History & Biography The band was founded as a death metal act called Burial near Ipswich, England in 1991. Singer Filth was formerly of P.D.A., The Lemon Grove Kids, Feast On Excrement. The Burial monicker was quickly changed owing to a band in Bolton with the same name and the band began gigging in 1992. Invoking The Unclean was the debut demo and issued in 1992. Orgiastic Pleasures Foul was another demo in the same year. An album, entitled Goetia, was recorded prior to the band’s third demo Total Fucking Darkness for Tombstone Records (Viogression, Darklin Reach and others), but the recorded music was wiped off when the company went broke and the band itself could not buy the recordings from the studio. Guitarist Robin Graves joined the band, but quickly switched to bass. Much of the demo material was included on the A Pungent And Sexual Miasma split of Cradle Of Filth and Malediction. The band opened for Cadaver and Red Harvest in England.
Thanks to a very market savvy marketing instinct which includes a very blatant image - the top hat was quickly copied by Dimmu Borgir - and gothic music CoF have quickly climbed the sales charts despite a revolving door and music that often defies metal. Controversy adds fuel to the fire and the band took full advantage of trading insults with the UK press (although Dani would become a writer for Metal Hammer), banned merchandise and female flesh. The group opened for Emperor on a mini tour of four dates in 1993. The band had a T-shirt with an image of Dani’s wife, but printed the masturbating nun/Jesus Is A Cunt T-shirts for this tour. It would cause endless controversy including the arrest of the band’s drummer Nick Barker who was wearing the T-shirt several years later. The debut full-length of 1994 was supported with a tour of Europe with Marduk and Immortal. The band was in litigation with its first proper label Cacophonous for the longest time and finally gave the label an EP, called V Empire, Or Dark Faerytales In Phallustein in 1996, to be able to leave. Concerts with Dissection happened in 1995. The band had split in two however when guitarist Paul Allender and the Ryan brothers (guitar and keyboards) left to form The Blood Divine in late 1995. This band did not last and Allender was back. Paul Ryan became a booking agent for The Agency Group later. The band’s first overseas tour was in Portugal. Dusk... And Her Embrace featured a self-cover version of Nocturnal Supremacy called Nocturnal Supremacy '96 in the digipak version. The album was inspired by Irish horror author Sheridan Le Fanu. Even further upheaval in the ranks occurred when former Brutality guitarist Brian Hipp and Cancer man Barry Savage were hired for concerts in 1996. The band toured Europe and appeared at the Milwaukee Metal Fest in 1997. A fan named Rob Kenyon was found guilty of committing "Profane Representation under the 1839 Act" for wearing the Jesus is a cunt T-shirt and was fined in the UK. Cruelty And The Beast centred on the story of Erzebeth Bathory and featured the voice of actress Ingrid Pitt, who had played the historical figure in a Hammer horror, on tracks seven and eight.
Despite massive interest from Nuclear Blast the band signed with MFN and went from strength to strength. The band finally signed to major label Sony in 2001 resulting in the band sharing the main display window of Tower Records at Piccadilly Square, London with the reformed Roxy Music. Dani Filth also appeared in the straight-to-video film Cradle Of Fear in 2001 as The Man.
In order to support its 2003 album Damnation And A Day (produced by Doug Cook of Anathema, Cathedral fame as well as mixing four previous Cradle Of Filth releases), Cradle Of Filth hit the road in Europe early that year.
The band announced a new DVD called Mannequin for late 2003. The band was turfed from Sony Records in late 2003. The band soon signed with Roadrunner Records and recorded a new album called Nymphetamine. The act would also recruit guitarist James McKillboy. A tour with Arch Enemy and Himsa would follow. Another tour with Type O Negative would soon be postponed however. The band's deliberately provocative T-shirt 'Gilded Cunt' would soon be censored and duly attract publicity. The band was on MTV’s Viva La Bam in 2005.Former bassist Dave Pybus co-founded Sixsixsix Records in 2005. Cradle Of Filth recruited Czech drummer Marthus (a.k.a Martin Škaroupka) to replace Adrian Erlandsson who had departed in late 2006 to focus on his own band Nemhain. The group’s Godspeed On The Devil's Thunder album was announced for October 28th, 2008 through Roadrunner Records. The album was based on the French historical figure Gilles De Rais. Dani “Filth” completed The Gospel Of Filth: A Black Metal Bible with Gavin Baddeley in 2009. The book addressed both the history of the occult and the British band. Cradle Of Filth was writing new music aimed for a 2010 release.
In August of 2010, vocalist Dani Filth, guitarists Paul Allender and James McIlroy, bassist David Pybus, drummer Martin Skaroupka and keyboard player Ashley Ellyllon entered Monkey Puzzle Studio near Bury St. Edmunds in Suffolk, England to begin working on the follow-up to 2008’s Godspeed On The Devil's Thunder, Darkly Darkly Venus Aversa. Cradle Of Filth had signed with Nuclear Blast Records for its next album’s American release, which was due in November. Vocalist Dani "Filth" Davey was dropped in early 2011 from the race to be named one of the top 10 icons of the U.K.'s Suffolk county despite receiving the most votes. The band was touring the USA in early 2011. Cradle Of Filth released a new mini-album, entitled Evermore Darkly…, on October 10th, 2011 through Peaceville Records. The package included a DVD.
Midnight In The Labyrinth was the name of a 2012 ‘orchestral’ album by Cradle Of Filth featuring reworked material from the band’s first four albums including choirs, strings and some added dubs. It was out on April 21st. Masterplan recruited drummer Martin "Marthus" Skaroupka in 2012 to record for the band's new album. The gang would release its tenth studio album, The Manticore And Other Horrors, in North America on October 30th, 2012 through Nuclear Blast Records. Cradle Of Filth cancelled its 2013 U.S. tour 28 Days Closer To Hell due to U.S. immigration issues. The members could not obtain a visa. Martin Walkyier's Viking Funeral was the monicker for three shows in the UK that included performance of Skyclad songs for the final time. The man had members of Elvenking serving as musicians. Devilment, a new project of Cradle Of Filth vocalist Dani Filth, was opening. To make money off the twentieth anniversary of The Principle Of Evil Made Flesh, Cradle Of Filth would release a comic book, called a 72-page comic called The Curse Of Venus Aversa, and a compilation disc in 2013. Cradle Of Filth’s late demo Total Fucking Darkness would be released in vinyl format on May 5th, 2014 as part of a bigger release. The record also featured Spattered In Faeces from the Goetia sessions (early unreleased album) and unreleased songs. Guitarist James McIlroy of Cradle Of Filth decided against undergoing disc replacement surgery at the last minute. He suffers from back pain and decreased mobility. In 2014, Paul Allender left the band. He lived in the USA. In the summer of 2014, Devilment signed with Nuclear Blast Entertainment. The band’s full-length The Great And Secret Show would be released in the autumn. Cradle Of Filth would enter the studio on November 24th, 2014 and begin recording its next album, which was tentatively entitled Hammer Of The Witches. It was due for a June 2015 release. As of late 2014, the band signed a new worldwide deal with Nuclear Blast. The new album was due in 2015. Cradle Of Filth would return to North America in January of 2016 on the Inquisitional Torture Tour 2016. The trek would run from January 26th through March 8th. Support was provided by Butcher Babies and Ne Obliviscaris. The band cancelled the first four shows of its Inquisitional Torture North American headlining tour due to U.S. visa issues. Cradle Of Filth would release its next album, Cryptoriana – The Seductiveness Of Decay, on September 22 2017 through Nuclear Blast. Bring Me The Horizon had a video called Wonderful Life featuring Dani and his daughter in 2018. That band and Dani launched a clothing line as well in late 2019. Cradle Of Filth signed with The Oracle Management of mallcore musician Dez Fafara (Coal Chamber and DevilDriver), who also managed Jinjer, in 2018. Cradle Of Filth toured North America in March and April 2018 with support from Ukraine-based band Jinjer. Kill All The Gentlemen was opening for Cradle Of Filth in the Baltics that December. Cradle Of Filth was touring North America with Wednesday 13 and Raven Black. Cradle Of Filth would perform 1998’s Cruelty And The Beast in its entirety at several shows in spring and summer of 2019. Theatrical pomp band Cradle Of Filth cancelled three European and an Israeli show in 2019 to instead focus on recording a new album. Cradle Of Filth and keyboardist Lindsay Schoolcraft parted ways at the beginning of 2020 due to the man’s health issues. The band was booked for the Rockstadt Fest in 2020, but the event was cancelled due to the pandemic. Cradle Of Filth announced Existence Is Futile as the title for its 2021 album, which was due through Nuclear Blast Records that summer. Main man Dani Filth starred in a new film called Baphomet as Lon Carlson, an occultist and expert on witchcraft. Incendium and Heavy Metal Entertainment announced the launch of Maledictus Athenaeum, which was a band-related book series. It was due in May. Cradle Of Filth had a new keyboardist in 2021. Anabelle Iratni was in Devilment with Cradle Of Filth frontman Dani Filth and also played piano in Veile. The goth rockers had an album called Existence is Futile in this year. The group had a U.S.A. tour with 3Teeth and Once Human in the autumn of 2021. Kreator was joined by Cradle Of Filth singer Dani Filth on the song Betrayer at the Bloodstock Open Air festival that summer. Kreator was joined by Cradle Of Filth singer Dani Filth on the song Betrayer at the Bloodstock Open Air festival in the summer of 2021. Cradle Of Filth announced a show stream called The Infernal Vernal Equinox for March 20th 2022. The show would have the band play its 1996 album Dusk... And Her Embrace in full. Danzig, Cradle Of Filth and Crobot toured the USA in spring 2022.
Cradle Of Filth signed with Napalm Records in 2022. The theatrical goth band had issued five albums on Nuclear Blast. Cradle Of Filth parted ways with guitarist Richard Shaw and keyboardist Anabelle Iratni. The former was replaced for the band's shows by Donny Burbage, while the latter was displaced by Zoe Marie Federoff. The band was not only opening for Danzig, but also headlining shows with Frayle and Misfire in Canada and the USofA in June 2022.
Stuart Ansti died age 48 on 21st August 2022. Dani Filth was continuing collaboration with pop musician Ed Sheeran to write a song the pair hoped to co-release. Cradle Of Filth released a live album called Trouble And Their Double Lives through Napalm Records in April 2023. The record contained material recorded world-wide between 2014 and 2019. Early bassist Jon Kennedy died in a car accident in Wales in September 2023. It was subsequently revealed that the man had drugs in his system
. Cradle Of Filth announced a tour of the Middle East and Europe for 2024 using the Necromantic Fantasies monicker. The February and March tour was to feature openers Wednesday 13 and Sick N' Beautiful. Guitarist Marek "Ashok" Šmerda and female singer and keyboardist Zoë M. Federoff would became engaged to start 2024. The act pulled out of the Rampage Summer Festival in Thailand of May 3rd. The band reported it was not paid its advance or received its tickets. As I Lay Dying, Madball and others were booked to play. Cradle Of Filth appeared at Hellfest 2024. The band announced a European autumn tour with Butcher Babies and Mental Cruelty opening. Cradle Of Filth, and opener Infected Rain, had a mini-tour of Australia in September 2024. A new album was completed and expected in Q1 2025.
Reviews CRADLE OF FILTH - BITTER SUITES TO SUCCUBI - ABRACADAVER/SPITFIRE
Cradle Of Filth is the unsurpassed glam band of the new century. Everything regarding this band du jour smacks of the kind of commercialism for which people fall as a function of the inherent subservience to herd mentality in the pathetic human race. While Kiss and Sweet were the foremost glamsters of the seventies, Poison of the eighties and the nineties gave us Gwar and White Zombie; the new century gives us Cradle Of Filth. The band uses more makeup and gimmicks in its photos than entire labels (with the exception of Nuclear Blast and Dimmu something) spend on promotion. The oh-so clever play on words of the band's label extends to the album title. The biography spends pages revealing the manifesto to the theses of coolness never bothering to mention a thing about their music, including the present album's one cover version and three self-cover version songs. Cradle Of Filth simply live off the hype, image and the correct bet that the established media will tow the party line. Judging by the photos, six Marilyn Manson concubines with six times more references and allusions to erotic angels than Aeroshit have about their dicks deliver shrilly, ultra-treble dancey goth rock - with Mickey Mouse acting as front man. Finally, please stop parading the semi-nude female photos. Hustler has it tenfold at half the price of a CD. Just plain give it up boys. Remember what happened to Poison? - Ali "The Metallian"
Interviews
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