Cradle Of Filth - Thornography

For this review I feel very honored. I received Cradle Of Filth’s latest album Thornography, the follow-up album of so called meisterwerk Nymphetamine. Both released on Roadrunner Records. Thornography seems to look like a typical Cradle Of Filth album. It got the evil artwork, sinister titles and all ‘Thornographers’ got their famous nicknames. But from the moment that I put the album in my cd player I got disappointed. Let me explain you why….cause I know that I need to be careful with what I say about one of the biggest artists in the black metal scene.

In high school, Cradle Of Filth was the only black metal band that I could enjoy. I once bought an album of Marduk and Dissection but I never really liked that. So everything I write down here is based on my experiences from Cradle Of Filth’s first three albums; their debut The Principle Of Evil Made Flesh, Dusk And Her Embrace and Cruelty And The Beast. And still, I can listen to these albums over and over again. But I’m not sure if it’s the same with Thornography.

I expected a sinister evil but romantic tour through a land where vampires are no fairytales and werewolves are common pets. The intro song pretty much kept me in that world. It’s an evil sounding classical song with a modern twist in it. But from the moment Dani Filth starts to sing I got surprised. It didn’t sound like the Cradle Of Filth that I was used to.

Well, there’s almost ten years between Cruelty And The Beast and Thornography. Not to mention the line-up that seemed to be constantly changing. A lot can happen that influences your sound or style. And I stopped following Cradle Of Filth since their drummer Nicholas, a.k.a. hammer of the gods, left the band to join Dimmu Borgir. From the moment he left, Cradle Of Filth was no longer ‘my’ Cradle Of Filth. And that is exactly what I feel about Thornography.

They still got the speed, the power and the pumping riffs. The vocals though are very poor. It sometimes sounds worse then the vocals on The Principal Of Evil Made Flesh. Even the dubbing sounds awful. Take a listen to the fourth song when they sing the words Libertina Grimm with low voices. It’s also pretty funny that Ville Valo (HIM vocalist) joins Cradle Of Filth on the fifth song ‘The Byronic Man’.

I also believe that it’s all a bit less black and more metal. Take the first guitar riff in ‘Rise of the Pentagram’. The last song ‘Temptation’ even starts with a sort of new wave sounding intro.

Though Thornography has some good songs on it, like ‘Under Huntress Moon’, I don’t see any reason why I should put this record in my cd player instead of those albums I already own of Cradle Of Filth. Maybe I’m a bit conservative but I’ll stick with The Principle Of Evil Made Flesh, Dusk And Her Embrace and Cruelty And The Beast. Thornography is just no match compared with these.

Love Maurits

45/1001Details Roadrunner Records
Released on Tuesday Oct 17th, 2006
Black Metal

Writer @Maurits on Friday Sep 29th, 2006

Tags: #Cradle Of Filth

Tracklisting 1. Under Pregnant Skies She Comes Alive Like Miss Leviathan (1:40)
2. Dirge Inferno (4:53)
3. Tonight In Flames (5:56)
4. Libertina Grimm (5:51)
5. The Byronic Man (5:04)
6. I Am The Thorn (7:07)
7. Cemetary And Sundown (5:37)
8. Lovesick For Mina (7:00)
9. The Foetus Of A New Day Kicking (3:44)
10. Rise Of The Pentagram (7:03)
11. Under Huntress Moon (6:59)
12. Temptation (3:47)

Line up Dani 'Harlot Church'Filth - The Poison In The Font
Paul Allender - Guitarsenic And Black Lace
Dave Pybus - Deep Vein Thrombassist
Adrian Erlandsson - Baton Rouge
Charles 'Molester' Hedger - The Beast With Five Fingers

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