – which had my sword in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “This became a worst-case scenario, because we don’t have an different option of the concert where I don’t have a sword.”

Future Ambitions

Like a true warrior queen, Riley is enthusiastic about the what’s next. “My goal is as far as possible – let’s do large venues,” she says. “The key element that’s really important to me is preserving the DIY aesthetic, ensuring everything is crafted by us. It’s a component I want to remain faithful to, whatever we achieve. Oh, and I desire to appear on a magical horse at all performances. Think about how legends ride bikes on stage? That, but with a unicorn.”