C’batch cuts straight through the absurd theatrics of romantic betrayal on his blistering new single, “If There Was Ever A Fool (One Of A Cast Of Many).” The White Plains veteran Stephen H. Cumberbatch has spent over four decades traversing sonic territory from New York’s early-’80s dance circuit to funk and cinematic composition through his Stevette Music imprint, but here he pivots toward symphonic metal and progressive rock with theatrical fury.
Inspired by the fallout of a friend’s doomed relationship, the track digs into the dark comedy and bitter irony of infatuation. It unpacks the messy trajectory of an utterly one-sided bond where boundless devotion was met with cynical exploitation. Rather than stewing in gloom, Cumberbatch lets the realization detonate. Powered by driving rhythms, soaring melodic runs, and wailing, heavily distorted lead lines, the arrangement transforms a painful awakening into an act of defiant liberation. The manipulative ex is left behind in the cold vacuum of their own greed, while the survivor walks away free.
Following his archival EP “I Guess You Want It This Way,” this blast of heavy rock shows Cumberbatch still has plenty of surprises in reserve. Isn’t there something genuinely cathartic about turning romantic humiliation into an earth-shattering epic?
