Catch Me When I Fall…Please
As we remember the passing of Chester Bennington, our Gothmother, Lindsay Schoolcraft (Cradle Of Filth) prepares to release her debut solo outing, boldly assisted and co-piloted by top cat Rocky Gray. With the heavyweight title ‘Martyr’ it is time to get in the ring my friends, and with the first single already in the public domain, a smouldering cover of ‘Lullaby’ from The Cure ( sigh….swoon….faint), she has lit a bonfire under the collective ass of Twitter. Always on hand to offer advice and guidance and tales of her own experiences, good and bad, Lindsay is a friend to many. She is a hand to hold, and a duvet to cower under, she is our sustenance, she is our shelter.
I am unashamedly smug in my exclusivity that I can listen to the whole album and impart my wisdom.
With ‘Saviour’ bursting out of the laptop, there is a little Cellar Darling and a little Evanescence and oh my, she sings ‘don’t worship me’- ah, but we already do, dear lady- with your tasty hooks and riffs, and doom-laden gloominess.
We play a ‘Dangerous Game’ as our Mother Of Goth holds up a mirror, do you dare to face the truth?
‘How long has this gone on?’ is the eternal question and the infernal beast that beats down your door, constant and relentless. An enchanting keyboard transports you straight to the forest glade where the woodland creatures gather to witness such beautiful music,
‘ready to take your hand’ oh please do. It is sparkling, spine-tingling stuff.
Lighters at the ready my friends, here is the showstopper, romance is the order of the day with whispers in the dark( Michael Monroe anyone?), a love unrequited maybe in the lyric
‘the look in your eyes is of someone I don’t know’, the emotion is astounding.
‘Dawn’ is an instrumental mainly with a haunting vocal. celestial keyboards offering an other-worldly appeal. Lindsay Schoolcraft is incisive, slicing your skin off inch by inch with her talon sharp words to reveal a creature that is damaged, dishevelled, and unfinished with all the trials of life. She offers comfort in copious amounts, without being judgemental.
‘If you return will you know who we are?’ is a poignant lyric, central to many broken relationships, leading nicely into the punchier ‘See The Light’ with our friend Xenoyr from Ne Obliviscaris. They both offer sound advice to ‘break the cycle and end the struggle’, these words will be eaten up hungrily by the masses who have waited patiently for this record. ‘Where I Fall’ contains another telling line in ‘to where I understand it all’ that’s if we ever do but we must try.
The penultimate track is ‘My Way Without You’ and more kick in the stomach words with ‘all you deny, all you avoid’ highlight the plight of many who suffer when people refuse to admit their mistakes so that we can all move on and make life simpler.
Across the finish line with ‘Lullaby’ already loved by the fans, there is a cracking set of drums at 3.14 that closes the album.
With the voice of an angel, our friend is the candle that will light your way.
Come hither, oh ye with dark nails of faith…
Lindsay Schoolcraft – Martyr out 7th October via self-release.
Lullaby
I would sing you a lullaby,
But for my voice being trapped inside an iron lung,
That in turn is inside a frost-bitten ribcage,
As the result of a cold and desolate wilderness,
Overgrown and ridden with
The unwanted and the uninvited.
There would be no cure,
But I would endeavour,
I would leave no stone unturned
Even those filled with blood.
An atonement at dawn is
Where we see the light,
The sun peeking through the clouds
And into you room
To see you weeping.
It was no fun portraying the martyr,
Drowned under my own kindness,
Which would never be repaid,
A martyrdom filled with wretchedness
To belie its true worth, its true meaning.
You played a dangerous game
How your saviour became a stranger
To leave you where you fell,
How I need reminding
But remember I will,
From now on it’s my way or the highway
As I head out into the night
In my way without you.
Azra Pathan © 2019
For Lindsay Schoolcraft