Biografy
Just as the gravel-lined, turd-stained streets of urban England gave heavy metal to the world back in the late ‘60s, so that small country with the big voice continues to be the place where the world’s finest dark metal band rest their weary, alcohol-ravaged heads after another sonic killing spree. Love them, hate them or both, Cradle Of Filth is back again to fondle you while slitting your throat. Thornography has arrived.
Recorded at Chapel Studios in Lincolnshire, England, with renowned metallic production genius Rob Caggiano (Anthrax, Bleeding Through) and mixed by Andy Sneap (Killswitch Engage, Arch Enemy,Trivium) at Backstage Studios, Derbyshire, Thornography is the band’s seventh full-length studio album and their second for Roadrunner. The follow-up to 2004’s widely acclaimed meisterwerk Nymphetamine it’s a scintillating and terrifying collision between the familiar and the unexpected. It’s the dark, destructive and unsettling sound of a globe-conquering heavy metal band at the height of their sick, twisted powers, and the continuation of a proud, priapic and unhinged legacy that stretches back nigh on 15 years.
When Cradle Of Filth released their now legendary debut album, The Principle Of Evil Made Flesh back in 1994, the notoriety surrounding the Black Metal scene – and its spiritual epicentre in Oslo, Norway, in particular – was reaching fever pitch throughout Europe. These legions of the damned and disgusted took metal further into the abyss than it had ever been before, stripping away its worldly concerns and reducing it to a pure and chilling core of impenetrable black menace. Cradle Of Filth were undoubtedly inspired by this sea-change in metal’s ongoing evolution, they had their own plans for disseminating their own distinct, gothically-erotic propaganda and swiftly defined their own left hand path. Their disdain for playing by the rules was startling in its intensity from the very start.
Throughout the ‘90s, Cradle of Filth – led by vocalist, lyricist and crypt-crawling master of ceremonies Dani Filth – beavered tirelessly away, producing a series of peerless extreme metal classics that drew from an endless, dizzying array of inspirations and influences while always maintaining that instantly recognisable heart of filthy darkness. The brutal and brief Vempire mini-album and the lustrous, lascivious Dusk & Her Embrace (both 1996) began to reveal the band’s great sonic range. Later taking into account the slithering concept piece Cruelty & The Beast (1998) and the Clive Barker-inspired Midian (2000) – not to mention their excursions into the visual realm of film and promo– the Cradle Of Filth sound showed itself to be a many-headed creature. It was one that took delight in confounding both the purists and the critics who continually assailed the band’s motives and creativity even as their fan base expanded and their status soared. With a line-up that seemed to be constantly changing – thanks, perhaps, to the cobweb-encrusted revolving door that rumours suggest marked the entrance to the band’s rehearsal space during this period – the music was never allowed to stagnate; fresh blood and its revitalising effects remained a permanent weapon in the boys’ macabre arsenal.
As the 21st century dawned, Cradle Of Filth unleashed the epic, ambitious Damnation And A Day - a sprawling, theatrical masterpiece that has yet to be truly recognised for either its semantic depth or its thrilling levels of metallic artistry. Quietly walking away from a fractious partnership with their previous label, the band eventually found a logical home with Roadrunner Records. It was a match made in hell that spawned what was, until now, almost certainly the strongest collection of songs in the Cradle canon, the mighty Nymphetamine. Wildly varied and as heavy as anything the band had ever recorded, it was widely hailed as a triumph and led to yet more gruelling treks around the world, where their rabid fan base lurks in every shadowy corner waiting for their latest fix of barbaric drama and blood-soaked belligerence.
And so to 2006, where Cradle Of Filth find themselves in the enviable position of being in a league and class of their own. Having long since outstripped the achievements of their one-time contemporaries, the band are now firmly entrenched in a rich vein of form. The current line-up of Dani Filth, guitarists Paul Allender and Charles Hedger, bassist Dave Pybus and drummer Adrian Erlandsson is the most solid and powerful in the band’s career and Thornography is the resounding, conclusive proof. With songs as brutish, bombastic and diverse as “Libertina Grimm,” “Tonight In Flames,” “Cemetery & Sundown,” “I Am The Thorn,” “The Byronic Man” (featuring HIM’s Ville Valo on guest vocals) and a deranged cover of Heaven 17’s ‘80s pop gem “Temptation,” the world’s biggest and best extreme metal band have never sounded so exhilarating, so vital, so venomous…
“There are a lot of characters on this album,” says Dani Filth of the new opus. “There’s no central concept. It’s more along the lines of Nymphetamine in respect of diversity of content, both lyrically and musically. We spent the whole summer of 2005 working really hard on writing the material and making sure it was the best of songs we’ve ever written. Which undoubtedly it is. It’s obviously our best material thus far. It’s far more rhythmic and catchy and easily the heaviest thing we’ve done, especially on the production side of things. And there’s a real retro feel to the record, in terms of style. It’s slightly experimental for us and a lot of people will be surprised I think at the level of diversity we've managed to achieve with this, especially having worked with other musicians and having our first band instrumental included (Rise Of The Pentagram). We started to write and got into a habit of coming up with tons of stuff. Everyone would be working on ideas and we’d pool it all together in the dank confines of our rehearsal room. We kept stirring the cauldron and adding or subtracting accordingly. Thus each song has its own sound and feel in relation to the concept behind each track. And as per normal, it's all in good taste!
For example, Libertina Grimm, (which concerns itself with a haughty little vivisectrix and her dissonant life of crime) meanders through a succession of twists and turns as if to mimic her dark, labyrinthine obsessions with the dead, before finding foothold with a real primal, sex-laden hook. She might be mad, but before all else she's groovy!"
Louder, harder, faster, heavier, darker, catchier - the unstoppable force that is Cradle Of Filth slithers menacingly forward, crushing the opposition and striking warped, blackened glee into the hearts of misanthropes and malevolents the world over. The nightmare continues…may we never wake up!
DOM LAWSON, June 2006
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Questions and Answers (cradle of filth)
1. Why the title "Thornography"?
Funnily enough we had a few titles in consideration for this album, all of them listed on a board in the studio (unfortunately 'Shriek Of The Pterodactyl' wasn't a winner!). The idea really was to narrow it down as the recording of the album progressed, with song structures and a comparable theme being held in mind.
Eventually those working on the album decided on 'Thornography' as it was decided that this best represented the 'feel' of the album and the foetal stages of album artwork.
2. Would you still consider yourselves a black metal band?
Yes and no. Doesn't really help does it?
Yes in context of retaining the same fire inside as when the band first formed and in pertaining to the atmospherics of the music, no in relation to the narrow-mindedness of the current scene. I mean it used to be much more diverse back in the glory days of Cacophonous, Osmose and Deathlike Silence, what with bands as far-flung as Necromantia (no guitars, just bass), Equimanthorn and Neptune Towers (wierd ambience) right through to Impaled Nazarene (who were kinda punk influenced originally) and Immortal. Now the scene feels a lot like a prison with everyone still trying to retain their purity despite the scene having broken down aeons ago.
We'd rather be known as solely "Cradle Of Filth' i think, rather than be hampered by stupid genre barriers used by 'scenesters' to hem bands in to their own projected ideals.
3. How are Charles and Rosie fitting into the live scenario?
Brilliantly. We've spent the whole Summer undertaking festivals and they all went exceedingly well. Charles has now been with the band for a year and a half and has contributed to the album, whereas Rosie will be undertaking her first full length tour when we hit the road in November, having toured the UK with us last December.
Whether she'll withstand the stench of being on the road with us lot for a whole five weeks remains to be seen!
4. Who is responsible for the artwork this time round and how did you get to work with him/her?
The creature responsible for the artwork on "Thornography' is one Sam Araya, an exceptional talent whose illustrious artistry was first introduced to us via a friend of Dave's. We loved what we saw and contacted him with a view to him working on the new album. It turned out that he was a fan and so, like they murmur in foul smell corners, the rest is history...
His work is that of a master fabulist's, immensely dark in character but poignant and, at times, colourful. To discover his work better, log onto www.paintagram.com and just see if i didn't warn you.
5.Why did you decide to work with Ville Valor on the song "The Byronic Man"?
Ville had expressed a desire to work with the band when he played at the Roadrunner 25th anniversary bash with Rob Caggiano ('Thornography's producer) last year. Bearing in mind that the song required a male singing lead (a bit too gay if i'd have sung it!) and i'd rather hoped that he would be in keeping with the character of Lord Byron, then it was merely a call into Ville's management to secure the collusion, as he fitted the bill perfectly.
The finished result really works brilliantly i think.
6. What were you thinking when you decided to cover Heaven 17's chart-topping smash "Temptation"? And why Dirty Harry?
The idea of covering this song, i admit, started out as a bit of a joke. Charles got the ball rolling when he presented a version for us to swallow and what started out as a gimmick then grew stage by stage into something far more sinister. When we broke up for Xmas at the studio, Rob went back to LA where he met Harry and offered her a go at the track. Of course when we heard it we loved it ( her voice reminds me of an evil Doro Pesch or Bonnie Tyler kicked in the girl-bits...) and so that was that.
Of course by the time the mix was finished we had fallen in love with our version of the track (never let it be said that any one of us like the sappy original!) as the ambiguity of the lyrics meant that it didn't have the same comedy value as something like 'Thriller' would have, had we undertaken that instead. In fact, the words are leant a far more sinister vibe combined with the raw angry bite of the female vocals and the repetitive phrasing gives it, in my opinion, a dangerous commercial edge, like walking a very taut razor wire. Harry of course also appears in the video for the track, which is simply such a visual feast.
7. And speaking of the video. Will this be the only video released from this album or are plans afoot to shoot another, original Cradle song?
Plans are afoot to shoot another track sometime at the beginning of our first US tour for this album (January), somewhere in America with a very good friend of ours at the helm (so to speak). Can you guess who?
8. When was it decided that you were going to do an instrumental ("Rise Of The Pentagram")?
When i forgot to write any vocals for it!
Only joking. Seriously, the idea was in fruition years ago, we'd just never gotten around to following it up. When we were collating ideas at the beginning of this album, Paul put forward something that i had real trouble coming to grips with as a vocalist, so i suggested it might then form the backbone of something more extensive. Paul then went away and started building a bigger song that eventually melded into a full-on instrumental.
I love it, for one it's something very different for us to do and secondly, live it means i can disappear off for eight odd minutes and have a cup of tea. Either that or do some more onstage moon-walking...
9. Some of the songs on the new album are extremely melodic, even in the vocal department. Is this a step toward broadening your musical horizons?
Definitely. I don't know why many people are so surprised, the melodic thing is a natural progression for us and has actually been present for quite some time. The album also features some of the heaviest stuff we've actually ever done, so it's not all one direction by far. The melodic vocals (of which there a few on the album) crept in to accentuate some of the parts that are, by nature, really catchy choruses.
10. How is life on Roadrunner records?
Roadrunner have been very good for us, they have an excellent nose for the scene and people there that actually give a shit about the music. Couple that with their very loyal street teams and their history with extreme music, plus their foothold in the door when it comes to some of their more successful artists and you have a recipe for great accomplishments.
What a proper brown-noser i am!
11. What are your favourite tracks off of the new album? And why?
My favourite tracks off the album would have to 'Under Huntress Moon', 'Libertina Grimm', 'The Byronic Man' and 'I Am The Thorn' but in truth, i like them all!
'Under Huntress Moon' because it reminds me of old school Cradle, 'Libertina Grimm' for the creeping graveyard groove and naughty schoolgirl subject matter. 'The Byronic Man' because, again, it is a song that culminates well after a wending, musical funeral march and last but not least, 'I Am The Thorn' because is so fucking heavy!
12.Do you ever have an urge to drop current political issues into your lyricism, however thickly veiled?
Yeah, from time to time, but like you say, they are veiled quite heavily. I don't really like that much modernity squirming into the lyrics, preferring much more to keep things analogous, timeless and free of preaching. However, the outside world affects us all and in some tracks on this album you will discover passing winks to all manner of current religious and moral topics no doubt.
Everything, including the album title, is up for personal interpretation.
13. On a lighter note, are there any other funny stories from recording the album that you forgot to mention in your studio updates?
Er, loads! I'm sure i haven't mentioned the one where i attempted to scold a Policemen whilst completely off my face the last night i was allowed to drink and still retain my freedom and get the last cab running, twenty miles back to the studio...
As for me, I don't need reminding!
14. What was it like working with Andy Sneap as a mixer?
Andy was the pinnacle of metal! Even his number plate reads METAL, so he's got to be.
Seriously, it was a real honour to work with Andy up at his studio, so much so that we offered the British tour support slot to him on the condition that he reform 'Sabbat' with the whole original 'Dreamweaver' line-up in tow! And the bastard did it!!! That's fucking metal!
15. What songs are you intending to put on your set list or the forthcoming European tour?
Ah, that would be saying , Mr. Prying Questions.
With foresight you can expect to hear at least five songs from the new album. But rest assured we'll still be playing all the Golden Mouldies!!!
16. What did it feel like being nominated for a Grammy in the States?
What do you reckon? It was a tremendous honour and i'm not going to lie and nonchalantly say that stuff like that never affects us (unlike ------- from -------- who was recently read saying, 'I don't care if we broke the U.S charts. Some guy comes up and to me and says that we're number six in the billboards for the second week running and i'm like, i don't care!'), because it's great to reach that level. I was so proud, i gave my medal to my Mum and used the certificate as a rather solid looking pea-shooter.
17. Is Sarah Jezebel Deva still singing for the band, i know she has her 'Angtoria' project, but is she a contributor to the new album?
Of course Sarah is still with the band and yes, she does appear on the album, most noticeably on the tracks 'Cemetery And Sundown' and 'Under Huntress Moon'. She has also contributed to various other B-sides, including Cradle's rendition of 'Stay' by Shakespear's Sister, another eighties song that we have sunken our proverbial teeth into.
18.What are your tour plans for next year?
What aren't our tour plans for next year? That would be easier to answer. Put it this way we are going to be doing a great deal of travelling both here in Europe and also over in the States. January sees the beginning of an American and Canadian tour, then it's Europe again in Spring with another US tour over the Summer, hopefully with another Ozzfest or something at least similar. And in-between there's Japan and Australia with an eye to playing Malaysia, India and South Africa on the way.
19. What's happening with the book 'The Gospel Of Filth', it was supposed to have been finished an eternity ago? What is the new release date?
As with most projects of an undeniably large undertaking, this was never going to be as quick as was first imagined. An enormous amount of research has been done on behalf of this so far and there's still plenty more yet to come, but very soon there will be some early chapter teasers put up on the fan site for you to peruse.
Rest assured that however long this takes (and it can't take that long as a WalpurgisNacht -April 30th- release date is tentative), the end result will be absolutely mind-blowing. I'm in the midst of reappraising some of the earlier chapters and it makes for really fantastic reading, especially if you're interest lies in creepy occult lore, demonology, witchcraft, serial killers, gothicism, vampirism, cannibalism, horror movies, femme fatales, grand guignol, eroticism and just plain old darkness to name but a few of the things brimming hideously therein.
20. Any last words?
Of course, you'll have a hard enough job trying to shut me up! Thank you to all our fans for your continued support, we very much appreciate it indeed; we can't wait for you to hear the new album and then see us out on the great wide road. The next evolutionary step for the band (what, manners?!!?) promises to be a golden time for all. Agios Os Satanas! Thanks once again and stay brutal.
All the best, your fiend,
Count Filth.
