Prince of Truth

Considering Evangelista is side project of musician Carla Bozulich—a rather unstable project at that—it is hard to imagine that a work of quality would be produced by a band that seems to be a metaphorical revolving door. However, despite the constant entering and exiting of band members, Evangelista released the solid Prince of Truth.

This album is a living testament to Bozulich’s ongoing fascination with noise and its role in the creative realm, particularly in music. Each track seems to be more in the vein of a soundscape than of an actual song. They supplement the lyrics with the vivid images they bring to mind. There is no doubt that the sounds were placed very cleverly, as they always fit in well with the song itself. The myriad of instruments combined with various noises form a distinct impression for each individual track. Without a doubt, it’s the album’s instrumentals that really push the envelope and make this a distinct piece, for better or for worse.

Lyrically, Prince of Truth could not get any better. Every song is both music and poem. They are all emotions frozen in time, preserving the feeling in the song. As one listens from track to track, one is taken on an emotional rollercoaster that is no doubt a reflection of what Bolzulich was feeling when writing them. She covers a variety of topics, all discussing truth, and many of them touching on the hopelessness of life. It is in the haunting details, like the song that seems to be suggesting that cats bet on when their humans will die, that the point is driven home. With her cathartic and eloquently written lyrics, Bolzulich forces listeners to face ignored truths that permeate life, even going as far as questioning whether there is any truth at all.

Though there is arguably a commonality between tracks in their overarching theme of nihilism, overall they seem to be arranged a bit randomly. One goes from the intense, sound-heavy “The Slayer” to the mellow, shanty-esque “Captain’s Side”. Though all albums contain such a progression of feeling, there seems to be no progression at all, but rather a jarring arrangement of hot and cold, hot and cold. The album’s disjointed nature is its only major flaw. Prince of Truth is for any listener who can appreciate the complexities of life, human emotion, and sound-play.

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