Cradle of Filth is all about their historical/Biblical figures. It’s what they do with the music surrounding said figures that matters for the band anymore.
Added to the list of historic killers and ne’er-do-wells such as Elizabeth Bathory (Cruelty and the Beast) and Gilles De Rais (Godspeed on the Devil’s Thunder), among others, the band takes on Lilith - the first wife of the Bible’s Adam - in their newest effort, Darkly Darkly Venus Aversa. Instead of telling her story in the Bible, however, Cradle of Filth goes the other way, weaving an original tale about Lilith’s emergence as a modern-day Goddess.
The story, subtextures, and influences on the band’s lyrical content could be discussed all day in proportion to the nuances of the band’s canon and how each album is a finely-weaved tapestry using its subject matter as a discourse on the evils of man and the brutality our race is capable of. But then, the same could be said for Slayer - and no one would buy that, either.
You see, Cradle of Filth has a lot in common with bands like Slayer in those respects. The concepts and subject matter can be analyzed all day, but the music is more-or-less the same blinding, choral gothic brutality that Cradle of Filth has become known for (to the point of influencing scads of black and gothic metal bands whether they would admit to it or not).
“More-or-less” has to be used here, however, because there are slight stylistic differences that both unite and divide the metal community with each passing record. Damnation and a Day and Thornography are great examples of that division with the band going full-on symphonic for the former (thanks to Sony’s backing for an album) and a little too experimental for the tastes of many with the latter.
Article comments
1 - Triniman
Good review. What other bands would comprise the top 5 biggest black metal bands?
2 - Bud Gallant
Very well done review. It's sad to see Sara Jezebel Deva leave, although she was never officially a full member of the band to begin with. Her vocals are quite divine.
I recently put together some basic facts on Cradle of Filth for a HubPages project. It's in my url in case you're interested in seeing it.
I'm really looking forward to the next album. Lyrically and vocally the band is very fascinating.