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THE REVIEW
The Cradle of Filth are the answer to the question that some blacksters may have asked themselves: "Are there any black metal bands that aren't Norwegian?"
The answer is obviously no. Cradle of Filth are not a band, they don't play black metal, and above all, they are not Norwegian.
However, Cradle of Filth, and here's the strange fact, are the most well-known black metal band of all, perhaps equal to Dimmu Borgir (what a sacrilege...).
Who was at the Heineken Jammin Festival? Your metalhead classmate, who then stinks, vomits, and gets drunk during classes, what band's T-shirt is he wearing? (if it's Iron Maiden's, spit in his face... just kidding, of course).
Cradle of Filth. A perfect money machine led by a human being barely over a meter tall. A bunch of five lunatics who accompany their performances with a couple of overweight strippers.
But despite hating every single member of this band in a nearly visceral way (especially the former drummer Nick Barker) I can't help but say that this Cruelty and the Beast is a wonderful album, only rivaled by the glorious Dimmu Borgir's Enthrone Darkness Triumphant.
Wonderful in its ability to encompass within itself, and here's the list, the very melodic and symphonic Black (copied from the Norwegians mentioned above), a rhythmic base that reeks of Bay Area Thrash, and a melodic choice, especially some solo riffs, that instead reminds a lot of Swedish death metal à la In Flames.
Unlike Dimmu who built much of their melody on keyboards, here it's the guitars, thanks to excellent songwriting work, that ensure many of the riffs are very headbangable and easy to assimilate.
I won't spend further words on Dani Filth's very high-pitched screaming, which you may like or dislike depending on your predisposition to listen to a castrato with a bit (a lot) of laryngitis.
The only flaw of this CD is the fact that due to the high level of easy assimilation of many riffs, after a while, you'll start to have enough... but don't worry because it will be just a small temporary pause.
Ah... Don't forget to burn the horrible cover, preferably during a satanic ritual.
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Summary by Bot
This review examines Cradle of Filth’s album Cruelty And The Beast, highlighting its unique blend of symphonic black metal, thrash, and melodic death metal influences. Despite the reviewer’s ironic tone and personal dislike for the band members, the album is praised for outstanding songwriting and memorable riffs. The high-pitched vocals divide listeners, and the catchiness of riffs may cause brief listener fatigue. Overall, it's deemed a wonderful and impactful album.Tracklist Lyrics
05 Venus in Fear (02:20)
07 The Twisted Nails of Faith (06:50)
08 Bathory Aria: Benighted Like Usher / A Murder of Ravens in Fugue / Eyes That Witnessed Madness (11:02)
Read lyrics10 Lustmord and Wargasm (The Lick of Carnivorous Winds) (07:30)
Cradle of Filth
English extreme metal band formed in 1991, led by vocalist Dani Filth, known for theatrical imagery and a blend of symphonic, gothic and black metal elements.40 Reviews
Other reviews
By deathinaugust
Dani Filth is consistently over the top in this release, in a continual delusion of grandeur that will lead him to ruin what his bandmates accomplish.
'Cruelty And The Beast' is not the album that definitively takes the band away from the Black Metal of their origins; it is a coherent path that evolved their original sound.
By Starblazer
"Cruelty And The Beast" is the album of blood, of raw and naked wickedness, of perversion pushed to the extreme limit.
Songs like "Beneath The Howling Stars" and "Bathory Aria" are rightly considered some of the greatest masterpieces of a band that deserves much more respect and consideration.
