Cradle of Filth – The Screaming of The Valkyries- Album review. release date 21st March via Napalm Records

I must admit as I start my review, I am an avid Cradle of Filth fan and have been since Midian dropped in 2000, they have been my favourite band ever since. I have hard copies of all their albums on CD and the last outstanding release Existence is Futile I enjoyed so much I own on vinyl as well alongside Midian. I have seen them in concert a number of times and am going to Munich shortly to see them perform once again. Let’s see what this new release brings to the table for this exceptional unique band.

Cradle have an extensive album collection starting with The Principal of Evil Made Flesh which was groundbreaking for British black metal, gradually becoming their own sound closer to symphonic if you had to categorize it but eclectic non-the-less. They have continual consistent cacophonies for well over three decades and now C of F return with an outstanding addition their 14th Studio album The Screaming of The Valkyries.

The singles released are Malignant Perfection, To Live Deliciously and White Hellebore. All three are brilliant offerings for long standing fans and people new to C of F as the album as well as these tracks offer very diverse compositions, and it adds a new genus to the bolstering collection of dark ambient heavy metal symphonic melodies  C of F have produced. With my personal favourite of the three being White Hellebore but we’ll come to that track later.

What I really enjoy about the album it has its own unique sound to it as well as using previous releases for inspiration. The album is littered with fantastic finessed guttural screams and growls from the multi-talented Dani Filth. With the haunting chants and melancholic themes, you can imagine the summoning of Satan and a flair for the gothic within the music. It draws on the excellency of past releases like Midian for instance I can hear this overtly on the second track Demagoguery. The track is darkly melodic, and its rampant guitar solos add a dynamic that works well it would be impressive even on Midian.

Another track that stands out is Non-Omnis Moriar this is an epic track with battling guitars and a modern spin on the Dusk and Her Embrace era. Its narrative design really fits the aesthetic of the album and as a long term cradle fan this is both incredibly invigorating and thrilling. My personal number one stand out track on the album.

White Hellebore is archetypal CoF with some free-flowing heavy riffs and an absolute evocative outpouring from Zoe Marie Federoff who is really into her comfort zone on this album, her talents have always added an extra theatrical essence but on this she has really come into her own I cannot wait to hear this live.

I also very much enjoyed Ex Sanguine Draculae the vampiric imagery is something Cradle are superb at covering in many different formats, extending the imagination on something that some would say has been overdone. Musically it covers all the eras of CoF the length of the track allows for that, but it isn’t over complex either. It gives homage to their black metal origins but also showcases their impressive symphonic development and is a track you could show someone if they wanted to know the history of the band.

Overall, The Screaming of The Valkyries contains enough of the typical CoF sound for the passionate old school fans to satisfy them and by incorporating more dynamic elements, such as the dual vocals and musical switches it will grasp some newer victims.

An imposing deluge of horror. Very well done!

The Screaming Of The Valkyries track listing: