The Princess Project: A Glow In The Dark Age |

The Logic Of Metal In The ’90s

(2024 – Roxx Records)

There are albums that pose a challenge and an enigma that is difficult to solve. The more complicated the issue becomes, the more interesting it is likely to be. It’s not a rule, but the equation more or less works that way. The Princess Project probably fits into that category.
Let’s start with a little history first. The Princess Project wasn’t strictly a band, or at least it didn’t become one for reasons unknown. The thing is, the person who ended up behind the microphone, vocalist Judah Mikah, joined guitarist Chris Steberl, who was known for his work on “Project Alcazar,” in the mid-90s, and together they recruited none other than Robert Sweet on drums to bring this idea to life. Together, and with the participation of other musicians such as Steve Theado and John Leyen, they shaped several songs that Steberl had prepared for “Project Alcazar,” and in 1996, they released an EP titled “A Glow In The Dark Age” under the name “The Princess Project.” This EP, titled “A Glow In The Dark Age,” is the only record left of this group, which never played live and was never heard from again, until now.

The guys at Roxx Records (who have recently specialized in rescuing old stuff from obscurity) came up with the brilliant idea of reissuing this album, giving it a facelift and reevaluating a record that had been forgotten over time.
“A Glow In The Dark Age” contains only seven tracks, making it an EP. Consider that the total length of the album barely exceeds 24 minutes. The difficult thing is to identify what this project was aiming for, as it is not very clear. There is a little bit of everything. An approach to progressive rock, traditional Heavy Metal, 80s Hard Rock, a CyberPunk intention, or all of that thrown into the mix. Possibly, this stuff as it stands did not have a major impact at the time it was released, dominated by the alternative sounds that pushed the big names in Metal out of the spotlight.
The 90s were difficult years for Heavy Metal. Even so, The Princess Project cheers up with “Forgiven,” the first track on this album. An intro with very progressive guitar riffs hides behind it a burst of Metal very much in the style of Iron Maiden, with a vocalist like Judah Mikah, who has a vocal range that is hard and violent enough, closer to Doro than Tarja Turunen, to establish a parameter of comparison, even if it is far-fetched. The heavy base of the song and the vocal harmonies more typical of punk rock are interesting. A nice mix.
“Deliver Me” is possibly the strangest song on this album. A violent outburst from Judah Mikah hides a mid-tempo song with a changing structure, which makes it sufficiently attractive from a musical point of view. Next we find “The Gate,” which has an intro of pure guitar strumming and a base clearly anchored in traditional Heavy Metal. The different solos are a real find, and the riffs are not lacking in speed, quite the contrary.
There is a change of depth in “Blood Brother,” a piece closer to 80s Sunset Strip hard rock, taking the wildest aspects of that genre and capturing them in a song that is one of the best on the album. In contrast, “Serpent’s Son” has a cyberpunk feel and would not have been out of place in an 80s film of that genre. Its “techno” feel can be taken as an attempt to experiment with something more modern for those years. Today, it is simply a curiosity.
“Hatchet” is simply an intermezzo that barely exceeds a minute and a half, with different dark and gloomy synthesizer sounds that serve as an introduction to the last track on the album, “Driftwood,” which begins with an interesting riff, following the cyberpunk line of “Serpent’s Son” and even a slight approach to the Fear Factory-style cuts and crushes so in vogue in the ’90s, but not much more.
The album can clearly be divided into two parts. The first part is related to more traditional Metal, and the second part is where The Princess Project gets swept away by the new winds of those old times, losing its compass a little. In any case, “A Glow In The Dark Age” is a pleasant and interesting album these days. Its rescue from ostracism and oblivion allows us to get closer to the sound of a project that never achieved anything specific, and its mark on history remains in this album.
It is possible that “A Glow In The Dark Age” was born out of time and too late. The nineties were clearly not the place where it could have been given attention, and I even suppose that the attempt is a return to a classic sound with a more modern intent, but one that obviously never quite defines itself. Musically, it is flawless. The construction and structure of each song is a cascade of riffs, harmonies, and melodies where all the pieces fit together well. Robert Sweet contributes a lot on the drums (as always), doing a great job behind the kit. Judah Mikah’s voice is on another level. You can tell that he manages to give each song a unique personality. Chris Steberl’s guitars define the sound of The Princess Project.

Graphically, this album gets a passing grade. The cover is dark, with a candlestick illuminating a wall. Nothing very original, but the concept itself has to do with the message of the album. There are no photos of the group, except for some heavily retouched ones, but at least the lyrics of the songs are included, most of which are Christian. Unlike other reissues, there is no mention of the story behind the idea of The Princess Project and how this album came to be recorded.
The sound is not outstanding, but it has been improved enough with a new mastering that allows you to appreciate the richness of the different sounds that were worked with at the time. I don’t want to forget that in addition to this compact disc edition, it was also reissued on 12-inch vinyl, which is a detail to be applauded.
Is there a chance of reviving The Princess Project? Who knows. The answer may lie with one of its main ideologues, Chris Steberl, who over the years continued to work on his other project, Project Alcazar, with which he has released several albums in recent years. At least we still have “A Glow In The Dark” to enjoy and rediscover.
In 1996, it was difficult to break into the scene with a sound related to traditional Metal. And it was even more difficult to attempt to redefine the genre. What was in vogue was alternative and weird experiments, very typical of those years. The Princess Project tried to bring everything together, but obviously it didn’t get much attention at the time. Today, perhaps, it has another meaning.
To get this material in physical format, we recommend visiting the Roxx Records website at https://www.roxxrecords.com
Here is the only video clip that was recorded for this project (forgive the redundancy), which notably does not feature Robert on drums. The song in question is “Blood Brothers,” which logically belongs to this album…