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

Although numerous musicians have borrowed from fantasy lore, only a handful have genuinely embodied the fantasy lifestyle. Certainly, they might decorate their record jackets with creatures, beasts, manacled maidens and muscular warriors, but has an artist ever have to recover a misplaced unicorn horn from a frost-covered ground in the midst of winter? Did a performer spent time straining their eyes in the back of a traveling vehicle, repairing their own metal mesh?

Embracing the Mythos

Created in 2019, New York’s Castle Rat have encountered such situations and others as they live out their heroic dreams. From medieval-inspired, memorable anthems to breathtaking performances, costume design, visuals and album art, they’re not just a rock act as a complete sensory journey.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a costumed concept band,” says singer, guitar player, sword-carrier and creative overlord Riley Pinkerton as the group’s vehicle speeds from a full-capacity concert in a German city to one more in another town – they are playing multiple performances in the UK now. “Initially, we performed twice and were scheduled on a spooky event, where I decided spontaneously to put on an outfit. It was all completely self-made, but we had a blast and the feeling in the room was incredible. It occurred to me, ‘Imagine if we could have so much excitement at every show?’”

The Band’s Evolution

Since then, the band – which includes Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” alongside a pestilence physician (low-end instrumentalist), aristocratic undead (guitarist) and secretive shaman (rhythm keeper) – haven’t looked back. The new record, the group’s sophomore release, conjures visions of legendary heavy bands uniting to struggle onward through a mythical painted realm – a grand composition that places them on the edge of far grander things.

This album was a first for Pinkerton in that she opened the floor to her collaborators. “It made it a more powerful project,” she says of the collaborative process. “I had difficulty at first – There was a sense of a certain amount of accomplishment as a female in music working independently. There’ve been multiple instances where I’ve got off stage and some guy will say, ‘The other members write great riffs!’ and I think, ‘Wait – I wrote all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

With their growing popularity has expanded, so has the scale of their stage presentation. “The saying I live by is always that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton chuckles. She was originally on track for a fine art degree before balking at the idea of heavy loans. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to apply artistry,” she says. “Be it crafting disguises, attire creation, mastering post-production song visuals … these are all things I have no experience with, but it’s exciting to figure it out on the fly.”

Even though creating the ensemble’s complex backstory (“The team is pushing me to document it because all the ideas are,” Riley says, pointing to her head) and making clothing were insufficient, the vocalist learned on her own how to make chainmail – a difficult task, though she admittedly left her brand-new scale armor design to a professional in the city. “It feels like actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Fan Response and Obstacles

Regarding the fans? They loved the theatrical gore, soft weapons and handmade props with similar excitement as the group. “We played a concert in Detroit and it seemed like a Renaissance fair,” remembers Riley happily. “The whole crowd was in capes, animal hides, metal wear.”

That’s not to imply, though, that life on the road as fantasy adventurers has been smooth. “All our gear is constantly breaking and becomes fixed temporarily,” Riley says. “Plus I get endless ideas as to how I want things to look, 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 nothing.”

There have been other logistical problems that didn’t affect fictional warriors. “There was an ‘oh shit’ moment when we performed at SonicBlast festival in Portugal and my baggage – which had my blade in it – went missing,” says Riley. “This became a worst-case scenario, because we don’t have an alternative version of the performance where I am without a blade.”

Upcoming Plans

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is eager about the days to come. “I want to go as far as possible – I dream of stadiums,” she says. “The main aspect that’s truly essential to me is maintaining the DIY aesthetic, guaranteeing everything is crafted by us. That’s an element I want to keep true to, whatever we achieve. Oh, and I want to ride out on a magical horse at all performances. Think about how famous musicians ride bikes on stage? That, but using a unicorn.”