Cradle Of FilthCryptoriana - The Seductiveness Of Decay

As the good book says, “there is nothing new under the sun.” There are two ironies with using a bible verse, specifically this one when we consider Cradle of Filth’s new record Cryptoriana -The Seductiveness Of Decay.

Firstly, quoting the bible for a band that sports t-shirts that declare ‘Jesus Is A Cunt’ is guaranteed to cause some problems. Secondly, whilst this is indeed new music, it’s generic, symphonic black metal, which means that there is absolutely nothing new here that hasn’t been done a thousand times over in the past 20 years—it’s just that Cradle Of Filth do it better than most. A flurry of evil sounding creaks, shrieks, power screams and blinding blast-beats clearly show the skill of this band, albeit skills that make up for a lack of originality when it comes to stylistic compositions. Still, and COF should know what they are getting themselves into, and for those that are fans of classic black metal with a hi-def (a sell out according to some) production, Cryptoriana is set to please

In the spirit of their predecessors and contemporaries Emperor & Dimmu Borgir, Cryptoriana offers all the sinister themes and demonic angelic choir effects that you could expect to find in a documentary on burning churches. Heartbreak & Senance encapsulates all the defining features the genre has become renowned for and from there, the relentless assault of Achingly Beautiful and the nomadic gallop of Wester Vespertine tick the checklist of black metal characteristics, with sinister spoken word narrations, roaring guitars and wondrous string arrangements painting the picture of the gothic fantasy world that the group have created.

The musicianship and sheer amount of material and riffage crammed into these eight tracks is eye-watering.

Truth be told, COF have clearly been around the black metal block (evil castle?) more times than a majority of the other acts in their scene still fledgling for relevance in a modern world. The aptly named The Seductiveness Of Decay epitomises this idea, moving from riff to riff with ease, including a not so subtle nod to the forefathers of the NWOBHM movement, complete with harmonising guitar leads, but it’s here that the new ideas slowly begin to trickle out.

While the opening half of Cryptoriana re-establishes the sound that COF has explored for so long, the rest of the record proceeds to remain within the confines of this sound, constantly reverting back to old tricks to try and maintain interest. Not only do the names all remain predictable, like some fantasy manuscript (Death & The Maiden, Exquisite Torment Awaits), the riffs, song structures and drums all sound suspiciously familiar for the entire duration of the ride.

Dani Filth does indeed have one of the most unique voices in the black metal world, but by the time You Will Know The Lion By His Claw rolls around, the same snarly stutter, conjuring all the classic poetic metaphors of death and darkness, can only keep the listener’s rapt attention for so long. Indeed, the crisp tones of narrator Lindsay Schoolcraft is a welcome breath of fresh air to the demonic shrieks that persist throughout the duration of the record, notably on the standout Wester Vespertine, but even then, things feel recycled, Schoolcraft mysteriously telling of the deeds of some strange character in some strange land that doesn’t really mean anything to the listener. But then again, in a world where the evolution of bands can be so abrupt and startling that it can catch their fans off guard (see; Silverchair, BMTH), the themeatic and musical consistency of COF will no doubt satisfy the palate of their horde of maniacs world-wide, with windmills and devil horns abounding throughout the entirety of the disc. Much like fellow new-wave allies Amon Amarth and Children Of Bodom, COF know exactly what their fans want, and while this can become repetitive at times, to maintain such heightened levels of aggression is admirable.

One would be silly to simply write COF off. The musicianship and sheer amount of material and riffage crammed into these eight tracks is eye-watering. To some there is a telling lack of originality in the content, yet what else could one expect from a band that upholds the black metal persona with such vigour and enthusiasm? This collection of hammer-ons, angelic pads, roars and alternating double and half-time thrash beats isn’t exactly new, but if you’re a fan of this band’s old work, you’ll bloody love it.

STANDOUT TRACKS: The Seductiveness Of Decay, Wester Vespertine
STICK THIS NEXT TO: Dimmu Borgir, Immortal, Moonspell

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