Ears That Witnessed Greatness:  Cradle of Filth Epically Perform Cruelty and the Beast in its Entirety

October 21st, 2021

            The evolution of Black Metal.  From the gritty buzzes of beat-up amps, aggressive tremolo picking, and quite the atmosphere of terror, mystery and grim frost, Black metal has certainly been part of monumental, modern changes.  Looking at the present, stellar quality of the genre we are ever so lucky and honoured to have, ie Deathspell Omega, Blut Aus Nord, Dodheimsgard, Esoctrilihum, Lychgate, Grima, and many more to name.  Black Metal, is absolutely here to stay.

            However, it would be rude and disrespectful to leave out one of the pioneers of the genre, who not only possessed an incredibly strong discography early in their career, but spanning into modern times as well.  Let us not forget Cradle of Filth.  Their legendary career from tours in the mid-90s’, 14 full length records, 3 highly rated EPs, the amount of work, dedication to hone their craft, I feel despite their popularity, continues to be overlooked.  And even further optimal news to report, Cradle of Filth would be playing arguably their magnum-opus, at the very least considered one of their most superb albums, Cruelty and the Beast, in its entirety.  The mastery of chilling piano work, absorbing twin guitar melodies that were hum worthy after the 1st listen, maniacal vocal work on a litany of various spectrums, and the twisted tail of Elizabeth Bathory, conceptually done masterfully.  Make no mistake, Cradle of Filth were clearly on top of their game in that era, and to see the record live from start to finish, and also happening to be the very first time I saw Cradle of Filth live (more on that, later), no time like the present, to make that happen.

            Not too far a distance at all, tonight’s endeavour would take place at the newer House of Blues in Anaheim.  Funny enough, February 19th, 2007, was Cradle of Filth’s last show at the original House of Blues in Downtown Disney.  Oddly enough, I went to see Belphegor/Unleashed the same night at The Galaxy, but that Cradle of Filth show, completely changed the venue’s policy of Extreme Metal bands and potential ‘lyrical content.’  Two of my good friends went, and told me the show was well over sold-out, by the 200s.  The line went thousands of feet long, and with the many fans dressing up in Black Metal galore, it caused a scene for the visitors and CA residents.  After that show, bands such as Belphegor, Behemoth, etc., were not allowed to perform.  Fortunately for being open-minded, a new House of Blues was built in the Gardenwalk in 2017, where such bands who wish to play uncomfortable, extreme music, could so easily choose to.

            Now, to skip past Memory Lane, the night would feature 2 openers before the main attraction, and set to start, Death Metal from right here in Los Angeles, Teeth.  3Teeth were supposed to open this tour, but I believe a few of the members had Covid, and were unable to continue.  I will say hearing the band after the show, I would have personally not enjoyed their set, but more important than anything else, I hope the band is healthy, safe, and gets back home to their loved ones.  For tonight, Teeth would provide a Death/Doom style, although the Doom here felt more obscure, and dissonant, and I say that with a smile on my face.  I personally loved the different chord progressions and rattling counterpoints greatly here, over the other parts of the songs, where it felt like your standard Death Metal chugging and mid-tempo found from the early days.  The musicianship, especially from Erol Ulug, was a sight to watch.  Not only his energy on stage, but the grim, demented notes and leads he would perform, Erol’s parts were at least on my first-time seeing Teeth, more interesting to watch.  Given Teeth being the most extreme band tonight, I wonder if the fit maybe slightly threw me off, as they could perform on any other Death Metal show you can name.  I wasn’t particularly blown away by this particular Teeth’s performance, but there was more than enough shown live, that at a different, more personal setting, I feel I could connect with the music further.

            The floor at this point, near to full capacity, Once Human took the stage, and as the situation with Teeth, it was my first-time hearing and witnessing the band live.  Quite a drastic change from Teeth, as the energy reminded me of Arch Enemy, in the way of flashy stage presence, songs filled with catchy and melodic riffs.  There were a number of Once Human shirts in the crowd, and the mosh pit ran most of their 45-minute set.  Drummer Dillion Trollope’s viciously loud snare hits propelled the intensity, with vocalist Lauren Hart adding her flare of commanding the stage, as well as using several growling/screaming styles.  Considering her live work with Kamelot the past few years, it’s easy to see how effortlessly she performed, and I almost wish Once Human sang clean vocals, just to hear the other power and celestial nature, in her voice.  From the sheer excitement in the audience, Once Human covered “Davidian” of Machine Head, funny enough, guitarist Logan Mader playing with them for 7 years, and starting Once Human, alongside Hart and bassist Damien Rainaud.  The cover was played solidly, even as yours truly not quite the biggest Machine Head buff, enjoyed this rendition.  Once Human played a frenetic set that was appreciated immensely from the crowd, and performing right before Cradle of Filth each evening, will only help captivate their fan base to higher bounds.

            It was surreal, finally seeing Cradle of Filth live for the very first time, and the hushed crowd eagerly felt the same as I, with “Once Upon Atrocity” opening arguably their most profound record in their career, Cruelty and the Beast.  And immediately I noticed, the amount of the intro that Anabelle Iratni playing nearly every bit of it, with little to no back tracks that I could clearly hear.  There’s only so much a band can perform fully, depending on how many members are on stage, and the number of keys, notes, intros and etc., that are present.  It added a powerful layer to the songs upfront, and just deserves such applause, for the constant work, effort, dedication, skill, and talent, Metal alike performs countless times.

            Dani Filth running to the front of the stage, filled the crowd with nostalgia.  To see the man who started Cradle of Filth, the only original member in quite some time, performing with vigor, fiber, pace, being in this for well over 30 years, it’s admirable.  Not to mention, finally to witness the signature shriek, moving the microphone a foot away or so, and he still has it!  “Beneath the Howling Stars” exemplified just that, with the end of the 2nd verse, those gothic, classical melodies from guitarists Rich Shaw and Ashok.  It was not only homage to the legendary studio sound, but it came across booming so fiercely, exactly the quality an album of that magnitude deserves.  As Anabelle previously, Dani performed nearly every vocal back track, intro, and spoken word throughout the record, all while moving across the stage, demanding energy from the fans.  To credit her once more, her vocal work was outstanding, sounding just as haunting and elegant as their former 12-year backup vocalist Sarah Jezebel Deva provided on this record.  The intro to “Thirteen Autumns and a Widow” provided such a fascinating image of Elizabeth Bathory’s story, the main lyrical concept, and Anabelle hit every note, and emotion to sheer beauty.

            Not to be outdone, both guitarists were not only prolific in playing the leads and riffs, but masking it with such bravado, and just enjoying making the stage presence a top priority.  It didn’t come off as boasting, but just understanding the material effortlessly, and the crowd ate it all up.  The Thrashy solo section in “Desire in Violent Overture” by Ashok, adding his own flare yet the tremolo parts still intact, easily knowing the material down to a science. 

            Cruelty and the Beast in it’s whole, was the most magnificent part of the entire evening, and a little more to follow, a healthy encore of Cradle of Filth classics, as well as premiering 2 brand new songs from their album releasing tomorrow, Existence is Futile.  I’ll admit that I haven’t kept up with Cradle of Filth’s discography in quite some time, but “Crawling King Chaos” and “Necromantic Fantasies”, had some swift riffing, and Anabelle’s keyboard harmonies were pleasant.  Although, the crowd’s energy during the encore wasn’t quite as festive as the previous set, most in the venue were enjoying themselves plenty.  Throw in their classic cover of Iron’s Maiden “Hallowed Be Thy Name”, and especially “Nymphetamine”, with Anabelle nailing Liv Kristine’s enchanting vocals, and you have quite the well-balanced encore to close this 90-minute stellar performance.

            From the times of Bathory, Gorgoroth, Mayhem, to Emperor, Enslaved, Blut Aus Nord, and to the more extreme sides of the genre in Deathspell Omega, Lychgate, Dodheimsgard, and a packed list of others.  Cradle of Filth’s 30-year career left, and continues to leave, no stone unturned.  Cruelty and the Beast left Black Metal, and Metal itself, a landmark of wonderfully made Black Metal, that will be forever remembered, and continue to be inspiration for those starting off today.  I waited too long to finally see the band perform live, and hoping 2022 will be another chance to see them again.      

Cruelty and the Beast

1.  Once Upon Atrocity

2.  Thirteen Autumns and a Widow

3. Cruelty Brought Thee Orchids

4.  Beneath the Howling Stars

5.  Venus in Fear

6.  Desire in Violent Overture

7.  The Twisted Nails of Faith

8.  Bathory Aria: Benighted Like Usher / A Murder of Ravens in Fugue / Eyes That Witnessed Madness

9.  Portrait of the Dead Countess

10.  Lustmord and Wargasm (The Lick of Carnivorous Winds)

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Encore:

11.  Hallowed Be Thy Name (Iron Maiden cover)

12.  Crawling King Chaos

13.  Nymphetamine (Fix)

14.  Necromantic Fantasies

15.  From the Cradle to Enslave