Palaye Royale's drummer and pianist Emerson Barrett has thrown himself into the band's recently released graphic novel, not only having a major hand in creating the offering but now following it up with a musical spinoff project that includes a full-on classical music soundtrack.

Released and found under the name Alister on streaming services, Alister: Volume 1 was crafted by Barrett with the idea that it would serve as the musical backing while readers thumbed through the pages of the graphic novel.

Barrett produced, composed and performed the full soundtrack with seven of the tracks mixed and accompanied on strings by Matthew Pauling. In total, there are 19 tracks which make up over two hours of music. A track listing and artwork can be found below.

On the order page, Barrett reveals, "The entire album was created in my living room all on GarageBand. When the pandemic first began I started educating myself about recording, producing, mixing and got back to my roots of classical long form compositions. Drift away with me into the music that helped the healing process of my soul. Without the creation of this project I would have imploded. Love the void."

As stated, the Alister record is tied to the Palaye Royale graphic novel "The Bastards: Volume One," which was a three year project that involved Barrett in helping to hand draw the 260-page book. The graphic novel follows the story of "three brothers walking up along the shoreline of doom" and "undergoing the process of rebuilding themselves from nothing only to realize their memories and sense of self had completely vanished."

Barrett said of creating the graphic novel, “Without literature, art and music this world would be too melancholy to bare. In my own life, I need art to escape and to accurately display my thoughts. This is ultimately how I communicate. Every day is an opportunity to explore more of your mind. Go past the urges of self-destruction and adopt self admiration. To find salvation, one must create a sanctuary. I hope this book becomes a safe place for you just as much as it has become for me. Creating this world was a spiritual process, parts of my soul are embedded into the work. Enjoy.”

The graphic novel came on the heels of one of 2020's top rock albums, The Bastards, which landed Palaye Royale in Loudwire's 2020 Best Rock + Metal Albums list that can be viewed in the gallery at the bottom of this post.

You can order the Alister Volume 1 CD here and the Palaye Royale "The Bastards: Vol. 1" graphic novel is available at this location. You can also stream some of Alister's music via Spotify.

Alister, Volume 1 Artwork + Track Listing

Lieseil Inc
Lieseil Inc
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Act One
The Dead Sea
Prologue
Castle in the Clouds
1881
Three Keys
Prospect of Existence
Amadeus (Nihil Obstat)
Funeral Pyre
In Ruins
Crypt
King Midas Problem
Eternal Alley
Lieseil Academy
Exodus
The Letter
To Be Continued
End of the World (Overture)
31st (Volume II Intro Theme)

70 Best Rock + Metal Albums of 2020

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