Lindsay Schoolcraft – Martyr
October 11th, 2019
Gothic Hard Rock
Cyber Proxy Independent
Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
Singer, songwriter and keyboardist Lindsay Schoolcraft is undoubtedly best known for her role as the keyboardist and backing vocalist of the Gothic metal powerhouse Cradle of Filth, of which she has been a member since 2013. In that time she has recorded with the band on their last two studio full length albums, Hammer of the Witches and Cryptoriana: The Seductiveness of Decay. Her keyboard playing was absolutely stellar on both of those records, as were here haunting, Victorian-esque vocal passages that added an additional air of mystique on top of Cradle’s already darkly ethereal sound. However 2019 saw the Ontario native strike out on her own, releasing her first full length studio album.
While you might be expecting something more in the vein of ambient Gothic piano ballads or perhaps even something more hard hitting that’s closer to Cradle of Filth, what you actually end up getting is a sound more akin to Evanescence or Lacuna Coil. It’s not quite metal, but it’s not just rock either. Ergo I’m electing to label the bands and artists that fall into this sound “Gothic hard rock”. To me that’s the best descriptor, and that’s exactly what you get on this album. The guitars on here, provided by Rocky Gray (ex-Evanescence) are chunky and beefy, and often chug along during the verses before erupting into overblown power chords during the choruses. Meanwhile Schoolcraft herself sings her heart out over ethereal piano passages and orchestral arrangements, adding a level of grandiosity to the overall sound.
Most of the songs on here, like “Savior”, “Dangerous Game” and “See the Light” fall into this vein of Gothic hard rock, with a major focus on the catchy, emotional melodies sung by Schoolcraft while the rest of the instrumentals are more like window dressing. “Dangerous Game” sees the bass and keyboards take the lead in the instrumental, while the guitar only comes in during the pre-chorus and the chorus. At the same time it’s not difficult to see Gray’s influence over this record, as much of the material on here could have easily been released as Evanescence b-sides.
One of my major gripes with this album is the drum programming. Done by Rocky Gray once again, it’s quite obvious that these drums are electronic, and while it suits the music, the drummer in me can’t help but wish that there was a real person behind the kit. Adding some of the human element into the drumming could definitely have helped the album feel a bit more lively, especially with songs like “Stranger” where the percussion consists mostly of electronic breakbeats as opposed to a digital drum kit.
I find this album to be at its best when Schoolcraft focuses most on her piano passages and her singing, with the rock instrumentals taking a backseat. She’s absolutely capable of creating some truly catchy and memorable melodies, especially on the song “Into the Night” with her powerful and soothing expulsion of “You know I’ll find you, I’m there behind you, we must face our truth, I’m calling, I’m crawling towards you”. This chorus has actually given me goosebumps before, and it calls to mind visuals of some sort of fantastical romance, a la Beren and Luthien or Aragorn and Arwen in the mythos of J.R.R. Tolkien for example.
The other part of this album consists of the piano ballads, namely “Blood from a Stone” and “My Way Without You”, where Schoolcraft really gets to shine. She showcases the heights of her talents with ethereal, almost whispered vocals that take center stage, as she clearly has masterful control of her own voice. I’m glad she chose to include a mixture of the harder tracks with these softer, piano and voice-led songs, as they add some much needed contrast to the overall tracklist and flow of the record.
There’s also an instrumental interlude on here in the form of “Dawn” which I actually really like, and ended up being one of my favourite instrumental pieces of 2019. It calls to mind memories of the Gothic ambient project Amethystium which I used to listen to a lot in my college days, and sounds like the the perfect interlude between “Blood from a Stone” and a heavy hitting banger that should come afterwards. It really gets me pumped up, hoping that something absolutely killer is going to follow. Unfortunately the song simply ends and fades out before “Remember” kicks in with its soft piano intro, which was a little disappointing.
The hardest part on this album is by far the track “See the Light” which features Xenoyr, the frontman and lyricist of Ne Obliviscaris. The guitars on here are heavier and definitely more sinister. There’s even some double bass drumming during the chorus as the song definitely veers more into metal territory, especially with the heavy, crushing breakdown that ends the track. Schoolcraft and Xenoyr go back and forth between her cleanly sung vocals and his harsh vocals in a similar fashion to symphonic metal bands like Epica. It’s a familiar sound, but given the other tracks on this record it helps “See the Light” stand out as a unique cut.
One of my favourite tracks on this entire record is the album closer “Lullaby” which is actually a cover of The Cure. Schoolcraft’s delivery on here oozes personality and creepiness, reminding me of Dominique Persi, vocalist for the Stolen Babies (aka the most underrated metal band of all time). The creepy melodies and atmosphere on this track coupled with the bedtime story / horrific fairy-tale lyrics and Schoolcraft’s macabre vocal delivery make this one of the stand out tracks on this album, as it’s a hell of a tribute to one of the crowned kings of Goth subculture, Robert Smith. I think the line “And I feel like I’m being eaten by a thousand million shivering furry holes” is one of the most unpleasant (in a good way) lyrics I’ve read in all of 2019.
Unfortunately I do think some of the songs on here are a bit forgettable. Primarily the song “Stranger” as well as the slower rock ballad “Where I Fall”. I feel like these songs could have been cut from the tracklist and the album may have benefited from it, closing in the overall length from 47 minutes down to 40 minutes of all killer, no filler.
While it might sound like I’m being harsh with this album I want to stress that I don’t dislike it. I actually really enjoy listening to this record, and I’ve probably done so around 20 times in preparation for this review. Songs like “Savior”, “See the Light” and “Lullaby” are genuine bangers while “Blood from a Stone” and “My Way Without You” come across as heartfelt love songs sung from a place of real emotion. On top of that the production on here is on point. In spite of my gripes with programmed drumming I can’t help but admit that this record sounds slick as hell. But I do feel that the album suffers from a few less impactful cuts and the similarities with other bands in the genre like Lacuna Coil and Evanescence are a bit too glaring. Given that this is only Schoolcraft’s third release, following her 2015 EP The Dead of Winter and 2019 single “Concrete”, I think that with time she’ll develop a sound that is much more unique to her, and I’m genuinely excited to hear what she comes out with next. Until then, this album is still pretty damned good and worth a listen if you’re a fan of any of the other bands I mentioned throughout this review.
Final Verdict: 7/10
Good
Favourite Tracks:
“Savior”
“Into the Night”
“Blood from a Stone”
“See the Light”
“Lullaby”
~ Akhenaten
Where Strides The Behemoth? 