Cradle Of Filth
Bitter Suites To Succubi

THE REVIEW

What are EPs in 90% of cases?… simply useless fillers to scrape together some extra change between albums? Well, I usually can't help but agree, but as they say, "you shouldn't tar everyone with the same brush!" And here I am to review this exquisite gem by Cradle of Filth, in my opinion (at least until 2000) a fundamental band not only for the extreme scene but also for metal in general.

Our English vampires surprise us with a small refined album, crafted and packaged to perfection, an excellent album, compact, without particular declines in tone, even experimental if you will (see the Sisters of Mercy cover "No time to cry") and with some masterpiece songs. Superior to "Midian" and also to the subsequent controversial "Damnation and a Day," two good albums but far from the immense masterpieces of the caliber of "Dusk" and "Cruelty," this "Bitter Suites to Succubi" starts off well with a dark instrumental, a classic Cradle intro and the adrenaline-fueled "All Hope in Eclipse", a song that has nothing to envy compared to "Cthulu Dawn" from the previous platter. So far one might say "well, not bad" but… wait gentlemen, the best is yet to come. So, here we are before the two masterpieces of the album; first, our ears will be happy to be mistreated yet at the same time enchanted by the beautiful "Born in a Burial Gown", which I consider the last masterpiece song by Cradle and the extraordinary remake (probably better than the original!) of "Summer Dying Fast", an already exceptional song on the debut album (The Principle of Evil Made Flesh) and made even more beautiful on this album by a wonderful and emotional ending of keyboard and female voice intertwining like in a romantic and diabolical orgy at the same time, difficult to explain, listen to believe. The album flows beautifully and decisively, the musicians are inspired and in good shape, especially the great, indispensable, immortal 165 cm of Mr. Dani Filth on the microphone. Two other remakes from the debut album, specifically the title track, decently played here, and the immense "The Black Goddess Rises", which unfortunately with all the best intentions does not reach the unattainable gothic horror peaks of the original version.

Also noteworthy is the concluding "Scorched Earth Erotica", a slightly atypical but very compelling track. In conclusion, what to say, if you are fans of the English vampires, a listen is mandatory, if you already hated the extreme/gothic turn that occurred with "Cruelty," this album could only disgust you like the others… but after all as they say, "de gustibus…"…