Lindsay Schoolcraft, the Canadian multi-instrumentalist who spent seven years as CRADLE OF FILTH's keyboardist, has opened up about the heavy, nu-metal-influenced direction of her new solo album, "Harrowing" — and the personal journey that shaped it.
The seven-song record marks Schoolcraft's first album written and recorded while sober, and its themes reflect that shift directly, drawing on her experience with alcohol-addiction recovery and mental health. "It was time," she said of the decision to make a heavier record again. "I need to do a heavy album again. I miss it!" Former EVANESCENCE drummer Rocky Gray contributes to the album, lending weight to a record built around riffs rather than the orchestral, symphonic textures Schoolcraft became known for during her CRADLE OF FILTH tenure.
Schoolcraft, who is classically trained and has earned a Juno nomination, doesn't shy away from naming her influences on "Harrowing." A self-described nu metal fan, she's happy to wear the label proudly rather than treat it as a guilty pleasure: "I love nu metal," she said, describing her ability to "own it like a badge of honor" rather than downplay the genre's influence on her songwriting.
The album's rollout has leaned into a playful, retro aesthetic — the second single, "I Wait For You To Fall," arrived in a pop-up-video format, annotated with trivia and commentary in a style that recalls classic 2000s music-video television.
Recovery is a throughline in how Schoolcraft has discussed this chapter of her career, including candid asides about the concrete benefits of sobriety: by her own accounting, she's saved roughly $18,000 by stepping away from alcohol.
Now based in Hamilton, Ontario, Schoolcraft remains active beyond her solo work, contributing to the supergroup Antiqva, with additional new music expected later in 2026. "Harrowing" gives her the space to fold her extreme metal pedigree, nu-metal fandom, and personal recovery story into a single, unified statement — one that trades CRADLE OF FILTH's gothic grandeur for something rawer and more direct.