Cradle of Filth

Staying in the British Isles, we return to the land that gave the world black metal--England. Hailing from Ipswich in the county of Suffolk, the now-legendary band CRADLE OF FILTH formed in 1990 as death metal band Burial. They might be controversial now because of their commerical success--a phenomenon that has attracted accusations of "selling out" from hardcore black metal fans--but their impact on the genre and on the British scene simply cannot be denied. Founders Daniel Davey (a/k/a "Dani Filth") and Paul Ryan were enamored of extreme metal and wanted to create their own. These Brits were obsessed with everything from thrash to crust to grindcore to old-school black and death metal, citing their fascination with bands like Slayer, Napalm Death, Discharge, and Celtic Frost as early musical inspiration.

However, it was the late 80s/early 90s death metal boom that truly inspired these lads. Albums like Deicide's self-titled, Entombed's Left Hand Path, and Cannibal Corpse's Eaten Back to Life really spurred on some creative efforts from the British bastards of Burial (who had changed their name to Cradle of Filth by 1991 because of a well-established band going by their original moniker). Having recruited some friends to round out the band, Cradle of Filth's early sound was a raw death/thrash -influenced sound with an occultic edge (courtesy of some well-placed synths). Demos like Invoking the Unclean and Orgiastic Pleasures Foul (both released in 1992) showcased this sound.

In its entirety, this is the 1992 demo Invoking the Unclean

Describing their sound as "almost aristocratic" and steeped in English artistic traditions, Cradle's demos made real waves in the metal underground. As a result, they began to make connections with extreme bands all over the world. The vast tape trading network of the extreme metal underground allowed then to make contacts with bands such as Root, Mortuary Drape, Blasphemy, Necromantia, and, of course, the burgeoning Norwegian scene in the form of Darkthrone and Mayhem.

"Unbridled at Dusk" is from the 1993 demo Total Fucking Darkness

Cradle of Filth's sound evolved as their network of contacts grew. Their split release with Malediction and 1993 demo Total Fucking Darkness were well-received among the extreme metal elite, and showed this evolution. Still firmly rooted in death metal, the band's gradual transformation into something different had begun. While still not black metal, the atmospheric use of synths and the gothic approach to their songs showed that they were creating something truly unique. And it caught the attention of record labels, resulting in a deal with Tombstone Records. In fact, they had actually signed with Tombstone and recorded material for a full-length album--to be titled Goetia--even before the release of '93's Darkness.

But Tombstone--like a lot of underground record companies--had more passion than business sense and their relationship with Cradle of Filth soured. The master tapes for Goetia got erased by the label in the process, leaving Cradle of Filth without a debut album. They were too big of a rising star in extreme metal to remain unsigned for long, so it wasn't long before they landed with Cacophonous Records. This resulted in the recording and release of their actual first full-length album, 1994's The Principle of Evil Made Flesh.

"The Forest Whispers My Name" is one of the best-known songs off of Principle

This album represented a big shift in sound for these Brits. The influence of death metal was still there, yes, but the overall atmosphere of the album was more eerie, more occult-driven than what they had done before--including more expansive synth sounds and haunting female vocals. By the band's own admission, Cradle of Filth had started to pay attention to the sounds coming out of Norway--they specifically cite Burzum and Darkthrone, for example, as having an impact on the kind of music they were writing at the time. Principle is a hard album to categorize, drawing on some of the rawer elements of 90s black metal, all the while maintaining the band's death metal roots and expanding the gothic nature of their sound. This era of the band's existence also saw numerous line-up changes. In 1995, while recording the follow-up to Principle, Nick Barker joined the band (their third drummer), and several long-time members (including founder Paul Ryan) left the band. Some of these members even went on to play in Hecate Enthroned, a similarly-styled gothic black metal band that has sometimes (unfavorably) been compared to Cradle of Filth.

In the process of recording their follow-up to Principle, Cradle of Filth's relationship with label Cacophonous headed south. Cradle wanted out of their record deal, and they held some of the already-recorded music for the second album hostage in order to wrangle out of their record deal. Cradle of Filth did eventually put out a second release with Cacophonous to satisfy the terms of their contract: the 1996 EP Vempire, or Dark Faerytales in Phallustein. This release saw the band's sound begin to resemble something more along the lines of the symphonic stylings that could be heard coming out of Norway at the time (think Emperor), yet still retained that raw, gothic edge Cradle was known for.

"Queen of Winter, Throned"--from Vempire--highlights the evolution in Cradle's sound

The band's actual second album--still retaining the title of Dusk...and her Embrace---was released later that same year on new label Music For Nations (the original version of Dusk would see the light of day twenty years later). The sound on this release can definitely be accurately labeled more of a symphonic black metal sound than anything they had attempted before---even the Vempire EP. The riffing is more in line with what we think of when we think 'black metal,' and even the synths are more carefully layered as a complement to the guitar instead of dominating the soundspace the way they did on Principle. Yet at the same time, those in the black metal world who had a very specific---some might even say narrow--conception of what black metal should sound like looked down on what Cradle of Filth were doing.

My favorite song off of Dusk is "Funeral in Carpathia"

The success that Dusk brought the band didn't help--at least in the eyes of the black metal purists. Touring with bands like Dissection and Dimmu Borgir would seem to cement Cradle of Filth's black metal credentials, but selling over half a million copies of an album as uncompromising as Dusk brought cries of 'sellout'. The band also managed to achieve notoriety through huge merchandise sales---including the now-infamous so-called 'vestal masturbation'/'Jesus is a Cunt' t-shirt (a shirt, by the way, that is banned in New Zealand).

The infamous t-shirt in question

The band's follow-up to Dusk was the 1998 album Cruelty and the Beast. A more mature version of the sound on Dusk, this album was a brilliant concept album that purports to tell the story of Countess Elizabeth Bathory, infamous Hungarian noblewoman and serial killer (and inspiration for so many black metal bands!). Boasting a treble-thin production perfectly consistent with the black metal ethos, Cruelty's use of synths to create a gothic atmosphere that outshone even Dusk and Vempire, as well as the clever use of eerie sound effects, spoken word (courtesy of famed horror actress Ingrid Pitt), and beautifully sung female vocals (courtesy of soprano Sarah Jezebel Deva), made it one of Cradle of Filth's strongest releases---to my ears.

The band's rising star did not sit well with the black metal elite of the late 1990s. Features in mainsteam music magazines (including a well-publicized article on black metal in Spin) didn't help either. More line-up changes (most notable was Nick Barker being replaced on drums by Adrian Erlandsson, of At the Gates fame) and solid releases like the 1999 EP From the Cradle to Enslave and 2000's Midian helped usher in what would be Cradle of Filth's most successful period. A controversial video for the song "From the Cradle to Enslave" (released on VHS as part of the long-form video PanDaemonAeon) also pissed off more than a few people in the musical mainstream and raised the ire of censors everywhere.

"Cruelty Brought the Orchids" is a solid example of the sound on 1998's Cruelty and the Beast

This success caught the eye of mainstream record labels, and these blasphemous Brits soon signed with titan Sony Records. This has all but ensured that die-hard black metal fans would never give the band a chance again. And while Cradle of Filth's sound has continued to evolve well beyond the boundaries of black metal (I wouldn't call anything they've done since 2003's Damnation and a Day really black metal, per se), they're still an evil band that is by no means palatable to most folks.

That said, their early work is clearly important for its impact on extreme metal in Great Britain, as well as the development of both the symphonic and gothic subgenres of black metal. I think even the most close-minded black metal fans would like 1994's The Principle Of Evil Made Flesh, and fans of classic symphonic black metal may even like their work up to 2000's Midian.

Select Discography:

Invoking the Unclean (demo) (1992)
Orgiastic Pleasures Foul (demo) (1992)

A Pungent and Sexual Miasma (split with Malediction) (1992)

Total Fucking Darkness (demo) (1993)

The Principle of Evil Made Flesh (full-length album) (1994)

Vempire, or Dark Faerytales in Phallustein EP (1996)

Dusk...and Her Embrace (full-length album)  (1996)

Cruelty and the Beast (full-length album)  (1998)
From the Cradle to Enslave EP (1999)
PanDaemonAeon (VHS) (1999)

Midian (full-length album) (2000)

Live Bait For the Dead (live album) (2002)

Damnation and a Day (full-length album) (2003)

Next time: ABSU

Dead Christ (and other British bands of the early second wave)

A classic photo of Bristol's Dead Christ

Although it is the land in which black metal was born, the United Kingdom is not much known for its black metal since the days of Venom. While I have talked about some major exceptions (Bal-Sagoth, Salem Orchid), I wanted to draw attention to that time period between the early days of black metal when Venom ruled the land and the era when symphonic black metal band Cradle of Filth became the face of British black metal. The bands were few and far between, but several are worth mentioning.

Hailing from Bristol, England, DEAD CHRIST formed in 1990 and left their brutal mark on the underground in swift fashion. Their style of black metal draws heavily on the brutality of death metal, with a resulting sound that reminds the listener of the nastier side of early Finnish black metal (think Archgoat or Drawing Down the Moon-era Beherit). These blasphemous Brits were around long enough to put out a handful of cult demos and one EP in the early 90s.

This is the intro and title track off of the Mortuary Mass demo

Select Discography:

Demo '91 (demo) (1991)

Mortuary Mass (demo) (1991)

Lex Talionis (demo) (1992)
Satan's Hunger EP (1993)

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Suffolk, England's DECEMBER MOON is probably one of the biggest names in underground British black metal history. Formed in 1992, December Moon is one of a very few early second-wave British black metal bands to actually record a proper studio album. As a result, they're one of the few black metal bands from the UK from this time period to gain wide recognition.

Unlike Dead Christ, December Moon's style is more recognizably black metal. While they utilized a more melodic style, the riffing was more in line with what other major black metal bands were doing at the time.

After a couple of demos that caught people's attention, December Moon recorded and put out a proper studio album: 1996's Source of Origin. This melodic style, replete with brilliantly orchestrated synths, can be regarded as an important  moment in British black metal.

"You Can't Bless the Damned"--from Source of Origin--might be December Moon's best-known song

Select Discography:

Nocturnal Trancendency (demo) (1994)

Rehearsal (demo) (1995)

Source of Origin (full-length) (1996)

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Beyond these two bands, the rest of the British black metal underground in the early 1990s was just that--underground. Beyond a slew of interesting demos, the impact of some of these next few bands was rather limited, but worth noting nonetheless.

WITCHCLAN, from Sussex, only managed to put out two demos in 1993 before breaking up in 1995. Their impact on the scene at the time was relatively minor, but it is important to note that they have since reformed and are as cult as ever. Check out their 2010 demo, Descend Into Darkness, below (some of the music on which had been written in their early 1990s days)

Yorkshire's XAZTUR is another underground band that wasn't around for long in the early 1990s. Their two 1993 demos--Frozen Winter and Pagan Rites--are pretty raw examples of in-your-face old-school black metal. But beyond the music, Xaztur were one of the first British black metal bands to fully immerse themselves in the aesthetic aspects of the scene, as evidenced by their infamous 'graveyard photo shoot' (see below).

Here is 1993's Frozen Winter demo in full

MEGIDDO--hailing from Cheshire--may have formed in 1988, but they didn't record any demos until an unnamed, unreleased one in 1991. After another demo in 1993 (Apocatastasis), they were able to release the 1994 7" The Blistering Glow of My Steel. Megiddo's sound is very reminiscent of some of the more vile, demonic offerings of the Norwegian scene at the time, in my opinion.

"Eldest of Lightnings" comes from Megiddo's 1994 EP

While pagan black metal that draws on Britain's Anglo-Saxon or Celtic heritage may be a relatively common thing these days (Winterfylleth and Wodensthrone come immediately to mind), it wasn't always the case.  RAGNAROK--from Venom's hometown of Newcastle--is the major exception during this era. With a very Bathory-esque sound (I'm thinking of their Viking period, obviously), Ragnarok put out three excellent  demos with a strong pagan vibe. They--unlike many of their British peers in this era--were able to put out a couple of proper studio albums before breaking up.

Here is Ragnarok's 1995 demo, Beloved of the Raven God

Select Ragnarok Discography:

Ragnarok (demo) (1991)

Voluspa (demo) (1991)

Beloved of the Raven God (demo) (1995)

To Mend the Oaken Heart (full-length) (1997)

Domgeorn (full-length) (1999)

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This entry is meant to reflect the minor and lesser-known bands that kept the flag flying for British black metal when there hardly was such a thing. By the end of the 1990s, of course, things had changed. Bands like Cradle of Filth, Hecate Enthroned, Thus Defiled, Adorior and others had taken the black metal world by storm. But more on that at a later time...

Next time: KOROVA