“Truth and Reconciliation” by Cargocastle is the most recent song and is an appeal in the best tradition of rock ballad. The song, created and produced by Corey Wayne Dell, the creative genius behind Cargocastle, is his testimony of overcoming child molestation. Dell made this track with reference to artists like Devin Townsend and David Gilmour, so despite the track’s name, it reflects Dell’s pain, struggle and acceptance.
This song, recorded in a home studio in Altoona, PA, is truly the first time where Dell has written about himself, delivered feelings and sentiments with no filter. It was created at the time of a C-PTSD flashback, making something beautiful out of something so awful. However, the process is very liberating and for the first time, Dell says he had someone to support him as he dealt with trauma.
This track starts off quiet and mysterious, and then works the listener into the particularly ethereal mood of the tune. The moment you get used to that rhythm, there is a scream of vulgar guitar giving it an unpredictable and muscular listening experience. The song is a mix of classical composition or arrangement, melodic rock, lo-fi and experimental music or tune. This combination reflects the oscillation between the stages of healing evidenced for Dell.
A pleasant rhythmic shaping of this material, sharp, distorted in timbre, disrupts the atmospheric and lyrical passages, so the sound map corresponds to the title – suffering and hope. Organic and synthesized effects coalesce and converge, which displays confusion and order underlying existential transformation in Dell.
“Truth and Reconciliation” means much more than music; it is the performance of pain, strength and freedom. It addresses subtler themes that people can relate to the struggle of the song and come out with something good out of hurt. This track is an excellent example that pain can turn into artwork.
