Customer Reviews

Thornography

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

As you can see from earlier posts on this message board, Cradle of Filth have been the subject of much conversation lately. In fact, even some of the members have said Cradle isn't and has never been a true black metal band. And now that these seven Brits have released their second slickly-produced album on a major label, have a MySpace page, and have been in talks with MTV and Hot Topic, "sell out" rumors are running rampant. But this writer's opinion is this is yet another case of a band tweaking its sound without selling out. This has happened so often that I'm getting tired of writing these reviews. Yes, Cradle of Filth did sound a lot more raw and in line with traditional black metal on their debut, 1994's "The Principal of Evil Made Flesh." But what everyone needs to realize is, even though they have crossed the line into mainstream territory, they can still shred as mightily as ever before. On all six of their full length releases previous to this one, COF have seamlessly crafted together gothic overtones, haunting and usually symphonic ambience, brutal extreme metal, imaginative, conceptual lyrics, high amounts of drama and an occasional dash of humor. And their new full length, this year's "Thornography" (a second for Roadrunner), is, of course, the same way. In fact, if anything slightly hinders "Thornography," it's that it can sometimes be a tad bit on the familiar and/or predictable side. For example, Dani's Filth's vocal range--piercing shrieks and low bellows--hasn't changed or matured whatsoever. But one needn't worry that it's a carbon copy of everything else they've already released, because a few new ingredients are brought to the table here, such as guitar soloing (!), and various Iron Maiden-esque harmonies (yep, you read that right).

"Thornography" begins with an expected orchestral overture, "Under Pregnant Skies She Comes Alive Like Miss Leviathan." Tracks like this are pretty standard for a Cradle of Filth album, but it's nonetheless ominous and bone-chilling. "Tonight In Flames" and "Cemetery and Sundown" are also standouts because they take on a new, unique, and daring approach. The former has a clean vocal refrain and piano mid-section, whereas the latter features several melodic hooks and even a vague pop appeal. And the closer, "Temptation," an entirely unexpected yet decent cover of a romantic song originally written by Heaven 17, is perhaps the record's biggest surprise.

The rest of the disc, however, is much different. Track two, "Dirge Inferno," is an all out onslaught of driving blast beats, and catchy, punching twin guitar riffs. Despite being kind of groove-oriented, "I Am The Thorn" is a blistering thrashfest with shredding riffs, rapid fire double bass kicks, and four lengthy, careening solos. "Lovesick For Mina" is vintage Cradle of Filth-it perfectly balances restrained, well-placed melody (i.e. soft strumming, cool piano keys, violins, and spoken word vocals) and unabashed, bludgeoning metal (with blasting drums and strong, fiery leads). "Rise of the Pentagram" utilizes a similarly great dynamic, and places gentle synths, choral vocals (in the background), and what sounds like a church organ alongside smoking, buzzsaw guitar parts. This song is also a highlight because it's almost entirely instrumental, aside from the creepy and somewhat nasty spoken word poem (about sex, the Garden of Eden, serpents, blasphemy, etc.) at the beginning. Lastly of note is "Under Huntress Moon," which boasts bulldozing, earthquake riffs, a deeply grumbling bass line, and insanely fast, pounding skins.

Though "Thornography" isn't quite as epic or innovative as some of their earlier works (like, say, 2003's "Damnation and a Day"), it is substantially more expansive than 2004's "Nymphetamine," because COF definitely took a few new musical strides here. These strides have disgusted many longtime fans and black metal purists and are sure to alienate some newcomers. But the fact of the matter is, aside from a couple experimental moments, this album is surprisingly easy to digest and will satiate those who long to hear what they're used to hearing: full-fledged brutality and face-melting intensity. Thus, "Thornography" is NOT a ruination of the signature, legendary sound Cradle of Filth started establishing over a decade ago; this is the same band you've always known and loved.

I would like to start by stating that this album is not death metal, black metal, ect. Nor does the band claim to be. The closest they have been was Principle of evil made flesh........maybe, and they evolved from there. Cradle of filth sounds like Cradle of filth.

Anyone new to COF will enjoy this cd. Even the people who have liked them from the begining will like it. It is a Very good cd. Not there best effort but worth buying.

Certainly this is the most accessible release from COF yet. And as often occurs in the metal community as soon as beloved bands nod towards commercialism the knives come out and sell out is screamed. No need really because this is the most direct and palatable release so far and I am sure they must be attempting to expand their market, afterall all things must be reborn if they are to continue otherwise it grows stale and old. The vocals are frequently tuneful and the choruses and bridges to the songs are memorable after only a couple of listens. In other words less percistance is needed to find the hook. Indeed this cd reminds me of the old school stylings of Mercyful Fate or the NWOBHM style of that era say 83-ish metal which I personally loved. Of course the Iron Maiden stylings are still very present and it all sounds terribly British. Perhaps the extremity of their sound is in a better doseage for a more mainstream market this time. Song highlights must be 'Tonight in Flames' which really highlights an attempt at more traditional workings and is very successful by doing so, and 'The Byronic Man' for the same reasons. The negative votes are coming (I sense) but I personally think the Edgar Alan Poe gothic style lyrics are now a liability and they should write less cryptically to match the less cryptic style they have adopted musically. Either a watershed release or the end perhaps, time will tell?

It's great to hear the filth experimenting with new sounds and production techniques. I was a bit concerned on the first listen through as it is definitely different to their other releases but the new songs sound great. Give it a chance and get over the fact that it's not a "Principle of Evil Made Flesh" reincarnation (like that would be possible anyway) and I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised. The songs are going to sound great live, I can only hope they tour in Japan

I am 40 years old. I burned my ears by listening to metal since I was... I don't know. When I first heard COF almost nobody knew this band and I remember the looks I got when I said this band would be famous. I also knew, after listening to "Cruelty and the Beast" that this guys would never come up again with something so perfect, that this would be their maximum peak. Honestly, how could you get a faster trip to the deepest regions of the worst hell immaginable other than listening to this cd capable of bring demons to your mind for an infernal excursion to the darkest side of the collective unconscious? However, if you look at the history of Iron Maiden, for example, many fans thought the same about "The number of the Beast"; nothing better than that could ever be accomplished. Nonetheless, a serie of beautiful works followed that impressive album. Those works were pretty different from the initial hit, and yet, the same flavor was there. Of course, those who listened to the first album - which was a conceptual piece of work as well as "Cruelty and the Beast" was, those fans felt betrayed with the next album. They didn't want to listen to some incredibles new songs, they wanted "a trip". In part, Maiden gave that to their fans several times in its career. Unfortunatelly, with COF I don't feel the same way. Maiden gave several awesome albums but they also kept their formation long enough to produce that quality. Listen to the sound of the drums and the quality and elaboration of the keyboard work in "Cruelty and the Beast" and see what COF missed from there on. Only Dani's genius keeps COF as a powerful band. Although I enjoy a lot of the new songs,I still miss the trip. I still await for their next delivery. The problem is that in the meanwhile the commercial part, the circus, the formulas and repetitions are an awful downside for this unique band. One question nobody seems to ask: why is that this band doesn't attempt to transcend itself by trying to open up and reach not just teenagers? Dani: I know you need to make some living in this world, but you are primarily an artist so tell me, is there any difference between a singer who sings songs for children and what you are doing? Deep Purple, Zeppelin, Maiden, Floyd and many others saw grown people on their concerts. Are you going to become a clown just to reach those teenagers in fatland?

If you are a fan of music in general, and dont bother wasting time fighting about whos mainstream, whos not, whos black metal, death metal, or metalcore and whos not, and just sit down, put a cd in and listen to it for what it is, then you could find somthing very good here. Everyone Spends so much time trying to be ELITE that every now and then they miss out on a great album. and this album is definately worth a few spins. The production is great, but not to over the top, and yes dani filth's vocals have change. *gasp* he sings, but he sings well. God forbid a band write a metal album and put singing into it. Any Metal band ( wether they be death, black, or whatever)t hat can write a great album and make it catchy, thats a band that should grab your attention. everyone trys so hard these days to be the most heavy, or the most extreme and what they find that they lack is depth in an album. wether you like the song or not fellas, Feotus of a New Day Kicking will in fact be in your head. and anyone that can accomplish writing a song with hooks that stay with you, well thats talent. i think this is worth the time of any fan of metal, and any one with an open mind. the riffs are great, the drumming is crips and it will definately have you headbanging while sitting in traffic. i know ill be singing along to this for a while

Thornography is much like Nymphetamine, but heavier. Therefore, the lyrics aren't AS good as, say, Dusk And Her Embrace or Cruelty and the Beast, but are still better than a lot of other music out there. The album's title itself has to do with the human obsession between sin and self, which is reflected in many of the lyrics. Many songs have a surprisingly darker feeling than a lot of the stuff on the album's predecessor. This is an odd shock because most of the songs actually had very little keyboarding because of Powell's departure from the band.

However, the album doesn't just get the return of Douglas Bradley as the album's "narrator," but there are two other guest artists on this album. "Byronic Man" has H.I.M.'s Ville Valo and blends so well with Dani's lowly growls that it's very difficult to hear him without listening closely. The closing song, "Temptation," a cover of an old 80's pop song by Heaven 17, has Harry from Dirty Harry. That song actually sounds very good, despite being a pop cover (the song "Devil Woman" on the Nymphetamine Deluxe Edition is the same way).

It's not just the guests that make the album great. Dani's vocals have actually, for the most part, changed from a high-pitched wail/screech to a deep, raspy growl. While it's still not everything people want, it should keep many from complaining. This actually makes some songs, like "The Foetus of a New Day Kicking" enjoyable and surprisingly catchy.

To make things more interesting, the band has finally created an instrumental track that contains more than just keyboards. I don't mean the opening track with the unnecessarily long title, but "The Rise of the Pentagram." It opens up with Doug using spoken voice alone and then shifting to loud and raging guitars and drums. Though the song itself turns into keyboards occasionally, it often seems to be like Metallica's masterpiece instrumentals, "The Call of Ktulu" and "Orion" with a more sinister and melodic feeling.

Final Word: Cradle fans who were disappointed by Damnation and a Day and/or Nymphetamine will be disappointed again. However, the band has by no means sold out. They are definitely rising back up in ability, even if it is slowly. For the CoF newbies, have a listen of Dusk...And Her Embrace, Cruelty and the Beast and Midian if you want to know why people think the band is losing their touch or to find out where the band started. If you want similar music, check out some of the band's influences such as Slayer, Venom and Mercyful Fate. Keep headbanging and stay filthy!

** 4 out of 5 stars **

Typically, I'm not the kind to call "sell out" when a band changes their sound, but this album really makes it hard not to. Virtually every strength of the band has been abandoned in their newest release in favor of accessibility, resulting in an offering that consistently lacks depth, power, or intrigue. Particularly notable changes in the tone of this album include lack of keyboards, a much slower tempo, simpler songwriting (continuing in the vein of Nymphetamine), and more tepid vocals. The move away from keyboards might be an interesting shift were the guitars up to scratch, but sadly, Allender's riffing has never been in the same league as Cradle's other guitarists. While he puts together an occasional cool hook, much of Allender's playing consists of plodding power chord progressions that simply drag the songs down. Erlandsson's drumming is equally uninspired, with minimal fill work and nothing that comes close to being "extreme". I doubt he even broke a sweat recording this, and his bass drum tone is irritatingly over-triggered. As for Mr. Filth, he attempts some cleaner vocal work, which I found interesting, but overall, he also avoids anything too extreme, and his lyrics are positively uninspired. Overall, this album has a stripped down, more rock oriented tone to it. It's similar to Nymphetamine, with an even more poppy, mainstream feel to it, and will probably be the last Cradle album I purchase.

I never had high hopes for this album to begin with, what with the cheesy, unusually uninspired title, and the very slow, subtle decline in lyrical, musical and aesthetic sensibility that Dani and the boys had demonstrated with their previous albums.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not some maniacal underground black metal purist, and while I did enjoy their earlier work much more, I do still consider Midian, Damnation and Nymphetamine to be excellent albums that hold their own in both the pop music and extreme metal genres. My only complaint, until now, was that the material began showing signs of deteriorating quality BY CRADLES OWN STANDARDS. This new album, can't even stand in the face of COF's infinitely less talented contemporaries.

My first and biggest complaint would be the astonishingly sudden nose-dive in Dani's lyric-writing ability. Whereas he once stood as a nigh-on-Shakesperean god among a metal scene full of unintentionaly campy shock value and laughable pseudo-eloquence, my once favorite master of musical prose is now turning out the kind of predictable, effortless tripe that could pass for Arch Enemy, Dimmu Borgir or even Korn lyrics! Seriously, at one point in this album Dani actually tells someone where to shove something. Limp Bizkit's Nookie, anyone?

The music itself is also grossly unispired and boring, with the wretched "I am the Thorn" bordering on NuMetal in its overbearing simplicity and repitition. Its been merely hours since I listened to this CD for the first time and not a single riff has stuck with me.

And none of this is to mention Dani's embarassing attempts at actual meloding singing. Just the idea should speak for itself.

All in all, this is not only Cradle's worst album to date, but leaves me with the impression that they really have nowhere else to go. I'm all for changes in artistic direction, and I even believe there to be room for improvement after "selling out", but with this debacle of a release, I'd say they've not only sold out, but have simply run out of ideas. Honestly I'd rather have never heard from them again if it meant not hearing this sad swansong; that is to say, if its not the deliberate end of their career, it probably should be.

I have followed COF's career since Principle of Evil came out back in the early 90's. Since then I have collected and enjoyed all of their filthy albums. Even though they have changed a bit over the years, their unique sound and haunting melodies have always stayed consistent to a degree. Then comes Thornography. You know how you listen to songs on a new album and at first you're just not sure if you like them or not? But as you listen to the songs a second time, then a third, they grow on you. Not the case here, every time I listen to it, I despise it even more. They have slowed down a bit, which wouldn't be a bad thing I suppose. I have always enjoyed their slower and mid-paced creations like Malice Through The Looking Glass, or Nymphetamine (Overdose). But now, it sounds completely lazy. No more blazing epic melodies. The complexity and dynamics of their unique stile has all but vanished, leaving behind songs that are completely forgettable. I have listened to the album four times and there is not one song that I can remember worth skipping to find. The Cradle stile drumming is weak. The guitar work is indeed hard and riffy, but unbelievably boring. Dani shrieks from time to time, but in all sounds to me like he is just tired. This pathetic release has very much spoiled my interest in Cradle completely, and now it's even difficult for me to take the rest of their stuff seriously. It's a shame to see a band like COF abandon their talents, and release a waaaaaay below average creation. What a sad waste of money, but it did make a nice frisbee.