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

Although plenty of rockers have taken inspiration from fantasy lore, only a handful have genuinely embodied the enchanted lifestyle. Certainly, they could decorate their album sleeves with ghouls, beasts, manacled maidens and strong fighters, but did a member ever needed to retrieve a missing horn from a unicorn from a snowy field in the heart of winter? Has a guitarist taken the time straining their eyes in the interior of a road transport, fixing their own metal mesh?

Living the Fantasy

Formed in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have dealt with such situations and more as they live out their heroic dreams. From knightly, earworm-heavy anthems to eye-popping live shows, attire styling, 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,” says vocalist, guitarist, sword-carrier and creative overlord Riley Pinkerton as the group’s vehicle speeds from a sold-out gig in Cologne to another in another town – they’re also doing multiple performances in the UK currently. “After a couple of performances and got booked on a spooky event, where I chose at the final moment to dress up. Everything was super-DIY, but we had a blast and the atmosphere was unforgettable. I realized, ‘Imagine if we could have such enjoyment every time?’”

Development of Castle Rat

Since then, the group – which includes Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” alongside a plague doctor (bassist), haughty vampire (six-string player) and mysterious druid (drummer) – continued forward. Their latest album, the band’s second album, conjures visions of classic metal icons uniting to struggle onward through a heroic art landscape – a heroic opus that places them on the brink of far grander things.

The Bestiary was a new experience for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her collaborators. “That contributed to a more powerful project,” she says of the collaborative process. “I struggled at first – There was a sense of a particular degree of satisfaction being a woman in music working independently. There have been numerous occasions where I’ve got off stage and a person will say, ‘Those guys write great riffs!’ and I think, ‘Wait – I created all that.’”

Artistry and Imagination

As the band’s stature has increased, so has the breadth of their production design. “My motto is always that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton chuckles. Initially, she was on course for a art school education before hesitating at the prospect of financial burden. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s various avenues to apply artistic expression,” she says. “From creating face coverings, costume design, learning how to edit clips … it’s all stuff I have no experience with, but it’s fun to learn on the fly.”

Even though creating the band’s intricate lore (“People are encouraging me to write it down because everything is stored,” Riley says, indicating her head) and stitching garments wasn’t enough, the singer self-educated how to make chainmail – a difficult task, though she confessedly entrusted her completely original scalemail look to a New York-based specialist. “It’s as if actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Audience Reaction and Challenges

As for audiences? They embraced the stage blood, toy blades and handmade props with equal enthusiasm as the band. “We played a show in the Motor City and it resembled a historical festival,” recalls Riley with affection. “All attendees was in cloaks, animal hides, metal wear.”

This isn’t to say, however, that life on the road as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been easy. “Everything is frequently damaged and becomes fixed temporarily,” Riley says. “Moreover I come up with numerous thoughts as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we’re traveling in a van with only so much space. It’s an interesting challenge to create the impression like a mythic tale, then compress it into a small space.”

We faced further organizational challenges that would never have plagued fictional warriors. “We did have an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we appeared at a music event in Portugal and my suitcase – which had my blade in it – went missing,” says Riley. “That was a worst-case scenario, because we don’t have an backup plan of the performance where I don’t have a blade.”

Future Ambitions

As a genuine leader, Riley is eager about the future. “My goal is to the top – I dream of huge arenas,” she says. “The only thing that’s really important to me is keeping the DIY aesthetic, making sure everything is custom-made. That’s an element I want to stay authentic to, whatever we grow into. Plus, I wish to appear on a magical horse each show. You know how famous musicians ride bikes on stage? That, but with a unicorn.”