The three-and-a-half-year wait for new Cradle of Filth music is finally almost over with the upcoming release of The Screaming of the Valkyries.
After over thirty years of making music, the now infamous British black metal band, Cradle of Filth, have outdone themselves yet again with their fourteenth studio album, The Screaming of the Valkyries. The members of the band have changed several times over the years, but the current lineup seems to be stable and has great chemistry. The band is led by founding member Dani Filth and also includes drummer Martin “Marthus” Skaroupka, bassist Daniel Firth, guitarist Donny Burbage, and newlyweds Marek “Ashok” Smerda also on guitars, and Zoe Federoff providing keyboards and female vocals.
This album is a refreshing mix of their collective discography with a slightly distinctive influence from their music from the 1990s. While it is hard to make a direct comparison to any one album’s influence on this one, the theme and lyrics slightly resembles the compilation album, Lovecraft & Witch Hearts. This album sounds nice when played on traditional speakers or earbuds but some of the softer, subtle, and harder moments deserve high quality headphones where more of the passion can be truly felt.
The opening track, “To Live Deliciously,” was the second released single from the album. The opening introduction sounds of this song bring a feeling that is similar to how it feels at a concert when the lights dim, and you know it is almost time for the band to come out on stage. This song gives off Midian vibes that are hard to miss as well as strong guttural sounds that are synonymous with Dani Filth. The clean vocals of this song are reminiscent of “Death of Love,” which will make some fans excited.
With the start of the second track, “Demagoguery,” it could be interpreted to take a slight turn toward the increasingly political nature of the world today. This interpretation is veiled in a classically diabolical story you should now expect from the band. This track is the most traditionally Cradle song on the album.
Up next is “The Trinity of Shadows” which is seemingly inspired by Dani’s well-known passion for magnificent literature and mythical history. This song tells a story about the three goddesses of destiny, collectively known as Moirai, and the three goddesses of vengeance, collectively known as Erinyes. Musically, this song somehow seems both new, fresh, and not reminiscent of them at all, while also being very traditionally them with a black metal sound.
The fourth track, “Non Omnis Moriar,” which translates to “I shall not wholly die,” alludes to the sentiment of what we leave behind when we leave this world, and is held within the hearts of those that we leave behind. This song starts off slow, dark, and ominous, just as a dark gothic metal love song should and continues with a beautiful and clean chorus from Zoe.
The fifth song, “White Hellebore” is the third single and the halfway mark of the album. This song is more fast-paced than the fans usually expect with a more heavy-metal tempo. This sound provides a beautiful contrast against Zoe’s soft melodic voice. This is their most poetic song in many years and is likely to be a favorite for fans who adore Thornography.
Up next is “You Are My Nautilus,” which is a unique diversion from their traditional sound. Musically, this song is guitar-heavy with strong riffs. Lyrically, there are inspirations from the legendary literary work Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. The seventh song, “Malignant Perfection,” was the first released single, around Halloween 2024. The timing was great for such a dark and spooky-sounding intro. The beginning of the song gives off strong “From the Cradle to Enslave” vibes before quickly changing to a well-paced, almost power-metal sound. There is no doubt that this song will be a fan favorite when played live.
Nearing the end comes the eighth song, “Ex Sanguine Draculae.” This song is by far the most evolved-sounding track of the album. However, there are still moments when the listeners are reminded that they are definitely still listening to a Cradle of Filth song. The closing song, “When Misery Was a Stranger,” is another shining example of how well Zoe’s gentle additions throughout the song add a softness to an otherwise fast and heavy sound laced in a somber song.
Overall, this album has slightly fewer iconic Dani screams than some previous albums but the screams are still very much present. This album is faster than many from the recent past but feels more like the band drew inspiration from earlier albums such as Midian with some of their evolved sounds from Godspeed on the Devil’s Thunder with a dash of power metal. This album manages to escape any stereotypical metal genre labels, not that that is a bad thing! This album is easy to listen to on repeat as a whole over and over.
The Screaming of the Valkyries is a powerful performance from the band for their 14th full-length album. Make sure to catch them on their next tour in North America with co-headliner Dying Fetus and support from Fleshgod Apocalypse, Ne Obliviscaris, Undeath, Vomit Forth, and Corpse Pile and/or their European and UK tour with Nervosa.
The Screaming of the Valkyries is released March 21.
PHOTO BY: Jakub Alexandrowicz
