Cradle of Filth
Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa

The Horror/goth/death metal band Cradle of Filth returns just in time for the Halloween festivities with their ninth album, "Darkly Darkly Venus Aversa".
There are musical patterns that never go out of style, and the bands that adopt these patterns as the basis for their releases can bask in long, successful careers. I think the Cradle of Filth falls into this category, considering that they have never changed direction from the one taken with Vempire, even though some changes, far from radical, have been noticeable in their sound first with "Midian" and then with "Thornography", (also due to the fact that the band has changed more than 20 musicians) making the songs more appealing to the listener and affecting the production aspect through clearer sounds. "Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder" marked a return to the group's faster and more aggressive side, paving the way for this latest effort which is its prettier twin, so to speak. The thing that immediately catches the attention when starting to listen is the absence of symphonic intros and various interludes, but apart from this, the trademark is always the same, just sped up thanks to the good Martin Skaroupka on drums.

The storm begins with "The Cult of Venus Aversa" and ends with "Beyond the Eleventh Hour", decreasing in intensity only with "The Persecution Song" and "Forgive Me Father (I Have Sinned)"; it should be noted, however, that none of these seem to stand out sharply from the others, so in the long run, one might be assailed by nostalgia for those slow and majestic passages, surprise interludes, and mood variations to which the band had accustomed the public.
The first single released, "Forgive Me Father (I Have Sinned)", seems quite like a goth-opera, with a mix given by the vocals of Dani Filth (cleaner than in previous works) and those high-pitched female vocals imploring him to adore him, with guitars and percussion more in line with '80s hair metal. And “Lilith Immaculate” is more or less the same thing, if not less "diluted", it's more violent, but with the same female accompaniment and soundtrack background executed by the wife of producer Scott Atkins, which I have to say hit the mark alongside the riffs.

The four tracks that open the album are composed, as tradition has it, of violent percussion, guitars not fully audible, and Dani's brutal gymnastics on poisonings, hangings, a touch of rape, more poisonings, and bloodshed; I can hardly deny finding the concepts somewhat boring. In this case, we talk about one of their favorite subjects, which is poor Lilith, the fateful first wife of Adam, delving into the historical meanders and into the murky, nauseating abyss where Lilith awaits her revenge on men, women, and all who have denigrated her porcelain beauty. The lyrics must be said to be well crafted and colorful, as well as angry, thanks to the William Wordsworth of mainstream black metal, whose real name is Daniel Lloyd Davey. From "The Persecution Song" onwards, there is a lightening/lengthening where the gothic influences find space in the compositions making them more melodic; only for a little while, until "Deceiving Eyes", another storm to face holding on tight.

The only flaws I found concern the somewhat stagnant riffs that, despite the album exuding carnal malevolence to the canines, simply don't stay engraved in the memory. There is objectively nothing to say about the production for all the various components that never result in being too pompous or overly glossy. The final judgment then belongs to each buyer of the album; in my opinion, this is the best album they've made since Halloween 2000, that is, since Midian.