CRADLE OF FILTH — Midian (review)

CRADLE OF FILTH — Midian album cover Album · 2000 · Gothic Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
2.5/5 ·
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... though fundamentally, it's kind of a low bar. On Midian, the band more or less cease to toss in the odd motif from their black metal past, opting instead to play the style of blackened gothic metal the band developed on Dusk and Her Embrace and Cruelty and the Beast. We are now getting well into the realm of diminishing returns. Dani Filth now largely dials back the more intricate and poetic vocal performances he offered on Dusk, instead largely relying on various irritating schticks, and the backing musicians are going through the motions. So here, so for much of the rest of their career: this is the album where Cradle of Filth settled into a rut and decided to never leave.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Metal Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

Thorn Metalcore
TIDE HAS TURNED
Buy this album from MMA partners
Write The Story, Change The Plot Metalcore
AETHERIALITY
Buy this album from MMA partners
Tea Time & Fault Metalcore
AETHERIALITY
Buy this album from MMA partners
The God Particle US Power Metal
ATTACKER
Buy this album from MMA partners
Infinite Mortality Technical Death Metal
REPLICANT
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

Tide Has Turned - "Slave to Misery" (Official Music Video) | BVTV Music
TIDE HAS TURNED
Bosh66· 9 hours ago
Tide Has Turned - "Letdown" (Official Music Video) | BVTV Music
TIDE HAS TURNED
Bosh66· 9 hours ago
Tide Has Turned - "Break Away" (Official Music Video) | BVTV Music
TIDE HAS TURNED
Bosh66· 9 hours ago
Tide Has Turned - Far From Reality (Official Lyric Video)
TIDE HAS TURNED
Bosh66· 9 hours ago
Tide Has Turned - "Cave In" (Official Music Video) | BVTV Music
TIDE HAS TURNED
Bosh66· 9 hours ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed