CRADLE OF FILTH Vempire is the second release from the band following not too long after their first but presenting a HUGE step forward in terms of performance and production. Cradle of Filths first album had great songs and the musician ship was already very accomplished but this is a stunning step forward for the band.
from the minute the first track starts you can hear the difference with the production allowing everything to cut through with razor sharpness and the orchestration of the songs sound so much more coherent. The first song “Ebony Dressed for Sunset” displays this perfectly. Nicholas Barker’s drumming (which again was great before) has improved out of sight with some very impressive blasts and double kicks blasting away in precise motion
“The Forest Whispers My Name” is a reworking of their most identifiable song from the previous album and is a huge improvement. I have to say I like both versions but Dani Filth’s voice on this is absolutley blood curdling. The high’s are higher and everything cuts through.
The bands obessession with all things Vampiric continues on with this album (the album title should have given that away) with “Queen of Winter Throned”. As a lyricist myself I can only read on with awe as Dani Filth combines authors like Bram Stoker, Shelley and more with his unique style of poetry. Dani is very well read on Fantasy, horror and the occult and combined with his obvious love for horror films and his own lyrical skill combine to make Cradle of Filth something quite unique. Musically this really shows of the bands control of melody and songwriting.
“Nocturnal Supremacy” follows on in much of a similar vein to the song before it, with the female vocals used to great effect and everything coming through in a wall of symphonic nastiness.
This is a classic peice of Black Metal history and Cradle of Filth led the way in dragging the art form up into the mainstream, well at least mainstream enough that its primary proponents could make a living out of it. I remember this album fondly from my youth, and revisiting it again now just confirms how good this release actually was and how good the times I grew up in were. If you haven’t heard this and have even the slightest interest in Black Metal this is one you need to hear.
For more great heavy metal reviews be sure to keep checking back on Metalhed.com as regularly as you can!