Customer Reviews

Principle of Evil Made Flesh

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

A masterpiece resulting from the excelent musicians and the great song-writing from Dani inspired in Bram Stoker's Dracula! They're the best in the style! This first album of the band is a mist of melodic and also brutal ambiance! Listen to "Black Goddess Rises" and "To Eve The Art Of Witchcraft"! Enjoy this CD in a dark place with a good stereo and your phones on!

I can't say that this is my favorate Cradle of Filth release, but when you look at their other works and what this is up against (Dusk And Her Embrace, Cruelty And The Beast, Etc.), you can tell that I'm not insulting this release by any means. This is probably the closest to black metal Cradle has ever come, but that, of course, is up for debate. The fact of the matter is that this is a dark, grimey, and cold release. They were definately out to make a statement in their first release, and I believe they did just that.

The music is absolutely fantastic. Everyone plays their part well. The keyboards are probably the most evil sounding keyboards I have ever heard on any album. Organ effects are mostly used in combination with the fitting, shabby production, you have the some of the most evil, atmospheric songs ever assembled. Another thing that I believe should be mentioned is Robin's bass work. As a bassist myself, I must say that Robin is a fantastic bassist. Listen to "The Forest Whispers My Name" for a good example of Robin's bass work. The drumming, done by the infamous Nick Barker who already showcases great talent, even for such an early release. The guitars are great, you even get a few ripping solos here and there. Dani's vocals are great. They are not quite as high pitched as you'll find in later releases, actually, a lot of his vocals on this release are quite deep. His lyrics are as poetic as ever, so fans of Dani's poetry will be fulfilled. Everyone does a great job.

All in all this is a great release for fans of dark music. I'm not going to call this black metal, like I said before, that is up for debate, at least for this particular release, but it is one evil ride.

If you are thinking about purchasing this album on the strength of all the stellar reviews posted here, consider this: All these folks shelled out $27 dollars for a (somewhat) obscure black metal album. In other words, most of these people knew what they were getting before they order the album, and it met their expectations. If you are thinking this will be another well produced, consistant COF album, it won't meet yours.

This album stands alone in the Cradle catalog as exhibiting poor production. That will no doubt appeal to the "true black metal" fans. If you are one of those, change my rating to 4 stars. In addition, Cradle's immaturity as a band stands out in this album. Many of the songs are brilliant, but executed poorly. Listen to Summer Dying Fast and The Black Goddess Rises on Bitter Suites if you want to here how amazing those songs can be. In particular, being able to afford something a little more high tech than a cassio toy keyboard helped. Nick Barker's drumming is pretty weak on this album as well. He improved immeasurably on the Vempire ep.

Don't get me wrong. The Principle of Evil Made Flesh definitely has its moments. To Eve the Art of Witchcraft actually works well with the rough production (in fact, its an amazing song). My suggestion is to steer clear of this one unless 1) you own everything else Cradle has put out, or 2) you are a black metal head who only enjoys music that sounds like it was recorded in your basement.

This album has a fast pace to it with dark melodies and some orchestration which is the patent COF sound. A deffinate must if you are a COF fan. It is however heavier than Cruelty and the beast.

What can i say, since i don't have their demos and bootlegs but have their other albums, i think this one is their best. The speed and heavyness are there, with the goth, somberness and melody. Dani's vocals are the most understandable and the tales he tells make you wish you couldn't understand him. This is exactly as it sais, the principle of evil made flesh. On the others i have a fav song, but not on this one. They are all great. I love COF and all their veiws and ideas, they are the best thing to hit the music world since Bathory. I'm ordering their DEmos and Bootlegs and can't wait to own them.

The year is 1994. An English band, with the lovely moniker "Cradle of Filth," are introduced to the world. Little did anyone know at the time, Cradle's debut, "The Principle of Evil Made Flesh," would be the start of a long line of controversial dark metal albums.

Everything that this band has become famous for (opaque riffs, blast beats, creepy interludes and spoken words, morbid/Satanic lyrics, and nails on the chalkboard vocals) is present here; but this album also differs from later albums (like "Damnation and a Day" and "Nymphetamine"). First of all, it may have to do with his age, but Dani Filth's vocals are lower and raspier, not nearly as high pitched. He often sounds like he's gurgling hot grease. Next, and more importantly, "The Principle of Evil Made Flesh" is Cradle of Filth's fastest and rawest sounding album, and it may be their coldest and darkest album. All of these songs are creepy to the bone and send chills down your spine. Finally, Cradle have sort of made a name for themselves by making concept albums (an album which tells a story). But you don't need to worry about following a story when you listen to "Principle," because it is not one of those albums. This C.D. is all about the music.

The title track has fast, running guitar riffs, an equally as fast drum beat (which gives the beat a thump), and some face-melting yells from Dani.
"Forest Whispers My Name" opens with downshifting, churning riffs. Some throaty yells, snarls, and a shriek follow, as do more fiery guitar riffs.
"Black Goddess Rises" has some more snarly vocals and heavy (albeit slower and repetitive) riffs, but this song is a standout because of the use of the piano at the beginning. Plus, a mini guitar solo is thrown in at the end.
"One Final Graven Kiss" has more pianos and what sounds like an orchestra.
"Crescendo of Passion Bleeding" has a beginning which could be a Slayer song. It slows down near the end, but the beat picks back up again when a scorching guitar solo makes an appearance.
"To Eve the Art of Witchcraft" switches back and forth between an organ and fast, sprinting guitars and drums.
"Dream of Wolves in the Snow" is one of the aforementioned creepy spoken word interludes. A demonic voice calmly utters: "Ah, listen to them, the children of the night. What sweet music they make."
"Summer Dying Fast" has a thumping drum intro. The guitars kick in and Dani lets loose some more yells like he's a tortured soul in Hell, but the highlight here is the pounding snare drums. Sometimes during this album (like with this song), the guitars are almost pushed to the back of the mix and the drums drive the beat.

Unfortunately, since it is a debut, and it was released on a small record label, the production is a very cheap, bare bones minimum. As a result, much of this album, even the heaviest moments, sounds faded and distant. To make up for this album's production (or lack thereof), you need to turn the volume level to ten and push your headphones closer to their ears.

In conclusion, "The Principle of Evil Made Flesh" is a good dark metal album and a great debut, but it is, ultimately, for diehards and collectors only. If you're new to Cradle of Filth or are only a casual fan, do not start here. Pick up "Midian" or "Dusk and Her Embrace" first, then, if you're still interested in the band's beginnings, come back to this C.D.

While I am aware that Cradle of Filth had more than one demo made by the time this cd came out (the demo's can be downloaded off of Soulseek. They even made an lp with a different label in 93 but that never saw the light of day and can't be purchased or found on Soulseek) So, what I mean by " Here is where it all started" is, that this was the first official Cradle of Filth release, which would be the start of an incredible career. This cd, doesn't have the production of future releases but isn't bad by any means. I mean listen to a Darkthrone album now that is some bad production. Also, many people have mentioned the price being a little bit higher than what most cds cost, It costs $27.49 through Amazon.com. For me though, you can't put a price on such an incredible album (and band). While this isn't my favorite Cradle of Filth cd. I mean look what it is up against. Dusk and Her Embrace(my favorite cd of all time) Cruelty and the Beast (2nd favorite cd of all time) and Midian (3rd favorite cd of all time) this however, is still a true masterpiece. It is differant than other cof releases, being that this is a debut they grew from this. I mean, some bands come out throwing little jabs but as the years goes by they become great and start throwing knockout punches, however, even with the slightly cheap keyboards (which disapear on future releases) cof comes out throwing knockout punch after knockout punch. Here is a song by song review below.


Darkness Our Bride (Jugular Wedding) - 5/5 One of the best cof intros/ insturmental tracks of all time. I love this and never skip it.

The Principle of Evil Made Flesh - 5/5 First full length track and it is a classic. One of the most well known tracks on this album. A re-recorded version of this song (along with The Black Godess Rises and Summer Dying Fast)were put on the Bitter Suite To Succubi(2001) ep.

The Forest Whispers my name - 4/5 Aother classic song,a re-recorded version was put on the V empire (1996) ep.

Iscariot - 3.5/5 Good insturmental not as good as the other insturmental tracks on this album but still good.

The Black Goddess Rises - 15/5 One of my favorites if not my favorite track on this cd. Incredible. Dani Filth hass amazing lyrics in this one. There is just something so hypnotizing about this song.

One Final Graven Kiss - 5/5 Another beautiful insturmental, the keyboards in this song never cease to amaze me.

A Crescendo of Passion Bleeding - 5/5 A song that definetly comes out swinging. This song reminds me of something you would find on the "Total F*cking Darkness" demo but with much better production.

To Eve The Art of Witchcraft - 15/5 This song, just held my attention from the moment it began, I love it. The best on this cd (even though The Black Goddess Rises is in a really close 2nd) the production which isn't as good as later cof actually helps make this song sound even more beautiful. Fast forward it to about 4:40 into the song to find out what I mean.


Of Mist and Midnight Skies - 4/5 Has a very eerie Dracula vampire type feeling to the intro. Takes a little while to get going but when it does watch out.

In Secret Love We Drown - 4/5 another eerie insturmental that is oddly calming.


A Dream of Wolves in the Snow - 5/5 an odd song, Dani mostly just speaks the lyrics still incredible with awesome keyboards. the lyrics in this song " Listen to them, the children of the night. What sweet music they make" would go on to be in the song Queen of Winter, Throned from the V empire ep.


Summer Dying Fast - 5/5 another classic from this album. Great drumming intro by Nicholas. The guitar solo is also a big part of what makes this song so great. Dani's lyrics are also incredible. Perfect closing song.

There is also an outro type hidden track.


The path to glory started here. Enjoy.

Great CD from a great band. The production isnt too bad here, just raise the volume a little higher. Dani does what he does best here, both guitarists play very well also, Robin and his bass are great, Nick and the drums, well what can I say its Nick on drums, and the keyboards are very atmospheric and haunting here. This cd isnt as good as Dusk or Cruelty, but those cds are so good they cant be beat. True fans of Cradle will love this, but new fans listening to only Midian and up probably will not. Stand out track is The Forest Whispers My Name.

With this album, Cradle of Filth began their quest to spread their evil vampyric metal to all ends of the earth. This is Cradle at their rawest, and this album is a milestone in the history of "black" metal. All things said, this album has the beginnings of the signature Cradle sound with razor-sharp guitar licks, haunting female backing vocals, and gothic flourishes. Yes, this album may be a bit hard to find but is certainly worth the cash for any CoF fan, as well as anyone looking to have a great collection of black metal. Yes, the production quality and sound on this album is not exactly top notch, but what did you expect for a first release on a limited budget? That being said, this album is worth cranking up loud!!! Truly an overlooked gem, and definitely should not be missed for any CoF fan or black metal fan.

COF shoot off with this first album, and what a ... album it is. THIS IS BLACK METAL!!!!!!!!!! This album, based on Bram Stoker's Dracula, has got lots of goodies in it. Great screeches by Dani, chilling organs, and amazing raw material. The only problem is that the quality of the recording and playing isn't sooooooooo good, y'know, which can be noticed comparing to their other albums. But it doesn't matter, this album is a milestone, and must for every Black Metal lover.