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Rating:
9.0 |
Cradle Of Filth - Godspeed On The Devil's Thunder
28 October 2008
Disc I
01. In Grandeur And Frankincense Devilment Stirs
02. Shat Out Of Hell
03. The Death Of Love
04. The 13th Caesar
05. Tiffauges
06. Tragic Kingdom
07. Sweetest Maleficia
08. Honey And Sulphur
09. Midnight Shadows Crawl To Darken Counsel With Life
10. Darkness Incarnate
11. Ten Leagues Beneath Contempt
12. Godspeed On The Devil's Thunder
13. Corpseflower
Disc II [Special Edition bonus]
01. Balsamic And Anathema
02. A Thousand Hands On The Maid Of Ruin
03. Into The Crypt Of Rays [Celtic Frost cover]
04. Devil To The Metal
05. Courting Baphomet
06. The Love Of Death [remix version]
07. The Death Of Love [demo version]
08. The 13th Caesar [demo version]
09. Dirge Inferno [live]
10. Dusk And Her Embrace [live]
Everyone has an opinion where Cradle Of Filth are concerned, but none can argue against what they have done for the British extreme metal scene over the years. If you have never liked Cradle Of Filth, the band's newest offering grandly titled "Godspeed On The Devil's Thunder" shall not change your opinion, but what this album is, is a glorious return to up-tempo, crushing tracks delivered with conviction. The band's last couple of albums were as commercial as a band like Cradle Of Filth can take things and because of this softening around the edges, they inevitably pushed some fans away.
Alas, "Godspeed On The Devil's Thunder" is the album we have been waiting for, and what an album it is. Dani and Paul have gone back to writing harsher riffs, faster and more epic opuses, and have done this all with the added risk of the album being a concept album, as the album is subtitled "The Life And Crimes Of Gilles De Rais", the French nobleman, serial killer, sexual deviant and Satanist. What this album is not, is a return to the sound of their pre-1998 albums, although "Godspeed On The Devil's Thunder" does have the most feel of "Cruelty And The Beast" in it than any other album since, with the wonderful symphonies of "Midian" and just a slight touch of the "Thornography" commercialism thrown in for good measure.
The album sees the entrance of new drummer Martin Škaroupka who does a marvellous job bringing Cradle Of Filth back to the world of blastbeats and fast double kick drumming. Martin may have indeed been the catalyst that gave Dani and Paul the kick up the back-side they needed to write this kind of aggressive music again, but Cradle Of Filth have not been on fire like this since 2003's magnificent "Damnation And A Day", and even then there has never been so many time changes and an album so complete with no bad songs. Dani's voice sounds the best it has in years, still distinctive as ever but this time with more variation going deeper from time to time, "Godspeed On The Devil's Thunder" oozes with inspiration and quality that the band has been lacking in recent years.
Gone are the dreary gothic numbers we have been cringing at the last few years, and it is a welcome hello to punchy slabs of extreme metal like the amusingly titled "Shat Out Of Hell", or the relentless onslaught of "Sweetest Maleficia" and "Honey And Sulphur", not forgetting the true highlight of the album, the title track and last song "Godspeed On The Devil's Thunder". "The Death Of Love" includes female vocals and is in the style you would expect to come from the last album, but is much more tasteful, and "The 13th Caesar" is one of the catchiest tunes from this long, over seventy-minute production. Dani Filth has always had a gifted way of words when it comes to lyrics, and this album is definitely no different there.
This album won't make someone who hated the band like them, but it will catch everyone's attention that has ever had an interest in the band and has perhaps been put off by the last couple of albums. Production is clear, and has everything at just the level it should be at to flaunt both melodic and extreme sides of the album. Perhaps if you struggle with long albums, you may have a tough time with "Godspeed On The Devil's Thunder", but on the whole, this is a triumphant return by the lords of the British extreme metal scene, and about time too.
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Written on 03.11.2008 by
Baz Anderson
Member of Staff since 2006.
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Comments page 2 of 2
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Not that I didn't like Thornography *ducks* but this album is SO much better! I was pleased when I first heard it, because they're definitely back to their roots!  Yeah, the cover is horrible, but the music is top-notch! Favorite songs are "Shat Out of Hell" and "Corpseflower."  |
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Actually, I hated Cradle before this album. This is a genius piece of work.  |
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| Yea, this album is so much better than the last two. |
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Oh yeah!! Cradle return to top form. Unbeliavablke amazing album, that grows on you each time you listen to it.  |
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| A Thousand Hands on the Maid of Ruin is one of the best tracks and it's on the bonus disk... |
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 vezzy - 30.05.2010 at 14:55
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| I love this album, although I haven't played it in a while. |
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Actually this album did change my mind. It's nothing revolutionary but it was extremely enjoyable. They seemed to have abandoned a lot of the theatrics in favour of a streamlined song-writing approach which works immeasurably well.
That cover art is utterly dire though. |
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I have never hated Cradle of Filth but never liked them that much either. I always was very selective with them, picking something like 2 songs that I liked per album MAX.
But I gave this album a chance today and must admit that I can't let go of it. It's the first time I really enjoy a whole album from them, I like all the songs equally.
I can't listen to only 1 song, I have to listen to the whole album without interruption.
The atmosphere, the lyrics, the melodies, extreme parts and Dani's voice are all carefully balanced and it's probably what makes this album so good, for me at least.
This release did changed my mind too. It's a great album and I hope to say the same about future release. |
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Great review! Cradle are back!  |
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Killer review and i agree with you 120% all the way! I cant wait to hear what they deliver this 2012. Cradle of Filth introduced me to the world of 'Extreme Metal' and i will always support them for all the good times listening to their albums  |
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