Cradle of Filth
Dusk and Her Embrace

THE REVIEW

The English band Cradle Of Filth are known as the little vampires of metal. Since 1993, the group has offered us symphonic black metal with very gothic tones, later enriched by more thrash and death-oriented influences. What I am about to review is their second album, considered the most atmospheric in their career, and by many, their masterpiece. I agree with this statement, "Dusk... And Her Embrace" is indeed a concentration of melancholic and macabre atmospheres, a fitting soundtrack for works like Stoker's "Dracula." The lyrics, long and lacking a true song form, are characterized by numerous archaisms and typically English wordplay, expressions of the wide culture of singer Dani Filth. They are also rich in references to romantic literature, occultism, mythology, and erotic morbidity. The singer's unique voice, capable of expressing himself with a strangled but intense scream, and with a deep and sensual tone in the spoken parts, is very particular and can sometimes be unpleasant.

A solemn intro with keyboards and choirs introduces us to "Heaven Torn Asunder", which begins with crackling flames, then gives way to a tormented interpretation of guitars and voice, followed by sudden breaks and bursts interspersed with keyboard breaks and female voices. Next comes "Funeral In Carpathia", a fierce funeral litany adorned with keyboards of symphonically tragic cadence. Stunning is the tormented and desperate interlude at the center of the song. It continues with "A Gothic Romance (Red Roses For The Devil's Whore)" introduced by gloomy violins and howls, where constant tempo changes divide between slow, more extreme parts and gothic interludes, with diabolical female laughter surrounding one of the most beautiful tracks of the album. Again violins and the sound of a gate closing conclude the song. "Malice Through The Looking Glass" stands out for being, despite the guitars, one of the most atmospheric tracks, with beautiful spoken part interludes. This is followed by the title track, a mix of all the characteristics of the group's sound. "The Graveyard By Moonlight" is an interlude consisting of piano notes and distant, icy, and perverse choirs that touch us with invisible hands, and the notes of a music box in the background herald majestic funeral keyboards. Decadent melodies still alternate with bursts of pure sound extremism in that perverse elegy titled "Beauty Slept In Sodom". It closes with a small gem, "Haunted Shores", which introduced by string melodies turns out to be a piece with epic nuances dealing with the legend of King Arthur, but in a darker and oppressive atmosphere. Noteworthy is the guest presence in this track of Cronos, singer of the legendary Venom, a group considered the inventors of black metal. Thunderous rumbles from an empyrean of the damned seal it all.

Words fall short in describing such a poignant and malevolent work at the same time, the litany of the Carpathian mountains intent on recounting Dracula-like massacres and battles whose blood still embellishes cold rocks. The booklet is beautiful, depicting tombstones, forests, ruined castles, and sacrilegious banquets, and contains phrases and quotes from De Sade, Nietzsche, and other accursed writers. A manifesto of the darkest and most eclectic romanticism.