Tag Archives: cradle of filth

Events, Reviews

Cradle Of Filth @ Nokia Theatre Times Square (2/27/2009)

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Cradle Of Filth was in NYC delivering their newest epic “Godspeed On The Devil’s Thunder” at the Nokia Theatre Times Square and the intense show would bring both Satyricon and Septic Flesh along for the ride. It was one of those Metal nights to remember and would deliver thrills, shocks and a number of other sinister treats for all in attendance.

Logo - Cradle Of Filth

Artist: Cradle Of Filth
Venue: Nokia Theater (New York, NY)
Opener: Satyricon, Septic Flesh
Date: 2/27/2009
Label: Roadrunner Records

The last time that Cradle toured in the USA, it was a very odd match up that found the powerful Thrash Metal might of 3 Inches Of Blood and the Gothic Hard Rock of The 69 Eyes as direct support and yet despite the seeming unevenness of the genres the show that rolled into NYC that cold night was really a good one in the end. Tonight’s lineup of course was much more suitable to be working with the likes of Cradle Of Filth and delivered not only a reunited Septic Flesh but also Satyricon. The show would come to us at the Nokia Theatre in Times Square and that made sense for the choice as the loaded menu was a little too big for the likes of The Fillmore NY or even nearby B.B. King’s. The obviously sold out affair would provide an evening loaded with thrills and exciting Metal and should you have missed out on it somehow, here is how the night went down.
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Reviews, Videos

“This Is Black Metal” by Various Artists

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Artist: Various Artists
Title: “This Is Black Metal”
Label: MVD Entertainment
Release Date: 10/9/2007
Genre: Black Metal
Rating: 2/5

“This Is Black Metal” is quite simply a DVD that features a total of seven professional videos and live performance clips and the same number in interview footage segments from a good sampling of Black Metal’s elite. Yet while these bands are true luminaries in the genre most of the videos presented were available on deluxe editions of their individual CD’s and why only seven when it comes down to it? Was it a cost factor or due to licensing and permission perhaps – but either way there is not truly enough to sink your fangs into for this aspect of it and it will leave you saying “well, what else do you have for me”. When you watch the main program as one single view, you will notice that the videos are interspaced by interview segments with the band and all of these portions are conducted by former Adult Film Star Jasmin St. Claire. There are many who know that Jasmin is the hostess of her own straight-to-video DVD series called “Metal’s Darkside” and while this particular release was met with a very mixed opinion (including my own) I had to say that the interview segments seemed to be a little more on a par of getting something good out of the band as opposed to sitting there and shooting the shit inanely. Of the interview segments I found that the best one was with the Mighty Emperor and Satyr for those featured more insight into what Black Metal is about and aimed at than the others. Celtic Frosts interview seemed to show some promise but it was a very bad audio mix during it which made it arduous to listen to. The guys in Venom were more comical to watch than anything else and I felt that the Morbid Angel one was just ill-used space for a band of their caliber. We also get an interview with Ms. St. Claire but it is more focused on her background and life than digging deeper into her own Metal interests to an analytical end. I admit that I remain on the fence about her work in this area but I am happy to see some improvement from the last time that I saw some of her adventuring in this regard. I think that the fans of JSC will enjoy this the most since they get to see her continuing to do that which they love her doing.
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Events, Reviews

Cradle Of Filth @ Irving Plaza (3/4/2007)

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Cradle Of Filth had returned to NYC for a devastating night of Metal. The rather oddly mixed selection of bands as their support found both The 69 Eyes and 3 Inches Of Blood appearing as openers and we were there to see everyone tonight. To learn and see more just scroll past the logo below.

Logo - Cradle Of Filth

Artist: Cradle Of Filth
Venue: Irving Plaza (New York, NY)
Opener: The 69 Eyes, Three Inches Of Blood
Date: 3/4/2007
Label: Roadrunner Records

I’m not going to lie to the readers by saying that I knew that this show would kick ass for while I am a fan of both the headliners – Cradle Of Filth and The 69 Eyes; I just had a lot of problems envisioning how this would even work out after it had been announced. CoF would be supporting their latest release “Thornography”, and the album was a continued departure from the Extreme Black Metal they were most known for and instead was more of a Gothic Metal piece. Perhaps this is what made the choice of Finland’s The 69 Eyes as the opener make the most sense to them. Starting off the festivities would be Three Inches Of Blood, an intense Power Metal group. Essentially, the audience tonight would get a little bit of everything. Here are some thoughts on the evening.

Three Inches Of Blood: I had only heard the name before tonight and holy crap am I glad that I arrived early enough to catch them start things off. These guys deliver a level of Power Metal that borders on the Extreme and if you are a fan of Into Eternity, you should definitely check them out as well since there are some worthy comparisons. They really kicked a lot of ass tonight and showed no signs of being nervous to the crowd that was pretty much there for Cradle and 69 Eyes. I watched impressed as they easily won over this audience and had a large level of response when songs ended as well as some moshing going on. They also had a couple of surprises for the fans by bringing out Joey Jordison from Slipknot to play drums for one tune and then guitarist Paul Allender from Cradle for another. These treats definitely made the crowd embrace them all the more. According to their singer a new album is coming soon on Roadrunner Records, and you can be sure that I will be reviewing that when I get the chance to.

The 69 Eyes: Originally, I was a latecomer to the party when it came to The 69 Eyes, having only heard select cuts a few years ago. I luckily caught their first time in New York in early 2006 and since then have been a devout fan because there is just something appealing to me at their levels of Hard Rock with a classic New York Punk vibe mixed in with Gothic melancholy. At first I worried about them being on this bill, fearing that the hard core Cradle fans would not be too accommodating to their music as its vastly different. However it seemed like the fans in NYC were divided equally for the two tonight and this made it a lot easier for all to have a great time. Led by singer Jyrki 69, The 69 Eyes would support the release of their new CD “Angels”, released on Caroline Records. Given their set would short tonight they would not focus on the new album outside of the first single and instead deliver several of their classic numbers. For those that think them a new band, they should be aware that they have been around for almost seventeen years. While I am a fan I had to say that the guys sounded as good as I remembered them being the last time around and from my vantage point I could not only see but heard the audience singing along to a large amount of the songs in the set. They give a good show and surely seem to love what they do as Jyrki becomes the ultimate Gothic Punk Idol while Jussi 69 pounds the drums with flair and abandon. After seeing how visual and animated he is at that show last year, I admit that I did not like seeing him on stage level and feel that he should always be on the drum riser. The singer didn’t talk all that much but certainly mugged for the fans who were snapping pictures like members of the Rock Paparazzi. I’m really pleased when I see a band that deserves it get such a welcome in a region where their music is all but invisible on the terrestrial radio and television stations that are available.

Truly the internet and satellite radio keeps groups like The 69 Eyes alive, and their very devoted following also have a lot to do with it. They have built up quite the following in the States and that’s commendable given the fact that most of their catalog was only available as an import until late 2006. Highlights of the set for me were “Devils”, “Perfect Skin” and my personal favorite “Brandon Lee”. I was surprised that they did not do “Gothic Girl”, since the audience was loaded with them, but they were faced with time constraints this evening. I was also glad that I would not witness any shenanigans from the crowd towards them as I had heard some shows they were given a very unwelcome reception. That is always uncalled for when a band is giving you their all to entertain, and if you don’t like the group arrive late or go to the bar while they deliver. Never ruin someone else’s good time.

Cradle Of Filth: I have a confession to make and it’s that I once felt they were too much for me as a group but as the Darker, more Extreme Metal became a way of my life, so did the appeal of Cradle of Filth and what they brought to the table. They are intense in a live situation and the group sports seven members for the purposes of touring. I just loved “Thornography”, their newest CD and most of what I had heard from “Nymphetamine” because these were the releases that enabled me to get more into the band than I had in the past. It’s very clear that the main man is definitely singer Dani Filth, and he stalked the audience from the stage with the photo pit and security area keeping the flying bodies from hitting the stage as they surfed and slammed around. If you managed to be close enough you would have been able to catch the singer crack a slight grin of approval at this response. Filth is truly one of the most commanding and intense singers I have ever seen and he does a wide variety of vocal styles during a performance with high-pitched shrieking to sullen and somber tones. Given the scope of their set list this evening we would hear all of the different ranges he has possession of. Tonight New York City would also get to enjoy the blistering talent of drummer Martin Skaroupka, who had replaced Adrian Erlandsson only a few months ago. Martin really stepped into the role well, and was among the highlights of the show as he made their music look very easy to execute when it very clearly is not.

The bands players would also present the ever-talented Sarah Jezebel Deva, who while not considered a full time member of the group, always does the tours and recordings. She does this outside of her work with Therion and her new band Angtoria. Paul Allender, Dave Pybus, Charles Hedger and Rosie Smith line out the rest of the players in the band and with this amount of people onstage you know they are under the gun to keep it moving efficiently in terms of the performance for their fans. Tonight would be the final night of the tour and the crowd-surfing didn’t even stop when the singer paused to talk to the crowd about the new music and their reaction to the old stuff. I swore I heard him slur a couple of times, and wondered if he decided to have a few before he went on as well. I’m always cool with that as long as it does not ruin the show for everyone involved. The band really throttled the listener and it was a non-stop block of entertainment from the minute I walked in. I felt spoiled at this show as I was able to enjoy every portion of the night. The crowd was mixed with Gothic and Black Metal fans from near and far and also a bunch of musical personalities. I ran into members of Type-O-Negative, Trashlight Vision and Hanzel Und Gretyl. It’s all the more reason to go to live shows and lend support as you will never know who you will meet.

Side Note: I was fortunate to be in attendance at the after show gathering that was held at The Snitch Rock & Roll bar. It was here that we would find Jyrki 69 spinning some of the new album along with a handful of other songs that he liked. There was some good music and the album has promise that his fans will appreciate. It made the end of the show and tour all the more memorable.

The 69 Eyes Set List:
1. Devils
2. Don’t Turn Your Back On Fear
3. Dance D’Amour
4. Feel Berlin
5. Perfect Skin
6. Framed In Blood
7. The Chair
8. Brandon Lee
9. Lost Boys

Cradle Of Filth Set List
1. Dirge Inferno
2. Tonight In Flames
3. Dusk And Her Embrace
4. Her Ghost In The Fog
5. Nymphetamine
6. Ebony/Forest
7. I Am The Thorn
8. Rise Of The Pentagram
9. Cruelty
10. Gilded Cunt
11. Temptation
12. Born In A Burial Gown
13. Cradle To Enslave

Official Web site: http://www.cradleoffilth.com
Official Web site: http://www.69eyes.com
Official Web site: http://www.threeinchesofblood.com

Features, PiercingMetal Says

PiercingMetal’s “Best Of 2006”: The Music

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Another exciting year in Metal music has gone by and as a member of the music press, I’m tasked with not only doing reviews here on the website but also in lining out what releases that I felt were the years very best. Initially, this post was going to feature the whole gamut of the years in terms of the music, the videos and the concerts but when my album list went on and on and on I decided to give it a post of its own to go easier on you. Let’s go.

The Best Albums Of 2006

Mercenary “The Hours That Remain” (Century Media Records): A great follow up to “11 Dreams”, this band shows that they are taking chances in Metal.

Mastodon “Blood Mountain” (Warner Brothers): Jazz Fusion Metal? I dunno, but the new Mastodon sure kicks your ass around the block.

Amorphis “Eclipse” (Nuclear Blast Records): Finnish boys return and do more good. Lots of feels on this one.

Scar Symmetry “Pitch Black Effects” (Nuclear Blast Records): Raging guitar solos, soaring clean vocals, brutal death metal growls-brilliant!

Lamb of God “Sacrament” (Epic Records): Their best yet. Future legends. The first four songs are instant classics and if you don’t find your fist in the air for this release you don’t have one. Go watch American Idol

Iron Maiden “A Matter of Life and Death” (EMI Music): Up the Irons, pure and simple. Some bad press from some people who don’t see the return to form. They are idiots.

I “Between Two Worlds” (Nuclear Blast Records): Great project from members of Immortal, Enslaved, and Gorgoroth.

Enslaved “RUUN” (Candlelight Records): The Black Metal titans get even more progressive and this is an incredible listen from start to finish

Satyricon “Now, Diabolical” (Century Media Records): More Metal needs to be like this. A resounding effort that lays waste to that which tries to come close.

Vanden Plas “Christ O” (InsideOut Music): Stunning operatic progressive metal. Their best yet! Especially the bonus track
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Music, Reviews

“Thornography” by Cradle Of Filth

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Artist: Cradle Of Filth
Title: “Thornography”
Label: Roadrunner Records
Release Date: 10/17/2006
Genre: Symphonic Black/Gothic Metal
Rating: 4/5

One definitely has to give Cradle Of Filth a lot of credit for doing things the way they do and leave it to them to once again prove why they are continually going to be impossible to classify under one specific genre label. Over the course of the bands fifteen year existence they had been one of the most theatrical groups of them all and they were also among the earliest to blend the Symphonic angle into Extreme Black Metal music. It was the elements in this brand of music along with the over the top dramatics of lead singer Dani Filth that led this band to success and to become as much of a force of nature as they were a musical group. It seemed as though with Cradle Of Filth that the only constant was change and on their second release on Roadrunner Records the fans will find this definitely to be the case once again. “Thornography” is an album that might come as a surprise to the die hard fans given the fact that it is moving further away from the style they first blasted on to the scene with. Yet by the same token this release might also gain some fans based on its use of a more Gothic essence and the heavy leaning on traditional Thrash Metal vibes. “Thornography” is a recording that will allow you to redefine your perspective of COF and it’s a great follow up to “Nymphetamine”. If you had to compare the two you will find an equal part of solid and memorable songs and perhaps you will even agree that the new release is the best that the band has ever delivered to the fans. Tracks like “Tonight In Flames” will have you raging with horns raised to the sky while “I Am The Thorn” reflects in the style of the bands in Metal’s illustrious past.
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