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Album Review: Cradle of Filth- The Screaming of the Valkyries

 


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Words by Anselm Anderson


If Cradle of Filth were to write love songs, "The Screaming of Valkyries" may be the closest they will get. The Dark overlords of the Death Metal underworld return with their fourteenth studio effort, released via Napalm Records today.

The quintet collaborates again on their follow-up to 2021's "Existence is Futile" by revisiting old ghosts from the past and blending them with a modern sound. This nine-track mini-album is a chance to see the direction Cradle of Filth aims for in the future. The combination of traditional heavy metal styles with blackened thrash, symphonic elements, and gothic influences demonstrates that the band still has plenty of creativity left in the engine.


Dani Filth brings his iconic screams and growls over atmospheric tracks like a demonic storyteller sitting down to regale old tales of witches, ghosts and demons. The intense dual guitar work from guitarists Ashok and Donny Burbage heightens the aggression of the release, while Filth extends his vocal range to an impressive octave-bursting level. The tenacious rhythm section adds to the tension and horror on the album as Cradle of Filth experiments with an album that feels like they are returning to their roots. Produced, mixed and mastered by Scott Atkins at Grindstone Studio in Suffolk, England. Atkins plays to the band's strength as the pioneer of extreme metal.

"The Screaming of the Valkyries" begins with the menacing "To Live Deliciously", a macabre track full of sonic blast beats, piercing vocals and daunting rhythms. This proves to be a blueprint for the remaining eight tracks on this release. Each track matches the previous one in ferocity, tension, and aggression. "Demagoguery" is a remarkable track, filled with dark grooves interwoven with dazzling keys.

Photo courtesy of Jakub Alexandrowicz

"The Trinity of Shadows" is a gut-wrenching heavy metal track, featuring a ferocious tempo and chilling gothic symphonies. It stands out with its hook-laden choruses. Cradle of Filth can blend heavier tracks with melancholic ones, such as the mournful melodies on "Non-Omnis Moriar" and "You are my Nautilus". Female vocalist Zoe Federoff is the innocuous love interest to Filth's howling screams on these tracks, as the alternative Beauty and the Beast.

Finally, Cradle of Filth evoke the sounds of 1998's "Cruelty and the Beast" and 1996's "Dusk and Her Embrace" with "Ex Sanguine Draculae" and the sombre "When Misery Was a Stranger".

Cradle of Filth revisits past albums to deliver their best release in years, featuring mesmerizing production and a pummeling thrash metal performance.

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