Cradle of Filth - Hammer of The Witches (2015)

When Cradle of Filth first was formed back in the early 90's, the band was one of the pioneers and creators of extreme metal, showing off a evil the world has never seen. Now, over 20 years later, they are about as harmful as a cup of milk, especially compared to all of the endless black metal and satanic acts that is out there today. But is it possible for the English band to gain back some of the fearful respect they acquired in the early stages of their career? This new release could make the answer to lean towards the yes side.

It is not that the band's 11th effort "Hammer of The Witches" is their most terrifying record yet, but it does contain a sort of self awareness, in which the band seem to understand that they have to stop focusing on the horror and the darkness, and instead focus on what really matters, the music. And they really seem to do just that, even if some of the songs here are on the lighter side, "Hammer of The Witches" still holds that Cradle of Filth vibe that we know all too well. It is fast, technical, dark, but not as heavy as several of their previous efforts.

The quality is there though, and it is shown instantly with "Yours Immortality...", a track with a lot of mean riffing, blasting beats, and a wide diversity. And the strong attacks from the band just keeps on coming. With songs like "Deflowering The Maidenhead, Displeasuring The Goddess" and "Blackest Magick In Practice", the band has a great foundation to stand on, and to build upon.

But for some odd reason, the band loses momentum further into the album, making "Hammer of The Witches" a "are we there yet?" experience. The record is generally a pleasant listen, but it would not have hurt the Cradle to cut one or two songs to make it tighter. And the fact that I got a version which includes two bonus tracks (both fairly mediocre) does not help the matter.

Despite being a little too long, "Hammer of The Witches" is an interesting album that certainly fulfill your needs for a daily dose of good, demonic metal. It definitely seem like their move to Nuclear Blast has served the band well, first delivering a nice offering in "The Manticore And Other Horrors", and now this. I do not think that Dani Filth and the rest of his crew will ever relive the time when they were one of the more evil acts in the business, but they should gain back some recognition with this excellent release.

Songs worthy of recognition: Blackest Magick In Practice, Yours Immortality..., "Deflowering The Maidenhead, Displeasuring The Goddess"

Rating: 7,5/10 Christian Soldiers

Cradle of Filth - The Manticore And Other Horrors (2012)

First off, I have to confess something. I am very much of a noob when it comes to more extreme kind of metal. I listen to some of it but I have not really sunken my teeth completely in the genre yet. But there are two bands out there that has made me look a little more into this type of music. The first band is swedish The Project Hate MCMXCIX and the second band is the almost legendary Cradle of Filth.  So now has the time come for Cradle of Filth to release their tenth album "The Manticore And Other Horrors". Only the second album by the band that I have listened to. The first album was their latest, "Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa". An album that I mostly enjoyed. Still I was not sure if I would enjoy this album as much as "Darkly". Maybe I was still scared of this kind of music or it was just that feeling whenever you are about to listen at something outside your comfort zone.

Very well, I have now listened to "The Manticore And Other Horrors" and I can gladly say that it was a good decision I made. "The Manticore..." contains a handful of mysterious and punch effective tunes. Every song on this album is groovy and dark but also catchy. Most of the songs are very easy to remember. For instance, "Succumb To This" is the only song with female vocals included, "Frost On Her Pillow" has a inner beauty that is admirable and "For Your Vulgar Delectation" has an fantastic riff work. The guitar overall on this album is great. The sound that six string is making fits perfectly in the songs and helps to create the mood that the band is striving for. Actually, the only instrument I have a problem with is the bass. The bass is so baked in behind the other instruments that you can rarely hear it. And when you do hear it, it is not anything extraordinary. It is as plain as it can be.

Fortunately, the anonymous bass playing is made up by the rest of the musicians. Especially Dani Filth and his horrific and awesome singing voice. It would not be Cradle of Filth without the Filth himself. With that voice he makes every song an experience by itself. But not even the fantastic singing can make up for the few misstakes that this album is showing. The main problem with "The Manticore..." is that it is a little to much of the good stuff. I mean that there are a little to many deja vu feelings on this album, especially when it comes to the singing. Even though I love the singing it can be a little to much of it in a couple of tracks. So for the next album Dani, try to lay a little low on some tracks and let the instruments do the work so you wont wear yourself out.

After listenening to "The Manticore..." I must confess that I am from now on a fan of Cradle of Filth. I will try to look more into the bands earlier work and I promise to look more inte the more extreme kind of metal that exists out there. Cheers to the Cradle and to their tenth studio album. A perfect way to celebrate Halloween 2012.

Songs worthy of recognition: Succumb To This, For Your Vulgar Delectation, Frost On Her Pillow

Rating: 8,5/10 Sinfonias