Inside The Sonic Exorcism Of Lindsay Schoolcraft

Lindsay Schoolcraft returns from the shadows with Harrowing, a new seven-track record released on June 19. The former Cradle of Filth keyboardist has built a fierce solo career blending metal with classical strings and ethereal harp. But this third studio album is a raw, searing chronicle of survival against narcissistic abuse. The title itself works on two distinct levels. It describes emotional devastation while also referring to the agricultural act of tearing up dirt to prepare it for fresh seeds.

“When the title Harrowing came about it was due to my late night ‘word nerd’ deep dives on a batch of words I was curious about,” Schoolcraft explains. “Originally I was toying with ‘Herolding’ due to the angel imagery on the cover art and it seemingly bringing a message. But then I remembered the word ‘Harrowing’ and once I looked it up I was sold. Though it does describe a long, painfully drawn out experience it also has biblical meaning, which I found fitting considering the album’s developing concept at the time. I love that it also means to tear up soil and start over.”

Blasting the uncompressed studio files through the dual LG monitors on my Dell 3680 workstation, the sonic shift hits with aggressive force. Co-piloted by Motionless in White producer Justin deBlieck, the production leans hard into Nu Metal and Metalcore textures. It features an undeniably heavier, metallic edge than her previous work. The only technical flaw is that the classical string arrangements occasionally fight for frequency space against the down-tuned guitars in the mid-range. But that slight audio claustrophobia actually fits the lyrical theme of breaking out of coercive control.

“In the early days of writing these songs we all had agreed we wanted this to be a heavier album than previously,” she says about the shift in sound. “That was the foundation that most of these songs were built around. The only song that started softly and mostly stayed that way is Chase The Dark.”

Every track operates as a distinct chapter in the healing process. Surviving severe abuse leaves permanent marks. The hardest part for victims is often simply trusting their own memory after years of psychological manipulation. Schoolcraft tackles this brutal reality head-on instead of hiding behind vague metaphors.

“The unconvincing, or ‘gas lighting’ is by far the worst when you’re still in those scenarios,” Schoolcraft notes. “Once you get out and get help, talk to other survivors, or maybe even communicate with others who escaped the same abuse, you start to see that you weren't crazy. That your gut feeling was right, that your nervous system became a mess for a reason.”

The song “So Alive” stands out as a massive collaborative labour. It brings in guest vocalist Krista Shipperbottom to provide harsh, abrasive textures. Writing a track about feeling alive after surviving something that almost destroyed you requires serious tension. It took time for the band and the returning composers, including former Evanescence drummer Rocky Gray, to nail the exact right vibe.

“The song ‘So Alive’ saw so many versions and revisions,” she admits. “The melody and lyrics stayed much the same throughout, but it was a community effort, all contributors on this album put something into this track. Every other song has its own ‘lane’ it would stay in. ‘So Alive’ could have gone in many different directions, but I am very glad where it ended up.”

The lead single “Crucified” takes a different angle by using heavy religious imagery to frame personal betrayal. It earned over 106,000 views out of the gate and proves that righteous fury translates well to video. For Schoolcraft, escaping control in her personal life also meant deconstructing her strict Catholic upbringing and finding a truer spiritual home.

“Music is my religion,” she states firmly. “It’s taught me most of what I know to be good in life and has kept me in check more than anything else ever could. Especially that inspiration that comes out of nowhere for a new song idea. If that isn’t ‘God’ I don’t know what is.”

Releasing this highly personal material independently since launching her debut album on Oct. 11, 2019 via her own Cyber Proxy Records requires thick skin. The music industry remains notoriously predatory. Building your own infrastructure from the ground up offers protection, but it can also isolate an artist who tries to manage everything alone.

“More than anything it’s hyperindependence,” she says about running her label. “When you’ve been in the industry this long it’s hard to trust a lot of people and the infrastructure that is so messily predatory and now, unreliable. It’s definitely an armour, but it took a lot of vulnerability to accept I needed to ask for help.”

The album art perfectly captures this tension between death and rebirth. Based on Alphonse Mucha’s 1897 piece L’Illustration, the public domain image visually anchors the heavy themes. It feels surprisingly modern despite being well over a century old.

Harrowing was written between 2022 and 2024, meaning the woman who started the project is completely different from the artist releasing it today. Survival changes people fundamentally. “I see who I was at 36,” she reflects. “Still healing and making sense of it all post-pandemic. Finally sober. We’re not the same person today at all. Not the same artist or producer either. But I honour her because she toughed it out and got me here today.”