Cradle Of Filth
by Andrew Frey
December 2004
Cradle of Filth
A grim figure stepped up to the mic and began “Your misery is worn as a veil, To hide bewitchment of the ugliest kind, In place of Eve, a bitter parody hails, Daggers from the swagger of a sodomite’s concubine.” Then the vocalist raised his hands up and screamed the chorus, “Gilded cunt…you gilded cunt!” before launching into the next verse.
For the uninitiated, “Cradle Of Filth” is Britain’s premier erotic black metal band. They have been shocking and stunning fans around the world for well over a decade. Outside of the 11 or so CDs available, they have been pumping out a proverbial onslaught of vile merchandise for the black masses. Rings, posters, stickers, shot glasses, pendants, t-shirts, computer icons, wallpapers, and so much more! Most of the merchandise has their trademark vampiric appearance and often shows off partially clad, (fake) blood splattered females.
“Nymphetamine,” featuring the aforementioned song, is Cradle Of Filth’s latest entry into their line of sonic debauchery. The songs they have brewed up are awesome and the horrified music is full of black gothic enchantment! The atmospheric keyboard passages underlie and intermingle with the striking melodic guitar riffs and the various voices that screech, howl, and sing. Former fans should be appeased, and the throngs of fresh flesh will be pleasantly pleased as well. Cradle Of Filth shot a video for the title track, and it is one of the songs that shows off guest vocalist Liv Kristee (Theatre of Tragedy, Leaves’ Eyes).
“We weren’t under any pressure to make this record and that’s been the catalyst for us to create something really incredible,” founding member and lead vocalist Dani Filth mentions with a demonic smile. “The only way to top the last album was to go a completely different way, so it’s a real mixture of styles this time. We haven’t anchored ourselves to a concept. It was a real pleasure to write on a variety of different themes and the music is really diverse and sonically precise. The whole thing sounds perfect and very fucking heavy.”
The band has been through its share of members, several of whom have spun off into other notable groups (including Blood Divine and Dimmu Borgir). Others have rejoined the fold over time. Outside of front man Filth, the current Cradle Of Filth line-up consists of guitarists Paul Allender and James McIlbroy, keyboard maestro Martin Foul (ex-Anathema and My Dying Bride), bassist Dave Pybus, and drummer Adrian Erlandsson (formerly of Sweden’s At the Gates and the Haunted).
Run and hide now Christians! Your hypocritical dogma about a man skewered on a stick won’t save you now. The masses must prepare and take notice of the FILTH! Cradle Of Filth will be unabashedly spewing forth their dark musical venom from coast to coast on the Headbanger’s Ball 2 tour, and there’s little you’ll be able to do about it…except to go and see them! 12/6 in Minneapolis at Quest, 12/7 in Chicago at House Of Blues and 12/8 in Milwaukee at The Rave. They’ll be touring with Himsa, Bleeding Through, and the amazing Arch Enemy.
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