Where the Laws of Nature No Longer Apply: St. October - Bathsheba Sherman feat. Lindsay Schoolcraft (Track Review) Release: 10/1/26

 

Our favorite Iowa black metal quartet arrives once again with their latest offering, "Bathsheba Sherman," featuring the incomparable Lindsay Schoolcraft,  as a masterclass in horror-inspired extreme metal. It translates the cinematic dread of James Wan's modern classic The Conjuring into a crushing, atmospheric heavy metal anthem. Released at the onset of the haunting season, the track captures the oppressive atmosphere of the cursed Perron farmhouse and the malevolent spirit said to haunt its grounds. It avoids the cheap gimmicks that so often weigh down horror-themed music and delivers a genuinely chilling sonic experience. The lineup is formidable: Dusten Leibert on guitar, keys, and vocals, Monica Leibert on lead vocals, Sid Summerson on bass, and Jade Pement on drums, joined by Schoolcraft. Together they have crafted a fully realized piece of gothic art that stands on its own musical merits while serving as a loving, terrifying tribute to cinematic lore. You don't need to have seen the film to be unsettled by it, though fans will find plenty to savor.

The song establishes its intent from the opening seconds. Rather than an immediate wall of distortion, it begins with a tension-building soundscape shaped by Dusten's atmospheric keys, deliberately designed to put the listener on edge. A cold wind effect winds around a haunting keyboard melody that echoes like a music box left playing in an abandoned attic, while a low, rhythmic thrum like a pounding heartbeat builds beneath it. When the full band finally crashes in, it lands like a physical blow, made heavier by the patience that came before. Musically, St. October balances punishing brutality with sweeping gothic elegance. Sid Summerson's bass rumbles with guttural intensity and anchors the heavy metal core of the song. Jade Pement's drumming moves fluidly from tribal, ritualistic floor-tom rhythms to blistering blast beats that capture the frantic terror of a desperate escape from an unseen presence. The shifts feel less like changes of tempo than changes of mood, tracking the rising panic of the story.

Dusten's guitars swing between thick, chugging riffs and soaring, tremolo-picked melodies with a distinct black metal chill. Every note feels deliberate. The riffs provide the weight and the tremolo lines provide the cold, so the song can be crushing and eerie at the same time. The vocal interplay between Monica Leibert and guest vocalist Lindsay Schoolcraft forms the emotional and thematic core of the single. Monica delivers a ferocious performance, trading aggressive, guttural growls and gritty clean vocals with Schoolcraft, who brings an otherworldly elegance to the track. A renowned fixture of symphonic metal, Schoolcraft cuts through the heavy distortion like a spectral apparition, with soaring, melancholic melodies that evoke the tragedy and bitterness of the historical figure behind the myth. Set against Monica's powerful lead, her voice creates real narrative tension.

It feels less like a traditional duet than a psychological struggle: a desperate, haunting dialogue between a living soul and a possessing entity determined to drag them into the dark. The push and pull between angelic grace and demonic fury lifts the song above a standard metal track and makes it a dramatic, theatrical performance. Each voice sharpens the other, and neither ever fully gains the upper hand. Lyrically, the song grounds itself in its cinematic inspiration without feeling derivative. The words weave imagery of rotting wood, shadowed corners, a mother's corrupted curse, and the grip of generational trauma tied to the land. They touch on Bathsheba Sherman's rumored life, her isolation, the accusations of a superstitious town, and the twisted legacy that followed her into cinematic immortality. By focusing on emotional desolation rather than simply reciting plot points, the lyrics let the listener feel the cold dread of waking in a house where the laws of nature no longer apply. Production-wise, "Bathsheba Sherman" is a triumph of modern metal mixing and mastering. Extreme metal can fall into the trap of over-compression, where instruments blur into an indistinguishable wall of noise, but St. October's production gives every element room to breathe while staying cohesive and monolithic. 

The crisp high end of the symphonic elements and Schoolcraft's vocals contrast with the gritty warmth of the analog-sounding guitar tones, so the heavy and atmospheric components complement rather than fight each other. The mix also places the listener at the center of the sonic room. Whispered backing vocals and eerie sound effects seem to creep up directly behind you in the dark, and that sense of presence is a large part of why the song unsettles as much as it pummels. Ultimately, "Bathsheba Sherman" is a triumphant slice of Halloween-ready extremity that succeeds on nearly every level. It offers real musical substance, high-tier production, and an undeniable gothic atmosphere that will satisfy die-hard extreme metal fans and horror aficionados alike. St. October and Lindsay Schoolcraft have captured lightning in a bottle, channeling one of modern horror's most iconic villains into a devastatingly heavy and hauntingly beautiful composition. For anyone looking to soundtrack their darkest autumn nights, this collaboration is a mandatory listen, and proof that horror and heavy metal still have plenty of brilliant surprises left.

Be haunted in the best way possible and give Bathsheba Sherman a listen now: 

Go give them a follow on Instagram: St. October & Lindsay Schoolcraft