Cradle of Filth – Cryptoriana – The Seductiveness of Decay (2017)

After blowing everybody’s expectations with their amazing 2015 release “Hammer of the Witches”, Dani Filth and company are back with an even more refined and incisive release with “Cryptoriana – The Seductiveness of Decay”. Having returned to their best sound since “Nymphetamine”, they band continues rolling with another 10 brilliant tracks that while reminding us of their earlier days, keep pushing forward with their bombastic and aggressive sound.

Kicking off with the mood setting intro “Exquisite Torments Await”, CoF instantly transports you into the band’s twisted world thanks to sinister riffs and dramatic arrangements. This is only the beginning as things get even more intense with the blistering drumming of “Heartbreak and Séance” and its Omen-esque chorus sections. With even more dramatic arrangements and superbly catchy passages, “Achingly Beautiful” is definitely one of our favorite tracks in this release.

Dani Filth’s vocals are on point as he switches back and forth between clean vocals, growls and his signature shrieks on tracks like “Wester Vespertine” and “The Seductiveness of Decay”. We also particularly enjoy how the guitar solos/leads are perfectly blended into the songs, just like on their legendary “Dusk and Her Embrace” release. Liv Kristine makes an appearance on the commanding song “Vengeful Spirit”, which starts pretty heavy with piercing guitar work and it nicely transform into a more melodic piece with Liv’s help.

For those of us looking for dramatic tracks with over the top keyboards/arrangements and fierce drumming/guitar melodies, “You Will Know the Lion by his Claws” is a killer example of what is the band all about, as it perfectly bridges both worlds. The album rounds up with the punishing intensity of “Death and the Maiden”, the magical guitar work in “The Night at Catafalque Manor”, a song that gained a place on our CoF historical top 10, and the creepy cover of Annihilator’s “Alison Hell”.

Overall, Dani Filth and his latest bandmates have a great thing going and have revived (once more) the band’s good old days sound with the perfect balance of intensity and symphonic elements. With each track having its own personality and unique elements, we found ourselves greatly enjoying this very diverse and engaging release. If you are a fan of the band and their “Nymphetamine”, “Dusk and Her Embrace”, and “Hammer of the Witches” albums, then you will certainly love this crushing release.

Label: Nuclear Blast Records

Release: September 22nd, 2017

Genre: Symphonic Black Metal

Country: UK