Cradle of Filth are a
heavy metal band formed in
Suffolk,
England in 1991. They have been embraced and disowned with equal fervour by various metal communities, and their particular
subgenre has provoked a
great deal of discussion. The band's sound evolved from
black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of
gothic metal,
symphonic black metal and other
extreme metal styles, while their lyrical themes and imagery are heavily influenced by
gothic literature,
poetry,
mythology and
horror films. The band have successfully broken free of their original niche by courting mainstream publicity (often to the chagrin of its early fanbase), and this increased accessibility has brought coverage by the likes of
Kerrang! and
MTV, frequent main stage appearances at major festivals such as
Ozzfest and
Download, and in turn a more "commercial" image. They have sometimes been perceived as satanic by casual observers, although their outright lyrical references to
satanism are few and far between, and use of satanic
imagery has arguably always had more to do with the
shock value than any seriously-held beliefs. According to
Metal Hammer magazine, they are the most successful
British metal band since
Iron Maiden.
[1]Cradle's first three years saw three demos and a rehearsal tape recorded amidst the sort of rapid line-up fluctuations that have continued ever since (Cradle has generally had around half a dozen members at any one time, but can boast more than twenty musicians in its history). The band also recorded an unreleased album entitled Goetia prior to the third demo and their style shift. Goetia was set for release on Tombstone records, but all tracks were wiped when Tombstone went out of business and couldn't afford to buy the recordings from the studio.[2] The band eventually signed to Cacophonous Records and their debut album, The Principle of Evil Made Flesh, was also Cacophonous's first release in 1994. A step up in terms of production from the rehearsal quality of most of their demos, the album was still nevertheless a sparse and embryonic version of what was to come, with lead singer Dani Filth's vocals in particular bearing little similarity to the style he was later to develop. The album was well-received however, and as recently as June 2006 found its way into Metal Hammer's list of the top ten black metal albums of the last twenty years.
Cradle's relationship with Cacophonous soon soured; the band accusing the label of contractual and financial mismanagement. Acrimonious legal proceedings took up most of 1995,[3] and the band finally signed to Music for Nations in 1996 after only one more contractually obligated Cacophonous recording the EP Vempire or Dark Faerytales in Phallustein which, it has since been conceded, was hastily written as a Cacophonous escape-plan.[3] Despite the circumstances of its release however, its handful of tracks are staples of the band's live sets to this day, and "Queen of Winter, Throned" was listed among twenty-five "essential extreme metal anthems" in a 2006 issue of Kerrang! magazine.[4] The EP also marked Sarah Jezebel Deva's debut with the band, replacing Andrea Meyer; Cradle's first female vocalist and self-styled "satanic advisor".[5] Deva has appeared on every subsequent Cradle release and tour, but has never been considered a full band member,having also performed with The Kovenant, Therion and Mortiis, and fronted her own Angtoria project along with Cradle's current bass player, Dave Pybus.
The increasingly theatrical stage shows of the 1997 European tour helped keep Cradle in the public eye, as did a burgeoning line of controversial merchandise; not least the notorious[who?] t-shirt depicting a masturbating nun on the front and the slogan "Jesus is a cunt" in large letters on the back. A handful of fans have faced court appearances and fines for wearing the shirt in public, and some band members themselves attracted a certain amount of hostile attention when they wore similar "I Love Satan" shirts to the Vatican.[7] Alex Mosson, the Lord Provost of Glasgow from 1999-2003, called the shirts (and by implication the band) "sick and offensive". The band obviously approved, using the quote on the back cover of the 2005 DVD Peace Through Superior Firepower.
