Balthamel Pluto - far out but also quite familiar.

This is a very good debute EP by a favourite of the Norwegian metal scene, very memorable and the riffs and atmophsre sticks with you.

The best thing with Seigmen is their unrelentles pomeling riffs that promisses some great listening experiences everytime you play the songs, you feal like its the first time everytime. why is it so, you might say?, Well i can only say in one way which makes the music and spessially on this album catch on you, is to just note how innovative it sounds, and how it sounds like to fit into the international scene of experimental metal, Seigmen created their own nieche, which no other metal bands that i have heard have touched, it is almost their own litle domain. though it later is obvious that they took note of what happend in the scene in California and spessially on Tools work, on the album Total, they brought Sylvia Massy who produced Opiate, and Ænima.

This album came out same as Opiate and us unrelated to any Tool inflence this and the later Ameneon, is statement of Seigmens devoted sence of doomy and grungy riffs, adventures, soul searchimg and not quite hard to grasp lyrics about symbolisme, religion, philosophi and other meta-relatedd themes.

best tracks on this album/EP is Fra X til Døden which is a rollercoaster ride and pummles like a rabbid dog thourgh a fast tarraign of doomy landscapes, Kortoget is also another great track, dark, mysterious, industrial, and doom metal at core.

words to discribe this album/EP is mystic and dark, creative and promissing,

Strongly recomended to all fans of doom metal, gothic metal, sludge metal, and post metal.

J-Man When it comes to Cradle of Filth, the general consensus within the metal community is that their earlier output is far superior to anything they've done in more recent years. That's not to say that most folks will claim that their newer albums are horrible - in some cases, it's quite the opposite - but most of the attention is often given to the band's first handful of records. As a result of this common mindset, many newcomers to the band may be inclined to initially skip over 2008's Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder - a real shame, as I'd actually consider this to be one of the Cradle's finest moments. Complete with a chilling, bombastic, and downright evil story focused around the life and wrongdoings of infamous French serial killer Gilles de Rais, this masterpiece showcases Dani Filth and company at the absolute top of their game. If gothic atmospheres, symphonic overtones, and overblown arrangements are what you crave in extreme metal, it's tough to go wrong with Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder.

Cradle of Filth's sound has become more polished over the years, but their core mix of symphonic black metal and gothic metal has more or less remained in tact since day one. Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder is undoubtedly an acquired taste, as the overblown and pompous nature of the album is likely to turn away quite a few of the more conservative 'purists'. If you're open to the idea of having a choir, loads of keyboards, and classical flourishes in your metal, however, you'll find that symphonic gothic/black metal doesn't get a whole lot better than this. Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder is an exceptionally well-made album, and it's clear that the band put a lot of thought into the compositions and arrangements of this observation. The crystal-clear production allows the listener to easily experience every small detail in the music, and upon repeated spins, many subtle intricacies do begin to come to life. Everything from the eerie choir arrangements to the brilliantly intertwined recurring themes just reek of sheer perfection, and coming up with complaints for an album this good is quite a challenge. A cinematic overture in the form of “In Grandeur and Frankincense Devilment Stirs” instantly sets the mood for the entire album, and the subsequent dive into sinister symphonic black metal on “Shat Out of Hell” is simply enthralling.

Thankfully, the band maintains this level of intensity throughout all of Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder; although the album will be playing for over 71 minutes before it ends, it never feels stale or drawn out. The epic interludes, crushing metal riffs, and chilling narration always mix things up, and this is truly one of Cradle of Filth's finest moments from a compositional standpoint. There's really not a weak song in sight, and the musicianship is also among the finest in extreme metal. The drumming from Martin Škaroupka (or Marthus) just blows me away every time, and his chaotic mix of blast beats, frantic fills, and technically demanding rhythmic patterns never cease to amaze me. The man is simply a monster, and a complete treat to listen to for any drum nut.

Though I am in a rather small minority, I consider Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder to be one of the best albums from Cradle of Filth. The chilling concept about an absolutely vile human being is brilliantly realized to its fullest potential on this observation, and the riffs and arrangements are among the best in the band's discography. Music this pompous is bound to sound a bit cheesy at times, and although this does happen in a few instances on Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder, I wouldn't say that it necessarily detracts from my overall experience. If I'm in the right mood for it, Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder always scratches my itch for bombastic and overblown extreme metal; and, in reality, that's all it really needs to do. A very effective, well-produced, and brilliantly composed album, Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder is an essential listen for anybody curious about Cradle of Filth's music.

Time Signature Close to dawn...

Genre: melodic metal/hard rock

"Second Sun" is the second album from Bosnian melo-metallers Heaven Rain, and this is a massively romantic and epic melodic metal album if there ever was one.

Drawing on melodic guitar riffs and quasi-symphonic keyboards, the tunes on "Second Sun" are certainly very melodic and quite epic without, I think, being power metal as such. Miona Graorac's quite unusual voice is features quite prominently, and her unique voice (which is very unusual for other female vocalists within the same genre) definitely adds an extra dimension of interestingness to the vocal melodies.

Amidst all the more rock and metal oriented music, there are some very epic and symphonic intermezzos such as "Close to Dawn" and the closer "At the End of Time" and intros and outros of various other songs. In a bold move, Heaven Rain insert some electronica elements every now and then into these intermezzos, and I think that works quite well. Even the piano ballad "Nowehere" has an epic feel to it.

I think that fans of symphonic metal and epic power metal as well as fans of romantic gothic metal will love this bombastic and melodic album. I also think that those who prefer more aggressive types of metal will dislike the album for the same reason. Although I probably belong to this latter group of metalheads, I do enjoy this album. It does not quite rock my world, but I like the progressive edge that tracks like "Raven In Heart" have, and, while the most bombastic parts strike me as being outright cheesy, it is also clear to me that Heaven Rain, being the skilled musicians they are, are good at what they do.

In all, "Second Sun" is a solid melodic metal effort which should appeal to fans of romantic gothic metal. It' bombastic and melodic, and if you like that in your metal, then do not hesitate to invest in this album.

Warthur Saviour Machine's debut album is an intriguing blend of gothic rock in the tradition of Sisters of Mercy and Fields of the Nephilim - most apparent in Eric Clayton's amazing vocals - with gothic metal and some prog rock influences. (In particular, it reminds me a lot at points of some of the gothier moments of neo-prog, and some passages seem to prefigure the work of bands like Arena.)

Sprinkle a few classic rock moments on the top and add a healthy dose of apocalyptic Christian mysticism and you have an interesting blend to say the least. Don't be put off by the fact that Saviour Machine are a Christian band who originally put this album out on a Christian music label; the band don't indulge in the crass and alienating preaching of other Christian groups, dividing their attentions between contemplations of their faith and terrifying prophecies of the end times.

In fact, the concluding song Jesus Christ includes lyrics like "You are the reason for the wars that plague the land" and "You are the shattered dream that frightens us to burn", suggesting that the group have a far from uncritical attitude to religion, and in particular seem to question whether some of the manifestations of Christianity are a reflection of God's will or an example of precisely the sort of thing Jesus preached against. It's this thoughtful approach to their religion which makes Saviour Machine's lyrical approach so interesting - whilst I don't personally share their worldview, it is at least a stance which is rooted in questioning and contemplation rather than dogmatism and intolerance.

Between this, the startling imagery in Legion, and the band's mysterious and spooky stage presence, it's no wonder that the more socially conservative side of the Christian music scene turned against them - in fact, the album wasn't originally released in America precisely because of this backlash. If you are in the market for a safe, wholesome Christian band who sing songs reaffirming and promoting culturally conservative values, then you're in absolutely the wrong place here - but if the idea of progressive gothic metal with theologically literate and intelligent lyrical themes floats your boat, the album's perfect for you, and if like me you don't care one way or another what the band's religious viewpoint is provided that the music is good then you're in luck too.

Warthur Cradle of Filth's Darkly, Darkly Venus Aversa is a concept album about dark, gothic Goddess worship with S&M overtones. You might be thinking "Wait, that's kind of what all of their albums are about", and you'd be 100% right; and along with what is for them quite an unimaginative concept (seriously, how many songs does Dani Filth need to write about how dominant women make him hot?) we have a fairly unimaginative musical backing from the Filth this time. With phoned-in melodic/symphonic black metal licks and a new raspy vocal delivery for Dani which doesn't quite work, this album is just a dull chore to listen to.

Warthur To my ears, Godspeed On the Devil's Thunder sounds like a throwback to the sound of Cruelty and the Beast, which I suppose makes sense since you could see it as a spiritual sequel to the earlier album. Both pieces are concept albums based on extremely fanciful retellings of the lives of medieval nobles accused of serial murder, witchcraft and Satanism; Cruelty was about perennial black metal muse Countess Bathory, whilst Godspeed finds Cradle of Filth telling the tale of Gilles de Rais, former companion of Joan of Arc turned murderous pedophile.

Whilst it isn't an especially original piece, there are some improvements over the earlier album; the production is better, as are the performances, and the poetic lyrics are much less clumsy and verge on being genuinely clever at points. On the whole, it's the most entertaining Cradle of Filth album since Midian.

Time Signature Left this world...

Genre: gothic metal

End of September is a Swedish female-fronted gothic metal band whose style also has a touch of nu metal. ow, if you like bands like Evanescence, then this probably sound very promising. Unfortunately for me, I am not the biggest fan of the style of metal that Evanescence and similar bands represent.

Let it be known that I definitely have no problems at all with female-fronted bands, and I think that End of September's vocalist Elin Redin is a very gifted singer who does a very good job on this album. Riff-wise, End of September make use of heavy and often groovy riffs with synths and piano overlaid on top, while the drum beats are solid and straightforward. Occasionally, Redin's clean vocals are accompanied by male growls. On the whole, there is nothing a such wrong with the music or the production, and even to my ears "End of September" is a fine listen with a couple of outstanding tracks, 'Silence' being well nigh sensational.

But at the end of the day, the album just does not rock my world. It is good, but not my thing. So, my advices is that you go and check it out for yourself. If you like Evanescence and similar acts, you should definitely acquire "End of Semptember", too.

Warthur After overreaching themselves on Damnation and a Day and taking the whole "back to basics" idea a little too far on Nymphetamine, Cradle of Filth seemed to regain their equilibrium on Thornography. Not as overblown as Damnation and not as over-sparse as Nymphetamine, Thornography is Cradle doing what they do best: goth-tinged extreme metal with silly lyrics about sex and horror. This time around, a few of the segments with clean vocals almost seem to show a very, very mild influence from Opeth, though we're still miles away from prog metal territory. On the whole, it's not a brilliant album, but it's an entertaining and listenable one which sets goals for itself which aren't too ambitious and doesn't have too much trouble achieving them.

Balthamel Seigmen - Ameneon

Seigmen seems to be quite an unknown metal act outside of Scandinavia, which is a pitty couse they rocks... if their is one reason there be that most of their albums are sung in Norwegian, but the musical quality of the music played on this album should be of interest to metal music fans world wide, as this is a very original and experimental metal music act that shows an uncanny abilaty to create unique atmopheres, you might get opiphanys when you listen to this album, it is in my opion quite a mark in the evolution of post-metal, i know i make a huge statement, but Seigmen should be regarded as one of many bands to predesses post-metal.

I Find very few metal acts out there who desplays such an intensity to an album as i find in this 93 release of the Norwegian act Seigmen, from first to last song you have varied riffs, atmopheric bass lines, rasping vocals, clean vocals, semi-growls, prestine clear and solid drums, that have never sounded better on a metal album (drummers is gonna love the drums on this record, atmophseric guitar playing, layering, soundshaping, shoegaze/post-rock elements etc there is alot to put your metal teaths in.

the music in itself on this album stylewise is a hybreed, of doom metal, gothich sounding metal, alternative metal and post-metal in its earlyes embryonic face, it also have an atmosphere similar to black metal but it is far from being black metal, more gothic/doom metal overall with several sub-genres of metal visitting, in and out of songs, the title track is a pure melancholic folk instrumental, and their is a classical piano interlude to the track Negativ,

I will state that, to fans of Tool, Neurosis, Melvins, Kyuss and other dark alternative, sludgy and atmophserical bands this album are recomendable

it is a good/even great addition to any fans of metal, if you want original, fresh, innovative metal in, the borders doom metal and gothic metal, then this album is probably one of the defining album in that respect.

Soul Dreamer Searching for the "ultimate" beaty and the beast album? Search no further, you found it here. Anita has an angelical voice, which makes this album a pleasure to listen to. The melodies are very strong, and haunting. The musicianship is perfect. The trademark of this album though is not the vocals, but the incredably beautiful violin play of Pete Johansen, which make this a unique album. The "beast" vocals are well done, and don't scare away someone who doesn't like them a lot. Highlights are "My love", which starts with a huge grunt, but develops after that into a beautiful violin driven song, "Until the Dark" which is the only song with clean vocals and "All Alone". The rest is also beautiful... You won't see the terms "lovely" and "beautiful" uttered on a metal site in one review, but here they come together. Five well deserved stars for this great album!

Warthur After the intriguing death-goth-metal project The Nefilim, Carl McCoy resurrected the old Fields of the Nephilim band name (without his old bandmates onboard) but didn't really do much about it. Fallen, the first release from the reconstituted band, was denounced by McCoy almost as soon as it was released as an unauthorised issue of demo recordings, so Mourning Sun is the first real fruit of the new Fields - but whereas Fallen continued to dabble in the metallic direction of The Nefilim's Zoon, Mourning Sun seems to be a shameless bid for the nostalgia market, repeating the old tricks of the old band but without the power and majesty of their classic albums.

Warthur Cradle of Filth's Nymphetamine is their first album for a long while that's merely a collection of songs rather than being a concept album. Oh, the idea of women and sex and sex with women and being tied up and flogged whilst having sex with women rears its head regularly over the course of the album, but that's a perennial Cradle of Filth obsession; to be honest, I was kind of embarrassed by some of the stuff Dani Filth said in press interviews surrounding the album, because he seemed to go out of his way to find the most pretentious ways possible to say "I write about BDSM because it makes me horny".

But enough of that, what about the music? Well, after the deliriously over the top Damnation and a Day, the band seem to have felt the need to get back to basics, which means that the black metal side of their sound is pushed to the fore in a way it hasn't since its debut, and their lusher, more symphonic gothic metal instincts are ruthlessly suppressed. Now, the Filth are a bit more adept at this whole extreme metal deal than they were on their debut album, so overall this approach results in a reasonably listenable sound, but by toning down the very features that make their sound distinctive they more or less sabotage any hope they had of making the album truly great; it comes across as a Cradle of Filth album which, for the first time, is kind of ashamed of being Cradle of Filth.

Warthur Cradle of Filth pulled off a coup rivalled by few (if any) extreme metal bands when they were signed by Sony, and I suspect the band on some level realised that they couldn't count on the deal lasting long (this would be their only album for Sony before transferring to Roadrunner) so they might as well make the absolute most of it whilst they could. Hence, Damnation and a Day, a concept album based around John Milton's Paradise Lost with orchestral backing.

It's certainly a ballsy move, but structurally it doesn't work as well as their previous concept albums - for instance, the regular instrumental orchestral interludes break up the flow of the album in a rather obtrusive and disruptive way, and the individual compositions seem rather business-as-usual for Filth, as though they were relying on the orchestra to provide a new and compelling twist. The long history of rock musicians teaming up with orchestras is littered with albums where the rock music is watered down and the orchestral music is incompetently applied, and this is yet another one.

Warthur Novembre's Novembrine Waltz straddles the borderline between gothic metal and symphonic metal - the symphonic aspect of their music manifesting in the band's tendency to to cover classical music standards in the middle of their songs. This, of course, is an approach which was previously taken by the first generation of symphonic prog bands in the 1970s, but on the whole I find it (with a few exceptions) the least interesting approach to symphonic rock or metal, turning what can be a fascinating approach to composing new and original material into a dull exercise in "rocking the classics". Novembre's take on the old, old exercise is no different to my ears. It's a fun listen at points, but the juxtaposition of gothic metal cliche and classical music cliche is too much for me.

Warthur I've always thought that Clive Barker's Nightbreed - the story of the city of Midian, a secret sanctuary for various warped and demonic monsters, and a man who seeks it out because he's come to believe he is a monster himself - was an absolutely fascinating and genuinely original horror concept let down by repeated failures to realise its possibilities. The original short story (Cabal) was fun but cried out for further development, whilst the movie was a cheesy botch.

I guess Cradle of Filth might have felt the same way, because on Midian they decided to tackle this concept, and the resultant album is perhaps the most successful project ever to tackle the idea. Part of this is because it sees the Cradle's music shifting to a more original basis - no more do the band feel the need to toss in the odd motif from their black metal past, but instead they simply play a hard to classify variety of extreme metal that draws on most of the faster traditions of metal. Whilst the music's centre of gravity is still based around the style of blackened gothic metal the band developed on Dusk and Her Embrace and Cruelty and the Beast, the band roam further and freer than ever before.

Warthur To my ears, The Gathering's If_Then_Else is a retrograde step when compared to the wonderful How to Measure a Planet? Where the preceding album was an adventurous exploration of the very limits of the gothic metal genre with heaps of influence from other musical tradition besides, If_Then_Else seems to be an attempt to creep back towards the band's comfort zone with a few embellishments from the genres they dabbled in earlier retained. It's a pleasant enough listen, but The Gathering can and have done so much better than this fairly unambitious work. Get it if you can't get enough of the Anneke-fronted incarnation of the band.

Warthur Whilst The Sins of Thy Beloved's debut album was an archetypal work in the "beauty and the beast" style of gothic metal, their second album was a stereotypical one. The differences are subtle, admittedly, and may well come down a matter of taste, but whilst to my ears the debut album was an example of the beauty and the beast formula applied perfectly and showcasing all the best aspects of that sound, the second album applies the formula slavishly and exhibits only the typical qualities of that sound.

It's a thin difference, I admit, and those who particularly fell in love with the first album may well find plenty to like here, but I can't listen to this one without wanting to just stop and go back to the debut again.

Warthur The Gathering's How To Measure a Planet? is a bold and innovative departure for the band, who take on significant amounts of shoegaze influence (filtered through All About Eve) and amp up the electronic content and end up charting a course for the borderlands between the gothic metal of their previous albums and the uncharted expanses of post-rock and post-metal. Though it's a very mellow album, there's still a few more spritely compositions here and there - including the intense rockout of Probably Built In the Fifties. On the whole, this is precisely the departure from expectations The Gathering needed at this time.

Warthur The debut album by The Sins of Thy Beloved is an archetypal example of the "beauty and the beast" approach to gothic metal: take clean female vocals from Anita Auglend, add death metal grunts from Glenn Nordbø, and lay it over doomy gothic metal and serve with romantic and depressing lyrics. Sins spice up the formula markedly with the inclusion of Pete Johansen in the lineup on violin, his beautiful violin lines essentially being the musical counterpart to Anita's vocals which serve as a neat counterpoint to the doomy riffs the songs are built on. If you like this style of metal at all, you'll probably love this.

Warthur Cruelty and the Beast is one of the best presentations of Cradle of Filth's musical vision of blackened gothic metal. The concept album tells an extremely fanciful, exaggerated, and romanticised version of the life story of Elizabeth Bathory - heroine of numerous black metal tributes prior to this - which gives the band plenty of scope to pursue their perennial lyrical themes of blasphemy, eroticism, vampirism and Goddess-worship.

The closing Lustmord and Wargasm, a defiant declaration of war on Christianity to avenge Bathory, is the closest the album ever gets to full-on black metal, but for the most part the disc continues down the path of poetic lyrics and liberal use of synthesisers established on Dusk and Her Embrace. At the epic climax of Bathory's story, the band get Ingrid Pitt to do some narration; this is an inspired choice in many ways, since Pitt played a character based on Bathory in Hammer Films' Countess Dracula and Cradle of Filth are in many ways the Hammer Films of extreme metal: yes, they might be tamer than some of their competitors, and yes they can be cheesy, but they offer a blend of fairly tame scares and sexual titillation which is distinctive and unique to them. Cruelty and the Beast illustrates this perfectly.

Warthur Taking on more melodic and alternative rock influences, Nighttime Birds is otherwise a repeat of the approach of Mandylion - combining Anneke van Giersbergen's All About Eve-ish vocals with doomy gothic metal riffs. It's a pleasant listen once again, and some compositions - like Kevin's Telescope - are genuinely haunting, though there are points where it feels to me a bit too much like a retread of its more successful predecessor. On the whole, I'd say if you loved Mandylion you will most likely enjoy this one, but at the same time I do feel glad the band took things in a more experimental direction subsequent to this because one more album in the exact same style as this one would have been too much.

Warthur Cradle of Filth's second album displays a massive and welcome improvement over the first. Though they pull off the coup of having Cronos from Venom recite a speech towards the end of the album - what better way to declare yourselves the new masters of British black metal? - the band actually move away from the pure black metal roots of their first album and towards an intriguing hybrid style combining the best of second wave black metal and gothic metal, much as other bands in the gothic metal category would combine gothic music and doom or death metal.

Dani Filth's vocals here take on their characteristic style, alternating (or occasionally combining) low-pitched intonations with incredibly high-pitched shrieks which would serve well on any black metal release by the Norwegian masters of the genre, whilst the use of female vocals and synthesisers does wonders for bolstering the album's gothic credentials - as do the lyrics, which once again revolve around eroticism and pagan Goddess-worship. As a whole, the band prove adept at shifting between metal styles at the drop of the hat.

The only thing which prevents this album from attaining a perfect score is the somewhat average production values, but on the whole it's a decent listen, and much more interesting than their debut.

Warthur Carl McCoy's presence as a frontman in Fields of the Nephilim was absolutely key to the band's image, his presentation as a cowboy occultist tying in perfectly with the themes explored in the band's music and lyrics. Following the glorious Elizium - a masterpiece of prog-tinged goth rock - he departed the band and ended up forming the thematically similar The Nefilim, though if their sound is anything to go by he was in an absolutely foul mood when he did so.

Injecting a heavy dose of death metal into the Fields of the Nephilim sound to yield a goth-death fusion, and often eschewing his former stentorian proclamations in favour of death metal shouting, Zoon is the product of a very angry mind indeed. It's a decent showing as far as attempts at quasi-death metal go, though I can't say it stands up to the glories of Elizium.

Warthur At this point, 3rd and the Mortal had only the faintest connection with the style of gothic metal they had helped to inaugurate with their debut - oh, the female vocals, doomy riffs and other hallmarks of the genre are still there, but they're just one feature of a much more diverse smorgasboard of ingredients. Crammed with sonic experimentations and ambient textures, at points the album is reminiscent of the jazz-tinged soundscapes of the early post-rock scene, though 3rd and the Mortal have a very different approach to taking on those influences than exhibited by many subsequent post-metal bands. On the whole, this is gothic metal gone deliriously avant-garde, creating a brilliantly original sound in the process.

Warthur Now, this is gothic metal I can get behind. On the one hand you have the vocals of Anneke van Giersbergen, whose approach on this album is quite reminiscent of Julianne Regan's work in the great All About Eve, and on the other hand, you have a musical backing which often attains the same sort of wistful atmosphere as All About Eve - but through chunky, doomy riffs instead of hippified goth rock.

Put them together, and you create an intriguing blend which steers away from straight-ahead doom metal by virtue of its alternative rock and goth rock influences. As far as gothic metal goes, Mandylion is the first album I ever heard which really succeeded at fusing what I enjoy about goth rock - the brooding romanticism and emotional rawness - with a metal approach which supports and nurtures those factors. Great stuff.

optisailor2002 With an illustrious career of more than 15 years, Wykked Wytch has slowly garnered a steady following, with their previous albums each garnering pretty stellar reviews. This year sees the band releasing their follow up to 2008's Memories of a Dying Whore in the form of The Ultimate Deception, and seeing how the band has often been described as a fusion of black and gothic metal has certainly got me slightly interested in the music.

The usage of symphonic elements in black metal has never been extremely appealing with me, with most bands butchering the usage, ending up with albums that sound totally pretentious, and unable to really perform live. Album opener Birthing the Beast introduces the album to the listener through a symphonic intro, allowing the music to slowly build up the climax and fortunately, up to the start of the song proper, this does not disappoint and lead to any awkwardness. But it does not take long for the band to really go into full speed, with band mastermind Ipek displaying her vocal abilities through the layering of clean vocals on top of her growls, providing a somewhat haunting effect on the music. She also experiments with various different vocal styles, with times where she uses an almost-spoken style of vocals and while her attempt to include interesting sounds is commendable, at times they do sound off, bringing down the quality of the album slightly and almost makes the songs sound core-ish. Her growls and shrieks though, are powerful, as can be heard on tracks like The Ultimate Deception where she transits between black metal styled shrieks to brutal death metal deep, throaty growls with ease.

The music itself though, for the most part, sounds powerful (partially thanks to the excellent production job of the album), with guitarist Nate displaying his versatility through the different styles of playing, and this is evident right from the opening track Birthing the Beast, which itself contains numerous different styles, ranging from furious black metal-styled trem-picking to melodic death metal-inspired riffs to almost neo-classical influenced shredding on the solo. And of course, this is topped by the powerful battery by guest drummer Kevin Talley, with his relentless and consistent pounding on the skins, and moments on the album that are punctuated by the stellar display of his technical capabilities on his kit.

Apart from the technical aspects of the songs, the band also manages to express their emotions accordingly throughout the album, and the number of influences that they have put into the writing of the album has managed to shine through, with no two tracks on the album sounding the same. Songs like Serpents Among Us, despite having an aggressive start, also take a slow down with the melodic solo by guitarist Nate. Unfortunately though, there are some influences of the band that have been included that drag down the album, with the breakdown riffs on Serpents Among Us right after the inspiring guitar solo, tearing down the impressions that have been built up so far, and moments such as these are littered throughout the album, often spoiling what could have been potentially beautiful moments.Songs like When the Sleepers Rise also suffer from having a weak song structure, with awkward transitions between verses and choruses, resulting in tracks like these being unmemorable, leaving no lasting memories on the listener.

There is also the inclusion of a symphonic/gothic metal rendition of Metallica's ballad, Fade to Black on the album as well, but unlike the many covers that I enjoy, Wkyyed Wytch managed to totally butcher the song, making one of my favourite Metallica ballads sound so vastly different from the original, leaving out much of the original intention and feel of the song. My main gripe with the cover is that you DO NOT spam a ballad with blast beats. I know Kevin Talley is good at what he does, but this just leaves out the entire point of a fucking ballad! The shift between shrieks and clean vocals also gets irritating and sounds out of place, and would have benefited if Ipek had chosen to sticking to only a single style. Furthermore, the sudden shift to growling after the first 2 verses immediately reeks of metalcore, with the bastardised version of Dio's Holy Diver by Killswitch Engage brought to mind instantly.

Wykked Wytch's The Ultimate Deception has done nothing with me. To be honest, the album does sound good with the production quality and the abilities of the individual musicians on the recording, but unfortunately suffers from inconsistency and lack of memorable moments. Oh, and also from spoiling one of the few Metallica songs that I actually like.

Originally written for http://www.heavymetaltribune.com/

Warthur Cradle of Filth's debut album sees them playing, for the most part, in a black metal style heavily influenced by the Norwegian scene but not really matching the standards attained by the bands they were imitating. There's little here of the Filth's distinctive gothic-decadent personality; though the lyrics regularly allude to the focus on Goddess-worship and eroticism which would make the band a stalwart of the lace, latex and corsets scene, it's delivered in a textbook black metal style which fails to impress me.

Dani Filth's vocal delivery on the later Cradle albums may bug some people, but I much prefer his poetic recitation style to the imitation black metal shriek he provides here, which falls far short of the work of the likes of, say, Dead or Varg Vikernes or Attila or any other influential and individual black metal vocalist from the early years of the scene. Likewise, the band themselves play in rote repetition of ideas already explored by the Norwegian scene, and often apply these ideas without much understanding of the underpinnings behind them. Whilst, for instance, lo-fi production values lent a curious aesthetic atmosphere to albums such as Darkthrone's Transilvanian Hunger or Burzum's pre-jail works, here it just makes the album sound like a mess.

In short, I wouldn't even recommend this album for Cradle of Filth fans, since I suspect many of them will find little commonality between this album and their much more accomplished later works. As for everyone else, there's so much better early 1990s black metal out there that there's no compelling reason to bother with this one. Completists only.

adg211288 Evanescence is the self-titled third release from alternative/gothic rock/metal act Evanescence. The 2011 release is the first from the band since 2006’s The Open Door. Evanescence had a lot of commercial success since their 2003 debut, Fallen, but this had the rather unfortunate side effect that every female fronted metal act started getting compared to them despite the fact that many of them were releasing albums a long time before Evanescence and the even more important fact that Evanescence actually plays more in an alternative rock/metal style. Evanescence also seems to have become a generally reviled act within the metal community in particular, possibly because of the above, or maybe because of their more commercial tendencies than is generally accepted for a heavier band. Fallen, however commercial it may be, was a great album. The second, The Open Door, released after losing guitarist Ben Moody, who was one of the main composers, was not so much and I have to confess that with such a plummet in quality I lost what interest I had in the band. So Evanescence now returns to the music world with this album and against my better judgement I find myself interested enough to find out if they can return to form with this self-titled effort, although after The Open Door I came to this album without very high expectations.

In terms of style not much has changed since Fallen, the band is still a semi heavy alternative act with lashings of piano all the way through it. The guitars fit the alternative metal vein even though a good portion of the metal crowd will probably still outright deny that the band is metal (they are borderline admittedly), and the music is still very commercial.

Kicking the album off with its lead single, What You Want, and my worst fears are realised, Evanescence wasn’t back with a bang, and if anything they were beginning their comeback with what may just be the worst track they’ve ever put out. It sounds like it was written as a pop song, and then some heavy alternative metal style guitars were added to it. Musically this is a complete disaster. Imagine taking the vocal tracks of a one song and sticking them over the music of another song, preferably one at the other end of the musical spectrum. It just doesn’t work does it? And that’s exactly what we’ve got here only this track was actually intentionally put together like this. It was seriously almost enough to give up on the album there and then.

It’s a good thing I stuck with it though, as once the disaster of a opener is over the album does do, I wouldn’t call it a complete 180 degree turn, perhaps more like a 120 degree turn, and suddenly the album isn’t as bad as what I initially thought (and was reinforced by What You Want) it would be. It is still not exactly a great album and Fallen is still casting a shadow over everything the band has done since, but Evanescence is at least a stronger album than the very weak The Open Door. Ultimately though what impresses me the most about Evanescence is singer Amy Lee’s vocals and her piano playing. The piano actually adds a nice and interesting touch to what could otherwise be considered a pretty bland album. The songs are generally stronger than those on The Open Door, so it seems the band’s hiatus was not wasted as much as I want to scream about how much of a disaster What You Want is.

The album is not exactly the return to form I could have wished for but it is a step back on the right track for the band and they have at least come back stronger than they were before the hiatus. I do still however feel some apprehension at where they could go next as at the end of the day Evanescence is an album filled with mostly potential for good but also some really bad stuff. Did it have just that bit more consistency I think an above average rating would be appropriate but I have to take into consideration that What You Want is just the definition of a stinker and downgrade my rating to something more representative of a middle of the road release, which is ultimately most appropriate since the album does leave me with mixed feelings upon its conclusion. I think that Evanescence could go either way from here, either back to really delivering the goods in the field of alternative rock/metal or just push the boundaries of commercial influences in heavy music so much that they’ll lose what remaining credibility they have.

(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven (http://metaltube.freeforums.org), scored at 5.2/10)

ChaosAngel On this, the third studio album from the Brooklyn-based Type O Negative, the Drab Four put the gothic in "gothic metal" in a big way, layering a lot more symphonic/melodic keyboards on top of their gloomy-doomy metal. In so doing, they put out their most successful, and arguably best, album.

(Warning, we are now entering minor spoiler territory.)

Once you get past the band's "little joke" (the first track, called "Bad Ground" is nothing but a low-level buzz, and actually begin listening to the music (which begins with the epic intro to "Love You to Death"), you are in for a delightfully cheesy slice of gothic metal from the guys who started it all.

I'm writing this review in December, so I feel the need to mention the album's festive (heh heh) song, "Red Water (Christmas Mourning)", which always seems to find its way onto every Yuletide playlist I ever make.

This is one of two albums I would recommend to a new listener (the other being the previous album, Bloody Kisses). Really, I would recommend this minor masterpiece to anyone at all.

Conor Fynes 'The Arrogance Of Ignorance' - Oceans Of Sadness (8/10)

Splitting up earlier this year, it is unlikely wee will hear anything more from the Belgian metal band Oceans Of Sadness. Over a career that spanned well over a decade, they failed to achieve much longstanding popularity or success, but they had an interesting sound going for them when they were around, and 'The Arrogance Of Ignorance' caps off their career quite nicely. Their fifth album is a well-produced, varied journey, and being my first experience with the music of this band, I have found myself wanting to hear more of what this band has to offer. While it is unfortunate that Oceans Of Sadness have since decided to throw in the towel, they have closed their career on an excellent note.

When first listening to 'The Arrogance Of Ignorance', it became instantly clear that the band was drawing their sound from a variety of different extreme metal sources. Although being rooted in a similar (albeit more melodic) sound to Enslaved or Opeth, Oceans Of Sadness was also taking in gothic, and doom into their sound. This results in a distinct style for the band that does not sound apart from other extreme metal acts, but has enough of a personal identity to it in order to give a memorable experience. Although extreme metal is generally a sound that leans more towards melancholia and sadder emotions, I actually found Oceans Of Sadness to play fun music here; although there is atmosphere and proggy elements in it, the band also makes it clear- especially during the first half of the record- that they aren't taking themselves completely seriously. Sometimes I did find that the band took the tongue-in-cheek nature to levels of silliness, but for the most part, it added a nice 'catchy' element to the music that made it much more accessible than I would have first predicted.

The album does feel as if it goes on for a song or two too long, but Oceans Of Sadness makes their music interesting and attractive throughout. Although I have not heard anything from Oceans Of Sadness before, I certainly think that this was a great way to end the band's career. I am also surprised that the band never achieved a greater popularity when they were around; I could have easily seen them being a quirkier alternative to a band like Opeth. A great album that manages to be dark, progressive, but fun and uplifting, all within the course of one hour.

adg211288 German gothic metal act Coronatus hasn’t exactly had a stable line-up during their career. With every album release from the band there has been a line-up change. 2011’s Terra Incognita, which is the fourth album from the band, is no exception to this and is actually the most radical line-up change between albums yet, with only drummer Mats Kurth (also the only original member left) and guitarist Aria Keramati Noori remaining from the line-up that recorded the group’s previous studio album, 2009’s Fabula Magna, although it does also see the return of former member Ada Flechtner, who sang on their second album, Porta Obscura from 2008.

Traditionally Coronatus is fronted by two female singers, one representing a classical voice and the other a rock voice. Singer Carmen R. Lorch (formerly Schäfer) had been the long running classical singer with the band but she left after Fabula Magna, as did the current rock vocalist Lisa Lasch. Initially Terra Incognita was to usher in a completely new vocal duo, with Arcane Grail’s Natalia Kempin replacing Lorch, and Mareike Makosch replacing Lasch. Kempin left the band before the album could be recorded however, which opened the way for Flechtner’s return. Flechtner was representative of the rock voice when she sang alongside Lorch on Porta Obscura but now takes over as the band’s classical voice. Her development as a vocalist since Porta Obscura is pretty stunning actually, her classical vocals aren’t as powerful as what Carmen was capable of, but when in combination with Mareike’s vocals we’re treated to a stellar vocal delivery. This is the best vocal duo the band has had since their debut album Lux Noctis. If there was a problem with the last couple of albums, it’s that Carmen typical outshone the rock singer, not so much on Porta Obscura but very noticeably so on Fabula Magna, and this is the first time since the debut where the two lead voices have really complemented each other in every possible way. I’m hoping that the line-up stabilises now, because if Terra Incognita is anything to go by, Coronatus is onto a winner.

Coronatus is best described as a gothic metal band, but this doesn’t describe their sound on Terra Incognita with complete accuracy. Specifically the band also incorporates symphonic metal into their sound, although they’re more firmly on the gothic side of the often blurry symphonic/gothic barrier when you take their albums as a whole. Additionally folk sounds creep into their music, and have been increasingly so with every release they put out, so Terra Incognita sees them bringing in even more folk sounds than ever before, though not to the point that folk metal becomes the band’s dominant sound. The folk does crop up enough for me to consider the album more than merely folk influenced as with the last couple of albums however, with it being heard either as little flourishes such as in Fernes Land or as more full out folk metal tracks like Traumzeit. Terra Incognita sounds like more evolved Coronatus because of this. Drawing on the three styles gives their tracks plenty of variety, as does their tendency to switch between German, English and Latin lyrics, although this time not so much the latter.

One thing I question during the album is the use of some faint almost growling vocals as backing in Fernes Lands when it’s the most commercially inclined track that Terra Incognita has to offer the listener, since they add nothing to the track whatsoever. I am personally of the opinion that the ‘metal + commercial = bad’ equation isn’t true, so long as it is done right, and I can’t shake the feeling that the growls (I wouldn’t really call them that, but for want of a better word) are only there to try to take a bit of the track’s commercial nature away, since this is the only time they are used in the album, which for female fronted gothic metal (and also symphonic metal), is nowhere near as commercial as some of the bigger acts in the game such as Sirenia, Lacuna Coil, or Within Temptation, and also generally heavier, although Terra Incognita doesn’t feel as intense in the guitars department as Porta Obscura and Fabula Magna were.

On this note I do kind of feel the need to stress that since Fernes Land is the track which got a music video made for it, and was the track released to promote the album before its release, hearing this track first isn’t getting a very accurate representation of what Terra Incognita is all about. In fact the track is actually mostly written for the band by session musician Simon Hassemer, which may go some way to explain this. Fernes Land is still a good track, taken best with the release as a whole, but the real gems here are tracks such as the somewhat eerie opener Saint Slayer, or really addictive stuff like Hateful Affection and Sie stehen am Weg, not to mention the In Signo Crucis Trilogy that makes up tracks 7 – 9.

The gothic atmospheres are spot on, especially when there’s some piano involved. The folk contrasts with this with some typically happier sounding melodies. Terra Incognita may take a few listens to get into for the existing fan, mainly because despite the excellent vocal team that Ada and Mareike make, Carmen’s absence is most definitely felt here, as there’s no track that really packs the sort of operatic metal punch that past gems like Exitus did. The end result is however quite the addictive listen, and the album was, for me, quickly put into heavy rotation. I do miss Carmen, but overall Terra Incognita stands out in the crowd of female fronted gothic metal albums for me, and is most certainly a return to form for Coronatus after the slightly disappointing Fabula Magna. I’d say that in context of their whole discography so far, Terra Incognita is their second best release, especially on the compositional front.

(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven, scored at 9.3/10)

UMUR "Razorblade Romance" is the 2nd full-length studio album by Finnish goth rock/metal act Him. The album was released in December 1999 by BMG. While the band´s debut album mostly gained Him popularity in their homeland, "Razorblade Romance" was the album that gave them European commercial success. It wasn´t until 2002 that "Razorblade Romance" was released in the US and it was actually initially released under the Her monicker as an American band owned the rights to the Him name. "Razorblade Romance" was only released in 1000 copies with the Her name on the sleeve though as the band quickly secured the rights to the name and all subsequent pressings bear the Him name.

The music on "Razorblade Romance" is a very easily accessible goth rock/metal style. The tracks are vers/chorus structured and seldom deviate from that form. The atmosphere is melancholic and dominated by the vocals by Ville Hermanni Valo. The instrumental part of the music functions more as backing to the vocals than anything else (don´t expect memorable riffs). Everything is wrapped up in a clean and polished production that I´m sure won´t offend anyone. And that´s probably my greatest issue with this album. I want to be offended, I want to be challenged and I´m having a hard time appreciating a pop oriented album posing as a metal ditto. That´s of course unless the material on said type album is of an extraordinarily high quality, which isn´t the case here. After a couple of tracks the album quickly settles into a steady stream of goth roch/metal tunes that don´t stand out from each other and badly lack attitude. Hell this is so sweet even my mother would like it!

Allow me to question the longivity of the music on this album. At least it didn´t take me more than a couple of listens before I felt less than entertained. A 2.5 star rating is warranted.

Time Signature Machine gun...

Genre: gothic metal

Blending melodic metal and gothic metal and adding a touch of nu metal and alternative rock, Trillium have committed a quite solid debut release in "Alloy", which strikes me as being a tad more interesting than many other releases within the same genre sphere of gothic metal.

Amanda Somerville's vocals are perhaps a bit softer than what I normally prefer, but she performs some pretty interesting vocal melodies, some of which are quite complex, which more than makes up for the lack of rock 'n' roll belting. Musically, the tracks are quite varied in terms of texture, ranging from a skeleton format of drums, bass, and guitars over very lush and almost symphonic, and definitely epic, passages to mellow and progressive bridges and breakdowns. Moreover, Trillium are not afraid to make use of electronic effects, and they successfully manage to do that without ever becoming too cheesy.

There are plenty of solid riffs on the album, some of which are even groovy, and guitar fans can also look forward to some pretty awesome guitar solos, some of which sound a bit inspired by Ritchie Blackmore. The musicianship is generally quite high on this album, and Trillium are doubtlessy also skilled songsmiths, who understand how to draw on well-known song structures and still add something to them and make them sound dynamic and interesting.

Fans of dark, yet catchy and melodic metal music should definitely check this release out, and Trillium's "Alloy" should definitely be a hit among fans of melodic female-fronted gothic metal. It is a very enjoyable listen.

(review originally posted at seaoftranquility.org)

Time Signature Caught in the middle...

Genre: gothic metal / nu metal

The blend of pop and metal is not a new thing, and it is not necessarily a bad thing either, and acts like Engel, Amaranthe and, to some extent, Evanescence, have made some pretty good pop-infused metal releases, in my opinion. But it can also go terribly wrong as with Dead By April whose music, I must say, I cannot stand. Nemesea's goth-tinted "The Quiet Resistance" is another addition to the corpus of modern pop metal and, while nowhere near as disastrous as many other releases in the same genre, it does not impress me as much as the latest releases by Amaranthe or Engel did.

Good things first, I really like Manda Ophius' voice, especially when she belts out the powerful and catchy vocals of which there are so many on this release (I definitely prefer her vocals to the male vocals that also pop up every now and then on the album), and I also quite appreciate the overall catchiness of the album in general. While the rhythm guitar is often limited to simple power chord progressions and simple, but effective, riffage, it works in relation to the overall sound of the album and its formulaic nature. Even some of the pop elements appeal to me, especially those that have the same sort of atmosphere to them as dark pop acts like Depeche Mode. So, yes, there are definitely a lot of things to appreciate on this album, and the overall atmosphere dark and haunting, which I consider a positive attribute.

That being said, the album does not strike me as being terribly original and, although this is not a problem as such, there are many stock nu metal elements on it, such as a scratching DJ in tracks like 'Say' and 'It's Over' (no rap, though), which can be somewhat of a turn-off to some. Some of the vocal melodies also sound very inspired by the likes of Nickelback and Evanescence. Also, while some of the pop elements are appealing to me, most of them strike me as being very cheesy, the most unforgivable thing being the use of vocoder effects in 'It's Over' which is something I associate with the contentless and uninteresting, talentless and mindnumbing commercial pop music that is so popular among the identity-less and mindless masses these days (let's face it, only Cynic could get away with using vocoders in rock music).

So, there definitely are some quality aspects to this release (especially the vocals), and although I do not really like its pop side, I am sure that fans of nu metal, gothic metal and modern pop metal will really enjoy listening to "The Quiet Resistance".

(review originally posted at seaoftranquility.com)

Time Signature Crushing down...

Genre: modern gothic metal

The Shiver's third album "A New Horizon" is a collection of insanely catchy and melodic metal tunes which have both pop elements and dark heavy metal elements.

Like so many other gothic metal bans, The Shiver is fronted by a female vocalist, Faith, and she belongs to the category of female gothic metal vocalists who take a more rock-ish approach rather than the ones who take a more operatic approach or those who have soft and silky pretty voices. I must admit that I prefer the rock-oriented vocalists in this genre, so I obviously like Faith's work in The Shiver. She has a powerful voice and does not refrain from belting out catchy melodic hooklines, and she even delivers several harsh growled screams as background vocals throughout the album, which works very well.

Musically, the tunes are both dark and uplifting and, true to the gothic metal genre, there are plenty of keyboards and piano effects, but these never take over and leave the guitar as the dominating instrument so you can really hear the many power chords and riffs that the music on this release revolves around.

Fans of acts like Amaranthe or perhaps even melodic death metallers Deadlock might like this album, although The Shiver do not adopt the Gothenburg sound.

arcane-beautiful Any aritist knows that a debut album has to achieve certain aspects, one of them being, it has to grab your attention and let you marvel for the full duration of the album. And boy does this exceed.

This being their first full length album, it's a dramatic difference from their early demos and releases. With a new more black metal sound, widely influenced by the Scandanavian musical movement. Now I see major differences musically, but stylisticaly yea it's all their.

It's funny to think that a band from Suffolk are the same as iron clad Norwegians, and looking at the photos in this, it does make me laugh, with all the stupid corpsepaint and metal poses, trying to look as "evil" as possible, but throughout their career, they discovered that them themselves are evil enough, so they got a bit more experimental with their image, which in my opinion always was for the best (you really need to be Norwegian to pull off full blow corpsepaint).

Now as a debut, this is incredibly impressive. To be honest, hearing samples from the album, I was worried that I wouldn't like it, but to be honest, I did, espeically when you just sit down, and enjoy what your listening to, instead of being overly critical.

Now sound wise, it's very raw. The production isnt the best, which gives it that "black metal" edge to it, but I think it sounds really good production wise compared to most black metal recordings, but maybe a bit more tweaking would have made it a bit better.

Now vocally Dani sounds a bit different, and yes you could pick holes at it, but I see it as a vocalist coming to terms with his own powers. He knows what he can do on this album, and at times can make you go "F**kin el". Now he does get better in later years, but as early stages, this isn't too bad. His lyrics are also really good in this album as usual, but he does get better. This album also has some interesting themes, e.g. mythology, thelmatic stuff, Satanic stuff, and other stuff that's interesting.

1. Darkness Our Bride (Jugular Wedding) - Nice intro. Great keyboard arrangement. 6/10

2. The Princple Of Evil Made Flesh - Wow, what an intro. Some really killer punky riffs. Gothic moments throughout are the real highlights.At times the vocals aren't the best, and then at times they're fantasitc. 9/10

3. The Forest Whispers My Name - Nothing compared to the Vempire version. It's still good though, but when I want to listen to this song, the Vempire version will always be the one I look for. This is still a classic song, and one of my all time Cradle favourites. 8/10

4. Iscariot - A nice atmospheric interlude. I like heartbeat sounds. 5/10

5. The Blak Goddess Rises - This is quite a beautiful song at times. I love how it transforms into such a gothic doomy classic and how it changes throughout. I do like the vocals in this song alot. 10/10

6. One Final Graven Kiss - A nice eerie repetitive interlude. 6/10

7. A Crescendo Of Passion Bleeding - Some killer riffs. I love the use of vocals throughout. A bit underlooked in my opinion. 9/10

8. To Eve The Art Of Witchcraft - This has a certain grindcore vibe to it (a slight reminiscence of their earlier stuff). Great punky feel to the song. Amazing twists and turns, and the use of organ is really cool. I like how the song has so many changes in tone and sound. 10/10

9. Of Mist & Midnight Skies - I like Bach's Tocatta at the start, although it's a bit cheesy itself. This is very inspired by My Dying Bride, so expect alot of doom. Great use of vocals throughout. The lyrics obviously deal with thelmatic topics (Crowley and what have you not) 9/10

10. In Secret Love We Drown - Nice trickly interlude with nice water sounds. 5/10

11. A Dream Of Wolves In The Snow - I love the silly Pinhead impression at the start. Pretty interesting arrangement, and Dani's vocals are pretty cool. Short and sweet. 8/10

12. Summer Dying Fast - Great punky feeling. Great arrangement with some killer keyboards. 8/10

CONCLUSION: I really didn't expect to like this album as much as I did. But it's really an achievment, especially for a debut. Not one of my all time favourites, but still a great album.

7.3/10

UMUR "World Coming Down" is the 4th full-length studio album by US doom metal act Type O Negative. The album was released in September 1999 by Roadrunner Records.

After releasing their arguably most commercial sounding album in "October Rust (1996)", Type O Negative returned with a heavier and lyrically more cynical and dark album in "World Coming Down". The relatively more polished production on the predecessor is replaced by a brick heavy and larger than life sound production.

"World Coming Down" is as unmistakably the sound of Type O Negative as any other album by the band. Type O Negative is one of the most distinct sounding acts in metal which is in large part due to the characteristic deep register voice of Peter Steele. Other trademarks include heavily distorted bass, which sometimes works more like a guitar than the guitar does, Beatlesque pop psychadelia, atmospheric synths, heavy Black Sabbath influenced doom metal riffing and a dark goth touch. The band´s lyrics have always been of the dark, depressive and reflective kind albeit with a sarcastic humour, that has ensured that the grave lyrical themes never become too pathetic. The lyrics on "World Coming Down" are no different. I´d actually say they rank among the band´s darkest and most personal lyrics. Principal songwriter Peter Steele has often been cited for saying that the album was written in a very turbulent period of this life, which included several family deaths, alcohol/drug abuse and depression, and that the lyrics were almost too personal for him to commit to paper and release. Tracks like "Everyone I Love Is Dead", "Everything Dies" and especially the brick heavy title track are testaments to his torment. Especially the latter features some very personal lyrics that clearly shows the self-loathing Peter Steele felt in this period of his life. There´s no better example than the opening lines from the that song: "She thinks I'm iron man that I don't feel pain, I don't understand why joy must be feigned, I'm so fortunate yet filled with self-hate, That the mirror shows me an ingrate".

The quality of the tracks is high throughout and "World Coming Down" is a very entertainting release all the way through the 74:02 minutes that it lasts. Type O Negative are one of very few select artists who can successfully release albums that long. Highlights include the title track, "White Slavery", "All Hallows Eve", "Creepy Green Light", "Everyone I Love Is Dead" (love the sarcastic "ha ha" during the chorus) and the quirky "Who Will Save the Sane?". Even the Beatles medley that ends the album came out pretty great.

"World Coming Down" is an excellent release by Type O Negative and I have very few issues with the album. The musicianship is solid, the production is powerful and the songwriting is clever and full of emotional impact. My only issue is that it´s like the band have stopped developing their sound and style at this point. All three predecessors had a unique sound and you could easily detect a development in sound and style from one album to the next. On "World Coming Down" it´s like the search for an ultimate sound has stopped. Maybe Type O Negative simply felt that they had found the definitive formula at this point? Whatever the reason "World Coming Down" isn´t quite as adventurous or groundbreaking as the predecessors but it´s a damn solid, crushingly heavy and very well written doom metal album fully deserving a 4.5 star rating.

arcane-beautiful It's a bit annoying when bands release material which isn't on albums. And this prooves it.

Now I know I said Midian was Cradle's real shot into the mainstream, but this really was its push in the right direction. At the turn of the century these guys had conquered the extreme metal world, releasing 4 top class releases that are considered classics in today's modern metal climate. But they had gained attention due to contraversy (e.g. the Jesus' is a c*** t shirt, being arrested at the Vatican, that documentary about parents who feared their kids where apart of a cult because they listened to the band...you know as you normally do everyday), they decided to make a music video and an accompanying ep. Now ep is a very strong word, because I would call it a big single really, because the main impact was the title track. Now along with this release we got another unreleased song, 2 covers, a remix of the title track and a re recording of one of their classic songs. And do they live up to the rest of the tracks.

Yes and no. Now the main song is amazing, and so is the other new song. The 2 covers are pretty cool too, but why do bands do that stupid remix thing. They always seem rushed and always come out sounding stupid.

Now musically the ep is a step foward from what they were doing in Cruelty & The Beast, but with the black metal elements discarded for a more gothic sound being brought forward. Now production wise, I'm not the biggest fan. For some reason it sound's a bit rushed, but to be honest, the material is still their so meh. Dani's vocals also seem to be a wee bit lack lustre, and his lyrics on the 2 original tracks aren't as striking or as memorable as they used to be. Although I like how the keyboards now have a more dominant approach in the instrumentation.

1. From The Cradle To Enslave - I think this is one of their most well known tracks, but to be honest, it's a bit overhyped. Even Dani doesn't like this song too much, and the band are actually sick of playing it live. Although, it's still a great song, and will always remain striking, especially with the accompanying of that amazing music video. 8/10

2. Of Dark Blood & F**king - Why is this song not as hyped as the first track. This is the best song on this release, and its a very underlooked Cradle classic in my opinion. I love the mad punky feeling throughout the song, and the hook is amazing, with Sarah Jezebel having some great vocals. Lyrics are pretty cool too. 10/10

3. Death Comes Ripping - I think most bands end up doing a Misfits cover now and then, and this is their's. Great cover, and the punky sound is pretty reminiscent of Cradle's early days. 8/10

4. Sleepless - An Anathema cover? Yes this is true, and meh, they pull it off well...pretty interestingly actually. 7/10

5. Perverted Church (From The Cradle To Depraved) - Ok, I don't care about this, but meh, someone might like it. 3/10

6. Funeral In Carpathia - This just isn't the same as the real true original recording. I guess the song is still their, but it's just not the same really. 6/10

CONCLUSION: Their's some underlooked moments on this, but to be honest, it's not Cradle's best release by far. Still pretty good though.

5.8/10

arcane-beautiful Ok, now this release apparently has a bit of history behind it. Whilst signed to Cacophonus records, they didn't like it anymore, so in order to be dropped from their label, they decided to make this e.p, in order to fill up their album and release deal...and as usual...it's amazing! How smug can you get.

Now this e.p is incredibly smug in it's presentation (well to me it is), but Cradle have always been smug, and you gotta love them for it.

For me, this is where it really starts. Their first album is ok I guess. It's a pretty solid effort, and it's ok for a debut, but this is the release for me which I think really sets these guys in stone and into the world's musical ensemble. At this point in their career, Cradle were seen as Uk's only real black metal band. Now Cradle in my opinion never where really black metal, and will always be either gothic or extreme metal to me, but listening to this release, you can see where people would get confused.

Now sound wise, this isn't far off from what they did on Dusk, but this ep has its own unique sound I think, mainly cause theirs 2 quite epic songs on it. This ep sounds very expanded, where it kind of takes you on this magical journey...although it's a hellish nightmare. I think the longer songs is where the atmosphere really tips over to boiling point on this release, but the shorter songs are just as strong, and even stronger at points. Really this ep is 40 minutes that you will happily spend in sheer fright and wonderment, but in the best way possible.

I think this ep is also the point where Cradle where their most evil, and it slowly went downhill from here. I mean it, like Dani's vocals are so high pitched, listening to them scares banshees away. The mixing on this album is actually supirsingly well done, due to its budget, purpose and its place in time. This ep is the pinnacle for really early Cradle, and is actually one of my favourite releases from them, and will always be. In fact, I remeber my brother saying once that this is his favourite Cradle release (although his opinions change all the time).

This is also the first album to feature Sarah Jezebel...and some other girl who is never heard of again. Ha, epic fail.

1. Ebony Dressed For Sunset - A great black metal intro...with the full band playing. Things are happening and we don't know why. Can't get any better than that. 8/10

2. The Forest Whispers My Name - This is the best version of this song. The 1st album can go and f*** off. This is just Cradle's first real kick ass song and a moment which will spark the rest of their career. Incredibly twisted, yet as fascinating as the dawn. 10/10

3. Queen Of Winter, Throned - What an epic. This being their 2nd longest song, does it live up to their longest. Yes it does. In fact I find this song way more exciting than Bathroy Aria, although Bathory Aria is a better song I feel, but this song doesn't come too far from it. This will always be one of my alltime Cradle favourites for centuries to come. 10/10

4. Nocturnal Supremacy - The main riff in this is pretty killer. A really exciting and gothic song with some really interesting and cool moments. Bit underlooked I feel too. 9/10

5. She Mourns A Lengthening Shadow - Is this on another release. I've either heard this before, or have heard this a thousand times. This is quite beautiful and really impressive for early Cradle. 9/10

6. The Rum & Rape Of Angels (Hossanas In Extremis) - I love how this song starts off really punky, and just ejaculates all over your face (in a good way tho). A great song, with alot of diverse vocals on it. Nice lyrics too. 8/10

CONCLUSION: I don't know why these songs weren't featured on albums, because theirs some really classic Cradle songs on this album, that get overlooked due to them being on this ep. Same thing happened with some of the songs on Bitter Suites To Succubi.

8.3/10

arcane-beautiful After Nymphetamine...Cradle had the world at their feet...with people wanting more. So they gave more...and then people got bored.

It seems that this is the album where people began to loose interest in the band. And its really sad to see, cause they still remain one of my favorutie bands, although I can see why the interest has faded. When I was younger, Cradle used to frighten me...when i got older, they still frightened me. After 2006, Cradle just stopped frightened me. Now don't get me wrong, their next 3 albums, I still respect their music, but they don't have that same atmosphere that I used to have with Cradle, which made me slightly shit myself a little. I think they've grown up really...and we have grown up with them. We only expect music from these guys now, and well, that's what we get.

Now when Nymphetamine's cloud of dust started to dissolve...these guys decided to take all the things about Nymphetamine which were easily accesible, and focus on them. Now this is a very dangerous move for ANY band to make, but its still an experiment worth taking.

I like to compare this album to Carcass's Swansong. After Heartworks (which parrallels to Nymphetamine), which was their biggest album to date, they decided to, kind of go more contemporary, and flirt with the more popular side of metal. And it worked, to an extent. Now Cradle have done the same thing here. Now hardocre Cradle fans will not like this album very much, but to be honest, I haven't really heard much backlash from this album. People just seemed to except. Now when Metallica did St. Anger and Megadeth did Risk, their was anarchy...but this album seemed to cause no real backlash. I thought Cradle fans really would have been burning effigies and shit, but the fans seemed to react alright to it. It's almost as if the fans respected what these guys had done. And also, I think the main reason is that, this album is quite...good.

I mean it, this is a really decent album. I didn't dislike much about it. Their were moments where I was like "Ok, I'm not loving this," and times I was like "Ok, I'm really loving this." I would happily listen to this album again, I will always keep it in my collection and I have to admit, some of the songs on this are really strong Cradle tracks.

Now sound wise this album is different (obviously), but its also experimenting with sounds and genre's these guys have never touched upon. At times theirs the obvious gothic metal stuff, but theirs metalcore sounding riffs at times, and just standard metal sounding songs. This seems to be a more band orientated album, with guitars being the main focus (mainly due to a loss of a keyboardist). The black metal elements are all gone really too, which is interesting to see, and is pobabbly why the album was made (they really hate to be tagged under that) .The songs also seem to be more to the point, with verses chorus's and repetitive themes. Some songs go on sporadics, but you expect that now and then. Now theirs some songs that aren't the best, but to be honest, we're not expetcting the bands weight in gold.

Dani's lyrics seem to be more freerer, mainly due to the fact that their is no concept, so lyrically he could write about anything really. Now lyrically at times, they can be quite cheesy (especially on one song), but besides that, their's still some great lyrical moments. His vocals are also quite different too. His voice has made a noticable change, and he really has been able to learn what he can and cannot do. Theirs even some clean vocals on this album, which is really interesting to here, cause

1. Under Pregnant Skies She Comes Alive Like Miss Leviathan - Great orchestral intro, in fact one of the better ones. 8/10

2. Dirge Inferno - Ok, as usual, every Cradle first song has to be killer. And of course this is killer. It's not the best opening song, but its still great. 10/10

3. Tonight In Flames - Ok, this song is really interesting, and such a kick ass song. One of Cradle's best riffs in my opinion. Theirs also a riff in this that sounds identical to Avenged Sevenfolds Almost Easy, so theirs the more poppy sound. Amazing chorus, such an anthemic song. 10/10

4. Libertina Grimm - Ok, now this is the song I have a bit of a faus quas with. The lyrics are a bit too cheesy...and the song itself is a bit too cheesy. It's a good enough song, but it's ruined with cheese. 6/10

5. The Bryonic Man - I really love this song. It's so different. An amazing chorus, and some amazing vocals from Ville Valo. Such a great song, and Dani's vocals and diction are just amazing. 10/10

6. I Am The Thorn - Some really great killer moments and some nice riffs now and then. I do think this song is a wee bit too long though. 8/10

7. Cemetery & Sundown - The chorus is a wee bit boring, mainly cause Sarah sounds so bored in it. Although this song has some really cool twists and turns throughout. 7/10

8. Lovesick For Mina - Probabbly one of the best songs on the album. The doomy start, which reminds me of My Dying Bride, is really killer, and when the song explodes into a real kick ass metal song, it really blooms beautifuly. Their is also a really kick ass chorus on this song. 10/10

9. The Foetus Of A New Day Kicking - Cradle...making a 3 minute pop song. Yes...and it worked. Well its not a pop song, but it is extremely acccesible. Great chorus, with some nice clean vocals from Dani. 10/10

10. Rise Of The Pentagram - Ok, now the thing with long instrumentals is that their not always good. Metallica try to do it, and it just fails most of the time. But this one isn't too bad. Some really killer riffs and some nice lead lines, and keyboard breaks. The narration at the start by Doug Bradley is also really cool too. 7/10

11. Under Huntress Moon - This is a really jaunty song, and probabbly one of the most accesible on the album. Great vocals from Dani & Sarah. Theirs also some really cool eerie moments, which harkens back to their older stuff. 9/10

12. Temptation - Ok, a very cheesy cover, but meh, it works pretty well. Some nice moments, and the take on the song is pretty cool, altough it does remind me of industrial metal. 7/10

CONCLUSION: Ok, I was toying with the mark, and I think a good, but not essential is a good enough mark for this. I really do like this album. By far is it their best, but its not their worst either. You can either like it...not not like it that much...your choice.

6.9/10

Stephen Try picturing Within Temptation, Nightwish, and Evanescence collaborating in an album, the result is pretty much what described in One Without's second release, 'Sweet Relief'. The female shouter with an occasional growl, the sensible pop touch on each taunting guitar's distortion, and the symphonic power element on the rhythm, making this record a paradise for gothic metal fans. The modern and refreshing sound also make sure that the band isn't reverted back to the 90s, and that's good news especially when they want a younger audience that's been listening to the likes of Lacuna Coil or My Dying Bride.

Seventeen tracks might be a good bargain for a disc but actually this is a risky move since if you can't decide at least 10 or 11 strong tracks, the album might fall short to a mediocre release, but luckily, while there are traces of average tunes, I think there are several winners here such as 'Souls of Thousands', 'Spit It Out', 'Nothing To You', 'Burned Once Again', and 'Pretender'. Many other potential tracks that if only the invested more time to carefully reinvent the songs will probably be as good as the champion such as 'Forget Your Pride', 'Persistent', or 'Burning With Your Hopes And Dreams'.

Catrin Feymark's enchanting vocal is an opposite to Kenny Boufadene's furious growl, a beautiful complementary to the finely crafted music but compressing the album to only 10 strong tracks will probably be a better move for them, but nevertheless, 'Sweet Relief' is definitely a solid cheering effort and hard to imagine gothic or symphonic metal fans won't like this.

arcane-beautiful Remember when I said Midian was smug...well this is worse...

In 2004, Cradle Of Filth had reached the pinnacle of their career. After a dangerous experiment, the band came out on top, winning the hearts of critics and fans alike. And after many genius moves after another, they decided to release this album, and to be honest, they couldn't have picked a better time to release it.

This album is to be honest, pretty much perfect. Ok it's not a golden rod from heaven, but this album just prooves why these guys are the 2nd biggest British metal band. Their ability to crossover genres really is shown in its perfect element on this album, mixing the old black metal style with gothic metal, melodic death metal, at times doom and just adding their own unique flair. This is the album where I think they perfected that classic Cradle sound, and brought it to more approachable and contemporary levels. For Christ's sake, Nymphetamine Fix, I remember, was played every day on tv channels such as Kerrang & Scuzz.

The sound of this album is very different to the rest. I think if you wanted to get someone into Cradle, I would suggest this album, because it does have quite a magical quality, where theirs something for everybody, from incredibly heavy moments, to nice piano licks and as always, a diverse palette of metal. I also believe that this was Cradle's classic line up.

Production wise, this is their real highlight. The guitars sound incredibly evil, and the orchestration and choirs, along with the keyboard work, really highlights the amazing gothic moments. Dani's vocals I feel are at their final zenith of power here (they start to falter after this album, so he must have really given it his all here).

Lyrically the album deals with some interesting topics, alot of it has to do with sex, war, murder and Greek mythology oddly enough. Also, the artwork for this album is really cool too...SHOWING BOOBIES AND TWATS! :D

1. Satyriasis - A nice eerie orchestral intro. Very evil sounding, ful of discords and what have you not. 9/10

2. Gilded Cunt - Cradle Of Filth album rules...if the first song doesnt make you headbang like f***, then they're not doing it properly. This is probabbly one of my favourite all time Cradle songs, mainly cause it rocks like a motherfunker, yet it...no words can describe it!!! 11/10

3. Nemesis - Wow, what a kick ass song...and quite different too. Full of repetitive motifs and lyrical parts, it really is an instant Cradle classic. It just kicks so much arse. Their's also a very noticable Iron Maiden influence on this song. I love the ending too. 10/10

4. Gabrielle - Quite beautiful at the start, but it blooms into a real gothic masterpiece. Some really killer riffs too. 10/10

5. Absinthe With Faust - One of the most melodic songs on the album (and that's really saying something, cause this is their most melodic album). Really killer riffs and kick ass moments. 9/10

6. Nymphetamine (Overdose) - Wow, what an epic. 9 minutes of pure pleasure. Now, this mainly is the Nymphetamine Fix, but with one killer intro and outro. I actually prefer the first section to the fix, but all in all, it just flows so well...and suprises you alot. It's also nice to hear Liv Kristine's voice in this song, although when they do this live, Sarah Jezebel does a good job on it. 10/10

7. Painting Flowers White Never Suited My Palette - Ok...odd name for a song. A nice orchestral eerie interlude. 9/10

8. Medusa & Hemlock - Incredibly kick ass, with some real cool twists and turns, and Dani's diction really is killer and makes the song as interesting as possible. 10/10

9. Coffin Fodder - One of the more black metal moments on the album, mixed with some really nice melodic sections. Great vocals from Dani. 10/10

10. English Fire - A nice orchestral accompaniment really adds beauty to this song. Does beautiful extreme metal exist? It does in this song. Great lyrics too.

11. Filthy Little Secret - Nice melodic splashes with the odd dramatic moment now and then. Great twists and turns too. 9/10

12. Swansong For A Raven - Apparently this is supposed to be a continuation of Her Ghost In The Fog, although I do admit, it doesn't compare to the sheer majesty of Her Ghost In The Fog. A great song nontheless. Some nice dramatic moments. The instrumental section is really cool too, cause it reminds me of Carcass. And Doug Bradley's narration are as cool as ever. 9/10

13. Mother Of Abominations - Wow, what a powerhous of a song. When you hear that chanting intro, you know that something is going to spurt acid in your face. I also love the loopy ending. 10/10

CONCLUSION: Their most contemporary album I feel....and it's good thing theirs 13 amazing songs on it. Definitly one of my secret favourites from these guys. And it is pretty smug too...although Cradle have always been smug I feel.

9.1/10

arcane-beautiful This album seems to a landmark in Cradle's career, and here's why.

After the band had recieved success and controversy during the late 90's (with such campaign as the "Jesus is a c*** t-shirt, a BBC programme involving their bad behaviour and outraged parents and loads of other stupid things that they found funny), they had made a good bit of a name for themsevles. So with all this attention, releasing their first music video for "From The Cradle To Enslave", with a more approachable sound, the band were then spurted out onto the spotlight, making them the 2nd biggest metal band on the planet...apparently.

Now this album was able to keep their waning popularity and maintain still a big attraction. Why? Mainly cause the album is so damn good.

Yea...I mean it, this album is so good, it almost seems smug. Their's something quite magical about this album. You can pick holes at it all day, and you just kind of have to accept and surrender at the end, cause it's that good.

Now sound wise, the album is a bit different. Their isn't much "black metal" moments, and this is the album where Cradle really had adopted their own style. Taking extreme metal, gothic metal and adding their own unique style really payed off, and it's the Cradle sound we've all grown to love (or hate, depending on your own opinions).

Production wise, its a bit different. I was annoyed that their wasn't as much focus on keyboards, but to be honest, when their is, it pays off very well. The guitars are the main instrumental focus, with an odd sound to them. Their is a quite raw sound to the guitars, which bodes well to the music, cause over all the high production, their is that harkneing back to their older sound. And Dani's vocals really are amazing as usual, altough at times I feel he's still finding his voice, and he's experementing quite a bit on this album. The album is also the first for Doug Bradleys narration, and this time, he uses the Pinhead voice..killer!

As usual, the lyrics are as amazing as ever, with some really underlooked highlights on this paticular album. Oh and great artwork too.

1. At The Gates Of Midian - Great atmosphere and build up. One of the better Cradle intros. 9/10

2. Cthulhu Dawn - Wow what an intro. This organ riff always sends a tingle down my spine.It's just a perfect Cradle song. Really grabs you by the balls. Great vocals and lyrics from Dani. 10/10

3. Saffron's Curse - Great gothicy feel to it. Reminds me of Paradise Lost at times. I love how the song changes throughout. Great lyrics. 10/10

4. Death Magick For Adepts - The punky feel to this song is really kick ass. This is very different to a standard Cradle song. Really exciting with some killer riffs. The narration at the end is really eerie, but cool as hell. 10/10

5. Lord Abortion - Ok, this song is pretty cheesy, but to be honest, it just shows these guys dark and odd sense of humour. Comical, but who cares, its still a kick ass song.10/10

6. Amor E Morte - Another gothicy song. Killer riffs throughout. I also like the highlighted use of keys on this song. 9/10

7. Creatures That Kissed In Cold Mirrors - A nice plinky plonky interlude. 8/10

8. Her Ghost In The Fog - METAL CLASSIC! This is one motha of a song. Epic as hell, and highlighting all the reasons why I love metal...aggression, verocity...and beauty. Yes, the song is beautifully arranged, with beautiful female vocals, and some really beautiful lyrics. When that intro hits, and Doug Bradley sends ice shivers down your back, you know your in for a thrill ride. This was actually my first encounter with Cradle, when I was just 8. I was scared for my life, but interested like f***. 10/10

9. Satanic Mantra - I love this...that's all I'm going to say. 10/10

10. Tearing The Veil From Grace - Great use of female vocals, with the catchy melody. But don't let it fool you, it turns into one dark mothafu**a of a song. Nice lyrics too. 10/10

11. Tortured Soul Asylum - One of my secret favourite Cradle songs. What an ending this is. Dark as hell. Such a behemoth of a song. Very different and dark to the rest of the album. Incredibly exciting throughout. The vocals are some of Dani's highlights. The lyrics are also so very evil, with great use of profanities. 10/10

CONCLUSION: This wouldn't be my favourite Cradle album, but to be honest, it still is a marvel to behold. I will always enjoy listening to this album and it will always be part of my collection, and ring through my head.

8.7/10

arcane-beautiful After Thornography, Cradle fans (like myself) were left pondering...is this the new Cradle sound, will this always be the case. And of course our doubts were led to be nothing but nonsense and poppycock.

Cradle have always done interesting things with their sound, either for the better or worse...and this is for the better.

When this album was coming out, I was incredibly excited (although I'm always excited to hear anything these guys put out). I was also incredibly fascinated to hear the album was a concept album...about Gilles De Rais...one of the most barberic and sadist serial killers to ever have existed. Now the concept is a big focus on this album, in fact, out of all their concept albums, this is the album thats the most conceptual...and it works so well to its advantage. The story is just so interesting and amazing, that you can't help but wan't to listen to it more. It's kind of like a really epic movie...with this as its soundtrack (I wonder why a movie hasn't been made about Mr De Rais yet...would be a great horror movie). Dani's lyrics, being more conceptually honed, really are amazing, and paints this story with such a mad dark gothic world. The artwork also helps alot too.

Now sound wise, the album is dramatically different too Thronography. Lets just say those black metal elements are back. Now some of the poistive sides of Thornography still rub off on this album, especially the focus on the gothic elements. But the album also has its own original spark, with the use of choirs and what have you not. It's a new sound for Cradle I thought (Darkly Darkly sadly seemed to move away from this sound). I also feel that even though Dani's voice isn't what it used to be, this album prooved what his voice still can do (their were moments where I literally nearly shat myself, his voice is that good). Their is also a good amount of guitar solos on this album, which really isn't a major Cradle highlight.

The album also contains some really cool narration from Pinhead himself, Doug Bradley, playing the part of Gilles De Rais. Although, usually Doug speaks with his Pinhead voice on Cradle narrations, but on this album, he seemed more relaxed, which was cool, cause don't forget Mr. De Rais was human. But even Doug speaking normally is creepy, in fact maybe even more creepier than Pinhead (I love Hellraiser by the way, in fact, Cradle got me into these movies).

The album also just sounds like the band really cared for this album. No stone is left unturned, every bit is pretty eye opening. Concept wise, Dani also seems to have really focused on this story, mainly because it shows his complete fascination with this man.

1. In Grandeur & Frankincense Devilment Stirs - Nice intro with some great narration. Great start to the album. 8/10

2. Shat Out Of Hell - This is one of their most perfect songs in ages. It's so so exciting...and incedibly epic. I love how the lyrics are a summary of the whole tale. 10/10

3. The Death Of Love - This song is very King Diamond (apparently the album was widely influenced by him). A beautiful song thats arranged amazingly. The female vocals are really pretty too. I love the twists and turns, and the lyrics are amazing. 10/10

4. The 13th Caeser - An amazing chorus, with a great build up to it. Reminds me of The Damned, with the punky feel with gothic stabs. 10/10

5. Tiffauges - Great build up throughout, and it's very eerie. 9/10

6. Tragic Kingdom - Great intro. Their is some really kick ass riffs in this song. I love the ending too, I think it builds up to an amazing climax. 10/10

7. Sweetest Maleficia - Great guitar solo in the middle. I love the dark tones throughout. The lyrics are pretty interesting...as always. 9/10

8. Honey & Sulphur - Probabbly one of my favourite Cradle chorus', and the choir only adds to its wonder. I love how the song builds up, and how recognizable patters that you love hearing come back. 10/10

9. Midnight Shadows Crawl To Darken Counsel With Life - This has to be their darkest song in a long time, probabbly since Damnation & A Day. I love the arrangements and the build up throughout. The riffs harken back to their earlier stuff too, which is a really cool thing to hear. 10/10

10. Darkness Incarnate - I love the punky feel. Great lyrics. The ending is pretty epic too, although it could have been cut down a little. 9/10

11. 10 Leagues Beneath Contempt - The most melodic song on the album. This song goes back to the slower gothicy moments. It's quite dramatic too. 9/10

12. Godspeed On The Devil's Thunder - Very evil, with some really epic twists and turns. Great ending to the album. 9/10

13. Corpseflower - A nice evil ending. 9/10

CONCLUSION: I wouldn't say this album is a masterpiece...but it's so so so close. Not alot of people got this album, but I did, and I will always love it.

8.4/10

arcane-beautiful You know when you weren't that big on an album...and then you listen to it for the 4th or 5th time and you think "why do I really like this now"...yes that's what I'm going through now.

Out of all of Cradle's albums, this is the one that I always had mixed feelings about. For some odd reason, I just never got it, or favoured it amongst these guys discography, but not I really love this album.

Now historicaly speaking, this album, technically is a black metal classic and I can see why. When I listen to this album, I can see parallels to Emperor's In The Nightside Eclipse or Dimmu Borgir's Enthrone Darkness Triumphant, mainly because they were released around the same time, but because they took a dying genre, and really turned it on its face and showed progression and how the genre can still live and breathe, and these 3 albums really prooved that.

This album really is special because it was a turning point for the band, with what was shown on Vempire was taken a further step foward into creating the Cradle Of Filth style and sound. Taking gothic rock elements and mixing it with the speed, darkness, vocal styles of black metal, and even having punky grindcore and death metal moments. The sound really is unique, and people trying to copy it really doesn't bode them any well.

The album has some Cradle standards...the epic over 7 minute songs, the shortened songs, the intros and interludes, but the album also seems to have alot of experimentating, especially with structure. The songs really have exciting structures that keep you on the edge of your seat throughout. Dani's vocals are also different. I do like them, but at times, they feel strained and maybe some techniques are done a bit too much, but to be honest, that was what put me off the album a bit, and now I see no problem with them, in fact I really like his vocals on this album. I have to admit, his shrieks are pretty epic.

Lyrically, the album deals with vampyric topics, which isn't a big shock, but its highlighted a good bit more, and makes the album more enjoyable I think, mainly due to their storylike nature.

This is also the first real full length album to feature Sarah Jezebel Deva, and it's good to see her on top form, because her haunting voice really does go well with

1. Humana Inspired To Nightmare - Great intro. I think this is one of those intros that really sticks out to me. 10/10

2. Heaven Torn Asunder - An incredibly exciting song. Great riffs and interesting lyrics. The ending reminds me of Chthonic, and it's easy to see why this album would be a big influence for them. Great arrangement. 10/10

3. Funeral In Carpathia - Best song on the album in my opinion. It's just classic Cradle at their best.The epic Iron Maiden parts are killer. The female vocals are cool too. The arrangement is just beautiful (odd to say about a Cradle Of Filth song haha)

4. A Gothic Romance (Red Roses For The Devil's Whore) - Such an exciting and dramatic song. Love the atmopsheric intro. This song is epic! Amazing arrangement and some very kick ass riffs. 10/10

5. Malice Through The Looking Glass - Now this is something a bit different. This song is really expiermental, in that it's structure is very odd, yet it just strikes such a heavenly chord. The intro sounds alot like A Bruise Upon The Silent Moon, but that doesn't matter, it's a great into. The instrumental sections are really beautiful, and how the song plays out is just amazing. It's a marvel that needs to be beheld I think. 10/10

6. Dusk & Her Embrace - Wow! What a head twister (Exorcist style :D) Very sporadic and mind blowing. The past paced parts really are amazing. The vocals are out of this world too. 10/10

7. The Graveyard By Moonlight - Nice atmospherioc interlude. I like the repetition of the familiar themes (I have to admit, the interludes really are amazing too). 10/10

8. Beauty Slept In Sodom - Great lyrics and gothicy dark moments throughout. I love the discordy dark bits near the end. Yet the song is incredibly melodic. 9/10

9. Haunted Shores - The fast bits really are incredibly and add to the epic feel of the song. Exciting and eerie throughout. The ending is cool too (Cronos from Venom...woop) 10/10

CONCLUSION: I really regret not loving this album at first. I think if you don't like it at first, really listen to it again...AND I MEAN LISTEN!!! I also think that this album should be on the top 161 list, because it's just that good.

8.6/10

arcane-beautiful It's so sad when one of your favourite bands of all time disapoints you. You really want to like this album, because you love these guys, but you really can't...you strive to find all the possible things you like about it, but their really isn't much to offer.

Maybe this album needs to grow on me, but at the moment I'm disappointed.

This album is another concept album, although out of the 4 they've made...this is their most disapointing. The concept is supposed to be the female counterpart to their previous album, Godspeed On The Devil's Thunder, which was about infamous mass murderer Gilles De Rais. Now this album is about Lillith...Adam's first wife, who's a demon and gets up to all kinds of mischief. Now, concept wise, its ok, and the music is almost like a soundtrack to the story...but it's not a Crulety & The Beast or a Damnation & A Day.

Musically, the band have tried to go back to their black metal days, with faster and more heavier songs. But to be honest, I kind of liked Cradle morhping their own unique sound throughout the years (although Thornography may be a bit too strong of a change). Now this album is faster and heavier than some of their current releases. And yes sound wise it does sound pretty cool, but it takes more than some good sounds to make a good album. The style of keyboards has changed too, where usually it would play creepy moments, the style has been changed to bombasticity, due to new keyboardist, Ashley Ellylon, providing pretty interesting orchestrations, which is nice and all, bu I prefered the earlier keys method.

Usually Cradle's songs always had those moments which made you go "f*** yea", and moments that send tingles up your spine and always kept you interested...and does that happen in this album...yes...in 4 songs...but usually it should be in every song. Their is way too much filler in this album, with 3 songs being really unique and kick ass, whilst the other 8 are just filler really. Their some decent enough moments, but they all sound too similar, and you can barely tell if its a new song or not. Now at times, the concept seems to keep them alive, but it still doesnt help them out anymore.

Lyrically, Dani isn't as good as he used to be, now don't get me wrong, the lyrics are better than what any other metal band could produce, but I feel that his poetic style has started to decrease, and he's going back to basics now. His vocals also seem to be slightly weaker now, although he is getting older.

Besides that, their are 4 really really really good songs on this album, and its such a shame that the rest aren't as good. The filler tracks aren't the worst, but they're nothing special.

1. The Cult Of Venus Aversa - One of their best songs in ages. Incredible chorus (one of their most striking in ages too). Amazing dramaticism throughout the track. Such a shame this is one of the only highlights. Best song on the album, definitly. 10/10

2. One Foul Step From The Abyss - Great arrangement. Brutal intro. Very evil indeed, but still a bit filler. 8/10

3. The Nun With The Astral Habit - Nice dramatic moments throughout. The use of keys is pretty cool too. 8/10

4. Church Of The Sacred Heart - Pretty epic at times. Killer evil riffs and interesting vocals. Some nice lyrics too. 7/10

5. The Persecution Song - It seems to build up throughout, but it really leads to nowhere. Theirs alot of weakness in Dani's vocals too. 7/10

6. Decieveing Eyes - Great intro. The song does have some nice twists and turns, and the melodic moments are pretty interesting. 8/10

7. Lillith Immaculate - I remember hearing this song in the build up to its release. I was actually quite excited about this album...shame it's a let down. Epic orchestration. Great female vocals, with some sexy parts and some sexy lyrics too. Amazing arrangement and a killer chorus. 10/10

8. The Spawn Of Love & War - Nice arrangement and time chages throughout. Some pretty kiler riffs and atmospheric keyboards. Some really kick ass moments at times. 8/10

9. Harlot On A Pedestal - Filler and unremorable really. 5/10

10. Forgive Me Father (I Have Sinned) - Pop black metal...if thats possible. The poppy feel at times does help the song, and when it does change into a big evil song, it makes it more enjoyable. Great arrangement and interesting moments throughout. 10/10

11. Beyond Eleventh Hour - The most dramatic song on the album. I love how the song changes throughout, and how it comes full circle at the end. 9/10

CONCLUSION: I'm being quite generous with the score. The album is ok, really nothing special and a big disappointment. If any other band released this, it might be quite good, but because its Cradle, it's a big let down.

5.4/10 (I've decided to do this now :D)

arcane-beautiful The start of the millenium really was a high point for these guys. Releasing their most successful album, and having music videos such as Her Ghost In The Fog, From The Cradle To Enslave & Born In A Burial gown playing frequently on music channels, the band had sparked up an even bigger fan base, a more collective knowing and had drawn extreme amounts of attention on them, making them the 2nd most succesful British metal band (with Iron Maiden being first...which means they've outsold Judas Priest!)

The band opted for a more commerical approach...so signing to a major label was a big step forward. Now knowing major labels, they probabbly wanted Cradle to make another Midian...and sell more than they originally did...but Cradle had other plans.

When signed to a major label, it does seem a bit of a dare to make an over 70 minute concept album, with an orchestra, choir and alot of experimental approaches to songwriting.

Now this is a concept album based on Milton's epic Paradise Lost. Of course with their own twists and turns, and Dani's unique dark poetic style. Now the concept is told brilliantly, and I think story wise, it betters Cruelty & The Beast. This has to be one of Dani's most strongest lyrical moments.

Musicaly the album is different too. With dramatic orchestration, at times dramatic presentation of songs, its not a standard gothic extreme metal album, which is really impressive from these guys. The songs aren't too long and dramatic as some can be, with them all being 4-6 minutes long...although their is 17 tracks on this. The production is sligtly different too, with the guitar and drums really being like a drill on the album. I love the guitar tone on this album, its so dark and powerfull. The orchestra doesn't overbear the album too much as well, with some songs not even having any. The songs also seem to be built around the concept, instead of the other way around, like on previous releases.

I know I say this with a few Cradle albums, but this album really is the pinacle of Dani's vocal powers. Not only in ability, but also use, with his use of vocals really highlighting the telling of the story at hand, and also keeping the reader interested...and marvelling at his high screams (only me and him can do them properly :D)

The tracks are as strong as ever, and even stronger in some cases, with each song really being a highlight, and its hard to not try and forget them. Each song also is almost like a different experiment for the band. Now signing to a major label, and making a quite experimental album wasn't the smartest move for these guys, but I really think this is album is a complete and utter classic album, and is incredibly underlooked by metal fans, and even Cradle fans. Although, this album, even though quite experimental at times, is still incredibly accesible. This was my first album from these guys, and I completely fell in love with them after that. This album really is a rollercoaster of evil and beauty.

1. A Bruise Upon The Silent Moon - Very evil and epic. Great way to start an album...and suprising and scaring the listener. 9/10

2. The Promise Of Fever - This is one of their best songs...PERIOD! Such power and agression, and what a way to push this rollercoaster. Riffs that are like brain surgery...and orchestrations that send chills down my spine every time I hear it. Epic as hell!!! 10/10

3. Hurt & Virtue - A slightly more melodic touch in this song, adding to the dank and dark. One of the most dramatic songs on the album. Great use of layering vocals. 10/10

4. An Enemy Led The Tempest - What a killer intro...pnuematicaly being drilled into ur skull. Amazing song, with dark and epic moments, and again the use of dramatics is used effectively. 10/10

5. Damned In Any Language (A Plague On Words) - Amazing interlude, with the narrations sending chills down your spin. Really evil, and amazing lead in to the next song. 10/10

6. Better To Reign In Hell - What a killer name for a song. And what a killer song. Great chorus and a kick ass riff. Dani's vocals are sick as hell. 10/10

7. Serpent Tongue - One of the most interesting songs on the album, with slight experimentation, musically and even the way the song is structure. Great vocals from Dani, and a killer chorus. 10/10

8. Carrion - Great intro...really makes you thrash like a fish out of water. Pretty evil and eerie. 9/10

9. The Mordant Liquor Of Tears - A slight beautiful moment on the album...but also very evil at the same time. 9/10

10. Presents From The Poison Hearted - One of the highlights on the album I believe. Great atmospheric intro. Some really kick ass riffs, and the arrangement is killer too. Dani's vocals are as interesting as ever. 10/10

11. Doberman Pharoah - A slight middle eastern influence (apparently influenced by Nile). Just an epic, evil dramatic song, with some nice beautiful moments too. 10/10

12. Babalon A.D. (So Glad For The Madness) - One of their most accesible songs, yet being quite eerie at the same time. Great chorus and some interesting lyrics. The music video for this song is really cool too, although it was banned on t.v....spoil sports. 10/10

13. A Scarlet Witch Lit The Season - Another nice interlude. 8/10

14. Mannequin - The pop song of the album...kind of. Yes this is probabbly one of these guys most accesible songs, mainly cause its one of their most popular. Kick ass song, with a cool chorus, and some nice twists and turns. 10/10

15. Thank God For The Suffering - One of these guys most interesting songs in my opinion. The gothicy Paradise Lost (the band) influenced moment, with some clean vocals from Dani...kind of...A very dark, yet beautiful song. One of my brother's favourite Cradle Of Filth songs I believe. The orchestration is also really beautiful too, and adds to the beauty. 10/10

16. The Smoke Of Her Burning - A pretty epic end, especially lyrically. Very evil, with some great vocals, and a killer chorus. 9/10

17. End Of Daze - It comes full circle really. 9/10

CONCLUSION: This is in the 161 album list somewhere...and it will always be. I will always love this album...and this album will always love me. Even the artwork alone is worth the price.

arcane-beautiful One of the greatest albums of all time!

Yes, this is in my list, somewhere in the top 10 I believe, and yea, this album is a marvel to behold.

This album marked aload of changes for Cradle, with their first concept album. Now the concept isn't a huge factor, but I think it only makes the album better. The concept is portrayed perfectly and very uniquely, in Dani's own poetic way, mixing dark fantasy, gothic imagery, sexual stuff mixed with gore...it really is amazing. I suggest you read the lyrics whilst listening to the album, because it's like an epic poem...being spat like acid at your face...but in a good way. The concept is also told really uniquely too.

Now for those who don't know Elizabeth Bathory, or Erszebet Bathory as she is more likely known, she was a Dutch countess, who apparently killed virgins and bathed in their blood. Now, this may be legend (as the film Bathory shows), but still, a great story for a concept album, and its pulled of extremely well.

The sound is a major progression from Dusk & Her Embrace, with the black metal sound almost completely gone, and their own unique gothic extreme metal sound really coming into audible territory. Now their is still a raw domestic sound from this album, although apparently, it was not supposed to be. Apparently the band where not happy with the production of this album, and really dislike it due to that fact. Now, their maybe a few problems with production, but to be honest, I never really had any problems with it, in fact I kind of like it, I think it adds a certain eeriness to the album. Although, its all a matter of opinion, and who knows, maybe if it was spruced up, it may even sound better. Also I think this is Dani's zenith of his vocal powers.

The material on this album I think is their strongest yet, and these songs just are their most perfectly composed. The sound these guys make is always awe inspiring, mixing dark riffs, with beautiful melodic parts, haunting shireks, beautfiful female vocals and blastbeats. Although, at times on this album, things can be slowed down, which make for dynamic and more interesting songs, thus them being slightly longer, with this album having their longest song to date.

1. Once Upon Atrocity - Great instrumental. Very eerie and atmopsheric. Always dark and evil of course. 9/10

2. 13 Autumns & A Widow - An incredible way to start an album...with a backwards orchestra...and blastbeats. Great melodic moments and some really kick ass riffs. And of course Dani's shireks are amazing. 10/10

3. Cruelty Brought Thee Orchids - ONE OF THE GREATEST METAL SONGS EVER...MAYBE EVEN ONE OF THE GREATEST SONGS EVER. I love this song so much. Dani's narrative is just amazing, with his pentemater always making the song seem lyrical, with drum like potential. This song has so many interesting twists and turns, and of course the epic middle section, where Dani's screams gives me orgasms with every listen (it starts of "and to her dead reflection was as if her palor gleamed") If you've never heard this song, please check it out. It is epic beyond belief. 10/10

4. Beneath The Holwing Stars - This song has one of Cradle's best riffs. This song again is epic, but their is also some really melodic points, and even a really beautful section with female vocals. 10/10

5. Venus In Fear - Screams, orgasms and discords. This is just creepy...but I love it! 10/10

6. Desire In Violent Overture - This song is extremely overlooked by the fans and band, yet I think its one of the best songs on the album. Amazing chorus, and arrangement. Dani really shows amazing versiatility in his vocals. 10/10

7. The Twisted Nails Of Faith - One of the most dramatic songs on the album. Great arrangement, with the instrumentation really peeking at its highest level. 10/10

8. Bathory Aria - This is their longest song to date, being over 11 minutes. At times this song ins incredibly beautiful, and at times can go into darker teritories, but the beauty is always present somehow, and it seems a massive paradox, having beauty and Cradle Of Filth in the same sentence. Incredibly epic, and just an unrelented classic. 10/10

9. Portrait Of The Dead Countess - This is actually quite a beautiful instrumental. Really odd to see, but it does fit really well. 9/10

10. Lustmord & Wargasm (The Lick Of Carnivorous Winds) - This song has nothing to do with the concept...I think, but it is an amazing song. This song maintains their black metal roots being very fast, with some epic blastbeats. Great chorus too. 10/10

CONCLUSION: This album is just perfect in my eyes, and makes all other black metal seem fetid in comparison. If you have never listened to this album, either kill yourself our buy it...that's your only 2 choics...and don't say cake!

arcane-beautiful Now I have the privallage to review stuff from one of my faovurite bands of all time!

Ok, I have always loved these guys. Even when I was younger and they scared the hell out of me, I was still fascinated by them. Theirs no real reason why, except listen to the band and find out!

Ok now these guys have made 3 e.ps, Vempire, From The Cradle To Enslave & this one. Now this one has more in common with Vempire, in that these both contain new songs and re workings of old ones. They also are similar because of their purpose, where they were only really made in order to move away from a record company, with Vempire being a departure from Cacophonus, whilst this album was a move from Peaceville to Sony (ironically they're back in Peaceville now haha).

Now I don't know if this is a bunch of songs left over from Midian or not, but if it is, I ask the question, "why where these songs not put on Midian", because compared to some songs on Midian, these songs beat them hands down. Although, that might not be the case, because they do seem to put a good bit of work even into their eps.

Now this is a very lenthy e.p, being just under 50 minutes, and 10 songs, with 4 new songs, 2 short instrumentals, 3 reworkings of older songs and a cover. But it's still one amazing e.p. Highly enjoyable and really easy to digest.

The 4 new songs are Cradle at their best, and theirs some hidden classics here I feel. The 3 re worked songs are really interesting, cause their all from The Principile Of Evil Made Flesh, and I always felt that the production on that album and Dani's vocals where slightly poor compared to their other releases. This was also a period where Cradle really where on the foot of world domination...shame their genius is being underlooked today.

The sound is a progression from Midian, still keeping that gothic edge and highlighting it. The black metal sound is also nearly lost, although they soon would get in touch with it in their later releases. Dani's vocals seem to be at their peak here, although their is some weakness at times. The lyrics are fantastic as usual and always make you laugh or scare the hell out of you (the album title alone always gives me a giggle, with the hidden sexual innuendo)

1. Sin Deep My Wicked Angel - Great intro, with some eerie strings and discordant atmospheres. One of their best intros I feel. 9/10

2. All Hope In Eclipse - What starts as a quite doomy number, really transforms into a gothic metal chorus. Nice whispery chorus, and the arrangement is killer, especially the middle section with the nice keyboards. 9/10

3. Born In A Burial Gown - This song should have been on Midian. Such an epic song, with an amazing chorus. Dani's voice is like a percussion instrument, with his pentameter keeping the song as interesting as ever. Very evil indeed. The video for the song is pretty cool too, and involves a circus. Yay! Circuses. 10/10

4. Summer Dying Fast - Very interesting to hear how they arranged this. Great punky feeling, and amazing vocals from Dani. 9/10

5. No Time To Cry - An odd cover...but it makes perfect sense. It's arranged amazingly to suit Cradles needs. 9/10

6. The Principle Of Evil Made Flesh - One of these guys most dynamic songs, and this rewoking of it really is amazing. Great twists and turns throughout the punky black metally classic. 10/10

7. Suicide & Other Comforts - This is one of Cradles most interesting songs. What starts off as a quite gothicy song, turns into a fast metal rape. Amazing riffs, and one epic song. 10/10

8. Dinner At Deviant's Palace - This is just creepy. This is a joke obviously, and even getting Paul's daughter to do it, adds to the humour, but also adds to the creepiness. I remember first hearing this song, and I think I urinated myself. 10/10

9. The Black Goddess II - This makes this song more in line with the live version, and its great to hear, cause this is one of their most classic earlier songs. 9/10

10. Scorched Earth Erotica - Would have been an amazing song, without the "dominus" bit. Great gothicy moment, and a nice ending too.

CONCLUSION: I didn't think you would actually need this, but you really do...mainly for the 4 new songs and the re workings.

UMUR "The Last Time" is an EP (some say single) release by UK doom/ goth metal act Paradise Lost released in May 1995 by Music for Nations. The release contains 4 tracks. The title track would also be featured on the June 1995 full-length studio album "Draconian Times". The 3 remaining tracks are exclusive to this release. Or rather they were originally exclusive to this release as the full EP was re-released as part of "The Singles Collection" in 1997. That compilation is as the name says a collection of Paradise Lost singles and EP tracks released by Music for Nations.

While I think "Draconian Times" is predominantly a doom metal release with goth metal leanings, this EP is more a goth metal release with doom metal leanings. "The Last Time" is through and through a goth metal track and the solid cover version of "Walk Away" by The Sisters of Mercy further points in that direction. Both tracks are very enjoyable, which can´t to the same extent be said about the more standard "Laid to Waste" and "Master of Misrule". The former is one of the weaker Paradise Lost tracks from this period while the latter is pretty good but still obviously an outtake from the "Draconian Times" sessions.

All in all a pretty good EP with a couple of solid tracks. It probably has more of a collector status today because of the availability of the tracks on "The Singles Collection", but back when this was released, it was a nice addition to my Paradise Lost collection. A 3 star rating is warranted.