Cradle Of Filth
Vempire Or Dark Faerytales In Phallustein

THE REVIEW

"Vempire" is the second album by Cradle of Filth, a black/goth metal band led by Dani Filth, but I don't think they need any introduction. Those who know them either love them or hate them. I love them, especially for having released this wonderful black gem, which I consider one of the best examples of symphonic black metal.

The album opens with "Ebony Dressed for Sunset," a short song that serves as an introduction to "The Forest Whispers My Name." It was already present on the first album, "The Principle of Evil Made Flesh," but here it has been enriched and improved. It opens with keyboard notes and then explodes with full power with Dani's voice easily moving between narrated parts, growls, and the high-pitched scream that made him famous. "Queen of Winter, Throned" is probably the best track on the album, long and varied, with keyboards providing a backdrop throughout the song. "Nocturnal Supremacy" is another stunning song, with tight drum rhythms and, in some ways, can be considered a prelude to the subsequent masterpiece "Dusk and Her Embrace," released the same year. "She Mourns a Lengthening Shadow" is a simple and effective instrumental track that introduces the most "intense" song on the album, "The Rape and Ruin of Angels (Hosannas in Extremis)." This long track, which concludes the album, is characterized by black metal outbursts and a very dark and evocative central interlude, all concluded with a multitude of female orgasms.

In summary, I consider this CD the peak of Cradle of Filth, the one that best blends classic black metal with the dark keyboards and the sensual female voices. I wish they had always continued on this path, instead of making uninspired albums like "Nymphetamine" and "Thornography."