‘Every Night, I Dream of Riding a Unicorn’: Medieval Metal Band Castle Rat

Although many rockers have borrowed from epic fantasy, only a handful have genuinely embodied the mythical way of life. Sure, they may decorate their record jackets with creatures, imps, captive women and brawny barbarians, but did a member ever have to recover a lost mythical horn from a wintry landscape in the midst of winter? Did a performer devoted hours squinting in the interior of a tour bus, repairing their own armor?

Immersed in the Legend

Formed in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have dealt with these exact challenges and more as they live out their epic fantasies. From medieval-inspired, memorable tunes to stunning live shows, costume design, music videos and cover artwork, they’re more than a metal band as a full immersive experience.

“It wasn’t planned to be a themed musical group,” explains singer, guitar player, sword-carrier and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van travels from a sold-out gig in a German city to one more in another town – they’re also doing multiple performances in the UK currently. “After a couple of performances and received an offer on a Halloween gig, where I chose at the final moment to dress up. The entire setup was super-DIY, but we had a blast and the feeling in the room was unforgettable. I realized, ‘What if we could have so much excitement always?’”

Development of Castle Rat

Since then, the ensemble – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” alongside a pestilence physician (bass player), aristocratic undead (lead guitarist) and secretive shaman (drummer) – continued forward. The new record, the group’s sophomore release, conjures visions of legendary heavy bands joining forces to battle their way through a mythical painted realm – a grand composition that sets them on the verge of far grander things.

The release was a first for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her collaborators. “This helped a more powerful project,” she says of the team effort. “It was challenging at first – I’d always felt a particular degree of accomplishment as a woman in music going it alone. There’ve been numerous occasions where I finished performing and an audience member will say, ‘Those guys compose cool melodies!’ and I’m like, ‘Listen – I created all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

As the band’s stature has expanded, so has the breadth of their visual elements. “My motto is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton laughs. She was originally on course for a art school education before pulling back at the prospect of financial burden. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to demonstrate artistry,” she says. “Be it crafting disguises, costume design, mastering post-production clips … everything is I have no experience with, but it’s enjoyable to learn in the moment.”

As if creating the ensemble’s complex backstory (“Everyone’s urging me to document it because everything is stored,” Riley says, indicating her head) and sewing costumes didn’t suffice, the vocalist taught herself how to make chainmail – no mean feat, though she confessedly entrusted her brand-new scale armor design to a New York-based specialist. “It seems like actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

As for audiences? They embraced the stage blood, foam swords and papier-mache rat skulls with as much gusto as the group. “We played a show in Detroit and it resembled a historical festival,” recalls Riley fondly. “All attendees was in cloaks, wool garments, armor.”

However, this doesn’t mean, however, that traveling lifestyle as fantasy adventurers has been smooth. “Each item is frequently damaged and ends up repaired with tape,” Riley says. “Plus I get endless ideas as to how I desire the presentation, but we’re traveling in a vehicle with limited room. It’s a fascinating test to give the sense like a larger-than-life story, then store it into minimal luggage.”

We’ve encountered other logistical problems that would never have plagued legendary fantasy heroes. “We did have an ‘disastrous’ moment when we played SonicBlast festival in Portugal and my luggage – 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 am without a sword.”

Future Ambitions

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is eager about the days to come. “My goal is as far as possible – we should play stadiums,” she says. “The main aspect that’s really important to me is maintaining the self-crafted look, ensuring everything is handmade. That’s an element I want to stay authentic to, regardless of we scale to. Additionally, I wish to ride out on a mythical beast each show. You know how famous musicians do the motorcycle thing? The same idea, but using a unicorn.”