Cradle of Filth
Thornography

THE REVIEW

"This title represents the human obsession with sin and conscience. The thorn unites the image of the troubled Christ, with the crown of thorns, [...], or again, the protection of a secret place with the use of thorns and brambles. An addition of self-mutilation or something equally poisonous."

This is how Dani Filth describes the title, and the content, of his band's new album, Cradle of Filth. It's pointless to lavish words of praise on what the Cradle has given to the extreme music scene: albums like "Dusk & Her Embrace" and "The Principle of Evil Made Flesh" are gems in the black-gothic-symphonic genre. It's pointless to deny that they later released other great works, quite varied and different from the beginnings like "Cruelty & the Beast" or the majestic and very beautiful "Damnation & a Day". Then, the half misstep. "Nymphetamine" greatly abandoned that symphonic element, which I so appreciated in them, in favor of much more metal-oriented songwriting based on the power of electric guitars. It wasn't a completely bad work, but it had many flaws and defects, and to be honest, it wasn't the worthy successor of the "biblical" album that preceded it. In 2006, this "Thornography" saw the light of day, which had already been talked about for months before its release due to the album's cover: violent, offensive, vulgar, and more. At least, the ability to disturb fans and critics is something the Cradle still has. We must see how true this shock is, whether only a marketing ploy or a mirror of the album's content. After several listens, a conclusion jumped to my mind: this album will surely fuel other controversies about the band's compositional health because, like "Nymphetamine", it continues to present good, indeed, very good ideas only to then fall almost into the pathetic. I will tell you quite frankly that the orchestral element is set aside just as it was in Nymphetamine, thus present in very few songs: the riffing is much more thrash-oriented. But above all, don't expect too many novelties: at times the riffs and vocal parts are too similar to the past, which does not mean that the album doesn't have excellent ideas. In fact, the album presents truly beautiful tracks only to fall into glaring failures.

"Under Pregnant Skies She Comes Alive Like Miss Leviathan" is the usual symphonic-instrumental introduction, a classic of the group, a sort of introduction to the album's atmosphere. And various female choirs lead us to the actual album. "Dirge Inferno" was surely the first piece listened to. At first listen, it seems to retrace the stylistic solutions of "Damnation & a Day". The impression may also be correct. Too bad that the symphonic element is completely missing and there are reminiscences that refer to "Gilded Cunt" in some riffs... A good track to start, powerful, even if the much-loved screams of Dani, those appreciated on Dusk, but also on Midian, are completely absent.
A good riff brings us to a song that left me perplexed: "Tonight in Flames" starts well but develops terribly. Apart from Dani's scream, the song in the chorus is pathetic with Dani who "sings" and does not shout. A search for melody that is truly pathetic, and then, hearing Dani sing melodically makes me shiver and devalues what Dani has done well in the past. And also, the central section is predictable, with the usual piano inserts and a whispered scream for the final explosion with a solo. The "melodic" experiment is completely out of place, given that the best parts of the track are precisely the powerful ones.
After this not-so-happy episode, we move to another fall: "Libertina Grimm"; a banal riff that takes off the track but features an unbearable Dani Filth, especially when singing the title of the track, and with vocal solutions already heard. The track remains undeveloped and has 10 seconds purely symphonic which I honestly did not understand what they were for. "The Byronic Man" brings back Dani Filth dealing with melodic singing in a bad, simply bad, slow, and monotonous track and is also forgettable for the awful presence of Ville Valo (vocalist of Him). Another misstep. Finally, we return to more decent territories: "I am the Thorn" finally brings the Cradle back to decent quality levels. Sure, the sound is the same as Nymphetamine, but for now, it's one of the best on the album. Energetic, fast, and very aggressive. It's useless to describe it further because it’s truly an excellent track. "Cemetery & Sundown" continues with a discussion that I can finally appreciate, and finally, there's some slight evolution: the riffing remains powerful but marks good melodies supporting a "growling" Dani Filth. Even "Lovesick for Mina" (which seems to be a tribute to Bram Stoker's "Dracula") reintroduces this melodic riffing and the track has a great atmosphere, very varied and well-developed, and finally presents a worthy orchestration.
Paradoxically, the best part of the album is in the middle, after a very understated start. "The Foetus of a new day kicking" reintroduces somewhat melodic singing in a track that starts to drop compared to the great previous episodes. Good, but nothing more, and it predicts a further qualitative drop. Which comes true: after an introduction read by the great Doug Bradley (the actor who played Pinhead in the immortal "Hellraiser" and is already present in other Cradle songs such as "Her Ghost in the Fog") begins a long instrumental titled "The Rise of the Pentagram". Monotonous, where the guitars do nothing but rhythm, while a bagpipe takes care of the melody. But it is an instrumental that leaves nothing, being really without interesting ideas. "Under Huntress Moon" is a great track, a prelude to the complete madness of "Temptation": a cover of Heaven 17, it is an unbearable track, bordering on dance, full of samples and a disgusting chorus.

For a good half, the album is disappointing only to then quickly rise. Surely the most successful episodes are "I am the thorn", "Under Huntress Moon", and "Lovesick for Mina" and some minor episodes like "Cemetery & Sundown". The other tracks are to be avoided. Ultimately, an album perfectly in line with Nymphetamine. Just like its predecessor, it presents merit-worthy episodes, alternated with truly pitiful passages. I think it deserves a passable grade, but I emphasize, a passable one only thanks to a few truly beautiful tracks.