Review by Rick Eaglestone for MPM
Sweeping through the principle of evil made flesh, amusing opinions on Jesus and into a continual wave of consistent cacophonies for well over three decades Cradle Of Filth return with a striking force of determination for their 14th Studio album The Screaming Of The Valkyries.
The album immediately has a menacing presence with its Dennis Wheatley style intro for the famously formulated To Live Deliciously which really demonstrates the cohesiveness of this specially selected coven, there are a tone changes in the vocals that compliment well which only heighten the ominous nature of the track.
This is followed up with Demagoguery which has splashes of Midian to it alongside some dark melody to forge Cradle of Filth in to their ever-evolving journey – The first tracks have both featured solos which this particular iteration pulls off incredibly well and their addition does actually provide a dynamic that works really well within this space.
The Trinity Of Shadows is littered with soundscapes worthy of summoning Satan himself with lethal intent, chants, and gallops with a flair for the gothic.
Spinning an epic tale with duelling guitars and a modern spin on dusk era in almost ballad like Dusk-era atmosphere is Non-Omnis Moriar its narrative style really fits the aesthetic of the album and as a cradle fan from the early days this is both incredibly refreshing and exciting.
Halfway point of the album is quite frankly the albums crowning glory – White Hellebore is quintessential filth with added King Diamond riffs and an absolute haunting outpouring from Zoe Marie Federoff who is really falling into her comfort zone on the album, her contributions have always added an added splash of theatrics but here it is just something else, easily the song most on repeat and absolutely the one I want to hear live as soon as possible.
You Are My Nautilus has the impossible task of following up my highlight track but armed with a slow brooding beginning which naturally flows into a complete atmospheric construction with carefully placed narration to add more strings to bow of this collective. The rolling drums are particularly noteworthy, and they really underpin the track and navigate the varying soundscapes and screams.
The bands first single release Malignant Perfection sounds even better within the context of the album and is placed nicely amongst the running order of the album overall.
It’s very fresh. We wanted something cinematic and catchy where you can hear everything clearly,” says Dani. “I despair whenever someone asks me to describe a record.
Because it’s an eclectic mix of styles and pacing.
We’ve explored every facet of our arsenal. There are the ponderous, melancholic tracks, the extremely memorable melodies, and the songs that hearken back to previous records.
The two final compositions are a final further confirmation that this collective have really gelled from the previous couple of releases, and you can clearly hear that the time they have together as a live unit reflects not only in the writing but the overall production and delivery – starting with Ex Sanguine Draculae swirling into When Misery Was A Stranger which contains some of the albums most technical guitar but with the familiar cradle tinges.
Overall, The Screaming Of The Valkyries contains enough for the die-hard fans with enough nostalgic elements and by incorporating more diverse elements, such as the dual vocals and switches produce enough buckets of blood for their newer victims.
A commanding outpouring of terror.
The Screaming Of The Valkyries track listing:
1 To Live Deliciously
2 Demagoguery
3 The Trinity Of Shadows
4 Non Omnis Moriar
5 White Hellebore
6 You Are My Nautilus
7 Malignant Perfection
8 Ex Sanguine Draculae
9 When Misery Was A Stranger
Line-up:
Dani Filth – Vocals
Donny Burbage – Guitar
Ashok – Guitar
Daniel Firth – Bass
Marthus – Drums
Zoe Marie Federoff – Live Female Vocals & Keyboards
https://www.cradleoffilth.com/band
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10/10
