Published on Nov 8, 2000
I never thought it would happen, but I understood about ½
of the lyrics on the new Cradle of Filth CD that was released on
Halloween. What a fitting day to release nearly an hour of frantic,
full-blast, fantastic (gulp), demonic metal. Yes, I wrote
“fantastic” in the same sentence, using it as an adjective to
describe a release by this band. Lord, help me.
Lyrically, like Dimmu Borgir, this band has its carcass ready
for a hell-pleasing sacrifice. The images of Satan and the occult
(including the less-than-a-minute “Satanic Mantra”) are full-blown
and while I don’t agree with a word of the Satanic implications,
the lyrics are often poetic. Their song titles suggest the epic
compositions that they are. “Saffron’s Curse,” “Black Magick For
Adepts” and “Lord Abortion” are just three of the chaos on this
CD.
Musically, what can be said about a death band that toggles
between mind-numbing frantic blast beat snare hits and metal that
actually grooves at a lower pace? Tapping your foot to a Cradle of
Filth song? Preposterous during the opening organ of “At The Gates
Of Midian,” true, as well as during the onslaught of “The Cthulu
Dawn” with constant double bass locomotive chugging and the raspy
vocals.
But, surprisingly, a track like “Saffron’s Curse” starts out as
a mid-tempo straight-ahead metal song with a simple “typical” AC/DC
drumbeat. Cradle Of Filth? AC/DC? Same sentence. The track turns
frantic for a little bit and then toggles back to the
straight-ahead simple groove.
Groove? Cradle of Filth? What the hell? To say that I am
impressed with the new Cradle of Filth is an understatement, but to
give it an unconditional recommendation taxes my mind way too
much.
While certain tracks like “Death Magick For Adepts” and the epic
“Her Ghost In The Fog” were pleasant surprises, there is still too
much “typical” death material here, namely the vocals. I just don’t
have the capacity to understand garbled growling. Tracks like “Her
Ghost In The Fog” show the band’s greatest strength, but there are
too many other tracks, like “Tearing The Veil From Grace” “Amor E
Morte” and “Lord Abortion” that bring this CD down.