Cradle of Filth
Busta Rhymes (cancelled)
Public Enemy (postponed)
The Weeknd ✅
James Blunt ✅
Keith Urban

Seeing a few bands/artists coming up so figured I’d attempt to make my way through these, feel free to add your own/post your thoughts

The Principle of Evil Made Flesh
(1994)

Track list

1. "Darkness Our Bride (Jugular Wedding)" (instrumental) 2:00
2. "The Principle of Evil Made Flesh" 4:34
3. "The Forest Whispers My Name" 5:06
4. "Iscariot" (instrumental) 2:33
5. "The Black Goddess Rises" 6:48
6. "One Final Graven Kiss" (instrumental) 2:15
7. "A Crescendo of Passion Bleeding" 5:30
8. "To Eve the Art of Witchcraft" 5:28
9. "Of Mist and Midnight Skies" 8:10
10. "In Secret Love We Drown" (instrumental) 1:29
11. "A Dream of Wolves in the Snow" 2:10
12. "Summer Dying Fast" 5:39
13. "Imperium Tenebrarum" (hidden track)

Cradle of Filth are often clowned by Black Metal fans as “poser music” because it’s somewhat accessible and the band haven’t diddy’d a goat in a satanic sacrifice or some other stupid controversial stuff.

So I think they saw the direction they needed to go in later on with a more melodic style as this is a pretty mediocre debut. The vocal style isn’t great and Forest Whispers My Name was the only stand out track for me.



Rating
4/10

Dusk…and her Embrace
(1996)

Track List

1. "Humana Inspired to Nightmare" (instrumental) 1:23
2. "Heaven Torn Asunder" 7:06
3. "Funeral in Carpathia" 8:24
4. "A Gothic Romance (Red Roses for the Devil's Whore)" 8:35
5. "Malice Through the Looking Glass" 5:30
6. "Dusk and Her Embrace" 6:09
7. "The Graveyard by Moonlight" (instrumental) 2:28
8. "Beauty Slept in Sodom" 6:32
9. "Haunted Shores" (feat. Cronos of Venom) 7:04


Much better production, it’s still not the vocal style Filth would adapt later but it’s an improvement, the samples and other vocals are much more pleasant to the ear.

This is a much more theatrical production which would become Cradle of Filth’s bread and butter later on. Funeral In Carpathia and the title track are pretty good but this was still growing pains for the band.

There’s also some confusing stuff regarding a lane dispute where there’s two versions of this, the later being “Dusk.. and her Embrace: The Original Sin” finally released in 2016, this review is of the original.



Rating
5/10

Cruelty and the Beast
(1998)

Track list

1. "Once Upon Atrocity" (instrumental) 1:43
2. "Thirteen Autumns and a Widow" 7:14
3. "Cruelty Brought Thee Orchids" 7:18
4. "Beneath the Howling Stars" 7:42
5. "Venus in Fear" (instrumental) 2:20
6. "Desire in Violent Overture" 4:16
7. "The Twisted Nails of Faith" (narration by Ingrid Pitt) 6:50
8. "Bathory Aria"
"Benighted Like Usher"
"A Murder of Ravens in Fugue"
"Eyes That Witnessed Madness (narration by Ingrid Pitt)"
11:02
9. "Portrait of the Dead Countess" (instrumental) 2:52
10. "Lustmord and Wargasm (The Lick of Carnivorous Winds)"


This is more of the sound people are familiar with. However this album’s production isn’t great even admitted by the band which means they didn’t quit nail it with this, being based on Elizabeth Bathory later albums almost sound like they were recorded from a stage play.

You way wonder so far why I’m even going to see the band but I’m more of a fan (admittedly not a huge fan) of later stuff and any excuse not to work Saturday nights I’ll take :lol:.

Rating
5/10

Midian
(2000)

Track list

1. "At the Gates of Midian" (Instrumental) 2:21
2. "Cthulhu Dawn" 4:17
3. "Saffron's Curse" 6:32
4. "Death Magick for Adepts" 5:53
5. "Lord Abortion" 6:51
6. "Amor e morte" 6:44
7. "Creatures That Kissed in Cold Mirrors" (Instrumental) 3:00
8. "Her Ghost in the Fog" 6:24
9. "Satanic Mantra" 0:51
10. "Tearing the Veil from Grace" 8:13
11. "Tortured Soul Asylum" 7:46

Fourth album and they finally hit their stride with their signature sound. Excellent production with symphonic sounding metal rather going for the raw Lo-fi production that Black Metal bands go for. Instead they ditch the Black Metal sound and go for a much more palatable sound by comparison (like early NIN compared to other industrial acts at the time).Dani Filth finally found the vocal style that works much better than records prior.

This has Doug Bradley (Hellraiser) on narration and is inspired by the Clive Baker novel Cabal, which I own so I should probably read it :lol:.



I thought “Lord Abortion” was so edgy as teenager know I just cringe every time I see the title but the track still goes hard as does “Her Ghost in the Fog” which a lot of people found the video cheesy and laughable but now 20 + years have passed it’s nostalgic therefore cool (as discussed in the Limp Bizkit thread).

This is the best place to start if you want to hear their signature sound.

Rating
8/10

Live gigs I’ve got me coming up:
Public Enemy
The Weeknd
Dean Lewis
James Blunt
Green Day w/AFI
Keith Urban

Not sure if support acts count, but I’m excited for AFI so I’m counting them haha
I’ve seen Dean Lewis, James Blunt, and Keith Urban all before but I adore them in concert, and they’ve all had new albums out since so it feels brand new again 😁

Damnation…and a Day
(2003)

Track List

1. "A Bruise Upon the Silent Moon" 2:03
2. "The Promise of Fever" 5:58
3. "Hurt and Virtue" 5:23
4. "An Enemy Led the Tempest" 6:11

II Paradise Lost

5. "Damned in Any Language (A Plague on Words)" 1:58
6. "Better to Reign in Hell" 6:11
7. "Serpent Tongue" 5:10
8. "Carrion" 4:42

III Sewer Side Up

9. "The Mordant Liquor of Tears" 2:35
10. "Presents from the Poison-Hearted" 6:19
11. "Doberman Pharaoh" 6:03
12. "Babalon A.D. (So Glad for the Madness)" 5:39

IV The Scented Garden

13. "A Scarlet Witch Lit the Season" 1:34
14. "Mannequin" 4:27
15. "Thank God for the Suffering" 6:13
16. "The Smoke of Her Burning" 5:00
17. "End of Daze" 1:24



Music video Inspired by Salo, a film I noped out of watching as some stuff I don’t want to see on screen,

Sewer Side Up :lol:, man you can tell this band’s target audience is Mall Goths.
This is another great album though now recorded with the 100 and One Piece (🗝️)
Budapest film orchestra.

So a much welcomed addition now the band found their groove with this theatrical sound. Lyrical content is great if you’re into gothic stuff, this album being based of the poem Paradise Lost by John Milton.

Even at 70+ minute it keep things interesting as a follow up to Midian.

Favourite Tracks:
Doberman Pharoah, Babylon AD

Rating
8/10

Bro you skipped over my favorite COF album, Bitter Suites To Succubi from 2001, really good stuff that I kind of forgot about until now, my favorite song by them is No Time To Cry cover from that album but the whole thing is really good. I think I read back in the day that they just threw this shorter album together to fulfill their contract with the record label so they could get signed with Sony, but this ended up turning out to be some of their best work imo; 



One of those bands that always looked so cool to me in the heavy metal magazines but just never could lay down that $18.99 for one of their albums to check them out. I had a friend in high school that had this one and I loved it. Also thought it was cool as fuck when they got signed to a major label Sony records in 2003 or whenever that was even though nothing ever really came of it. I've gone through and checked out some of their stuff on Amazon Music a few years back but always felt like this 2001 album was dope af

This was bad ass too;

Sept 23, 2024 1:54:40 GMT Neo Zeed said:

Bro you skipped over my favorite COF album, Bitter Suites To Succubi from 2001, really good stuff that I kind of forgot about until now, my favorite song by them is No Time To Cry cover from that album but the whole thing is really good. I think I read back in the day that they just threw this shorter album together to fulfill their contract with the record label so they could get signed with Sony, but this ended up turning out to be some of their best work imo; 



One of those bands that always looked so cool to me in the heavy metal magazines but just never could lay down that $18.99 for one of their albums to check them out. I had a friend in high school that had this one and I loved it. Also thought it was cool as fuck when they got signed to a major label Sony records in 2003 or whenever that was even though nothing ever really came of it. I've gone through and checked out some of their stuff on Amazon Music a few years back but always felt like this 2001 album was dope af

This was their third EP, just covering LPs for now considering I’m trying to listen to them all before Saturday.

Nymphetamine
(2004)

Track list

1. "Satyriasis (instrumental)" 1:42
2. "Gilded Cunt" 4:08
3. "Nemesis" 7:18
4. "Gabrielle" 5:27
5. "Absinthe with Faust" 5:14
6. "Nymphetamine (Overdose)" (feat. Liv Kristine) 9:14
7. "Painting Flowers White Never Suited My Palette" (instrumental) 1:57
8. "Medusa and Hemlock" 4:44
9. "Coffin Fodder" 5:17
10. "English Fire" 4:45
11. "Filthy Little Secret" 6:16
12. "Swansong for a Raven" (feat. Doug Bradley) 7:09
13. "Mother of Abominations" 7:33
14. "Nymphetamine (Fix)" (feat. Liv Kristine)

As Neo Zeed pointed out their partnership with Sony went nowhere after the last album, their only release on a major label, this being released on roadrunner.

This comes across as more of a straight metal album and the guitar work is really good, a lot less of the creative flair in the other albums. It’s not completely barren though as Doug Bradley features again and Liv Kristine on vocals.

If you want more just straight metal music rather than all the gothic theatre stuff, give this a listen.

Rating
6/10

Thornography
(2006)

Track List

1. "Under Pregnant Skies She Comes Alive Like Miss Leviathan" 1:40
2. "Dirge Inferno" 4:53
3. "Tonight in Flames" 5:55
4. "Libertina Grimm" 5:51
5. "The Byronic Man" (featuring Ville Valo of HIM) 5:03
6. "I Am the Thorn" 7:06
7. "Cemetery and Sundown" 5:37
8. "Lovesick for Mina" 7:00
9. "The Foetus of a New Day Kicking" 3:43
10. "Rise of the Pentagram" (instrumental) 7:02
11. "Under Huntress Moon" 6:58
12. "Temptation" 3:47

Another straight forward metal album, but a pretty good one at that.
The opening track, track 9 (God this track titles are cringe :lol:) and Byronic Man featuring HIM vocalist Ville Valo (who I’ve seen live thanks to sandylea) are the highlights.

A sign of things to come with CoF going in a heavier direction going forward.

Rating
8/10

Godspeed on the Devil’s Thunder
(2008)

Track List

"In Grandeur and Frankincense Devilment Stirs (instrumental)" 2:27
2. "Shat Out of Hell" 5:03
3. "The Death of Love" 7:13
4. "The 13th Caesar" 5:35
5. "Tiffauges (instrumental)" 2:14
6. "Tragic Kingdom" 5:59
7. "Sweetest Maleficia" 5:59
8. "Honey and Sulphur" 5:37
9. "Midnight Shadows Crawl to Darken Counsel with Life" 8:58
10. "Darkness Incarnate" 8:55
11. "Ten Leagues Beneath Contempt" 4:58
12. "Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder" 5:36
13. "Corpseflower (instrumental)" 2:41

This blends the heavier sound they’ve incorporated since Nymphetamine with the theatrical style they perfected on Midian, so it should be a home run. However unlike this review it wears out it’s welcome and isn’t interesting enough for its 70+ min run time in the closing tracks.

Honey and Sulphur is one of their best tracks though.

Rating
6/10

Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa
(2010)

Track List

1. "The Cult of Venus Aversa" 7:07
2. "One Foul Step from the Abyss" 4:52
3. "The Nun with the Astral Habit" 4:53
4. "Retreat of the Sacred Heart" 3:54
5. "The Persecution Song" 5:33
6. "Deceiving Eyes" 6:43
7. "Lilith Immaculate" 6:11
8. "The Spawn of Love and War" 6:18
9. "Harlot on a Pedestal" 5:07
10. "Forgive Me Father (I Have Sinned)" 4:31
11. "Beyond Eleventh Hour" 7:16

One of CoF’s best releases, based on the demon Lilith who was the first wife of Adam being reintroduced into society. The vocals provided by Lucy Atkins (and Dora Kemp) work really well and makes the concept work and works well juxtaposed against Dani Filth’s Vocals. Lilith Immaculate being my favourite track on the album.

Good to see this far into the discography they could still pull of the orchestral and theatrical sound rather than the more stripped back releases prior.

Rating
9/10

The Manticore and other Horrors
(2012)

Track List

1. "The Unveiling of O" (instrumental) 2:07
2. "The Abhorrent" 5:53
3. "For Your Vulgar Delectation" 4:46
4. "Illicitus" 5:24
5. "Manticore" 5:53
6. "Frost on Her Pillow" 4:12
7. "Huge Onyx Wings Behind Despair" 4:23
8. "Pallid Reflection" 5:34
9. "Siding with the Titans" 5:17
10. "Succumb to This" 4:43
11. "Sinfonia" (Instrumental) 3:25

Released as three piece band, this is much more similar to the very early releases with a stripped back sound. The theatrical stuff is still there but much less present, so even more of just a straight metal album than Nymphetamine and Thornography.

So if you like the early stuff this would be a welcome surprise and it has better production, if not this isn’t a huge loss if you skip over it.

Rating
5/10

Hammer of the Witches
(2015)

Track List

1. "Walpurgis Eve" 1:29
2. "Yours Immortally..." 6:01
3. "Enshrined in Crematoria" 5:46
4. "Deflowering the Maidenhead, Displeasuring the Goddess" 6:56
5. "Blackest Magick in Practice" 6:50
6. "The Monstrous Sabbat (Summoning the Coven)" 1:51
7. "Hammer of the Witches" 6:29
8. "Right Wing of the Garden Triptych" 5:54
9. "The Vampyre at My Side" 5:45
10. "Onward Christian Soldiers" 6:59
11. "Blooding the Hounds of Hell" 2:10

(Censored artwork)

Normally a big line up change is a bad thing for a band but it definitely works here, almost a Cof 2.0 with new additions Marek Smerda, Richard Shaw and vocalist Lindsay Schoolcraft, the latter who is a great addition to the band.

It’s not a radical departure from their sound or anything, just a reset to keep things fresh again and experiment with their sound.

Rating
8/10

Cryptoriana – The Seductiveness of Decay
(2017)

Track List

1. "Exquisite Torments Await..." 2:15
2. "Heartbreak and Seance" 6:24
3. "Achingly Beautiful" 7:02
4. "Wester Vespertine" 7:24
5. "The Seductiveness of Decay" 7:38
6. "Vengeful Spirit" (featuring Liv Kristine) 6:00
7. "You Will Know the Lion by His Claw" 7:22
8. "Death and the Maiden" 8:48

(Censored artwork)

Brilliant guitar work in this and you can tell that Iron Maiden had a very heavy influence on the musical style of this (sans the vocals which are still Filth’s signature screaming/black metal-ish style). Last album to feature Lindsay Schoolcraft which is a shame as her vocal additions were fantastic.

Thematically it’s still more of the same goth opera but nice to hear a new direction as far as instrumentation goes.

Rating
9/10

Existence is Futile
(2021)

Track List

1. "The Fate of the World on Our Shoulders" (Instrumental) 1:37
2. "Existential Terror" 6:17
3. "Necromantic Fantasies" 5:40
4. "Crawling King Chaos" 5:27
5. "Here Comes a Candle... (Infernal Lullaby)" (Instrumental) 1:28
6. "Black Smoke Curling from the Lips of War" 5:21
7. "Discourse Between a Man and His Soul" 5:30
8. "The Dying of the Embers" 6:08
9. "Ashen Mortality" (Instrumental) 1:50
10. "How Many Tears to Nurture a Rose?" 4:34
11. "Suffer Our Dominion" 6:22
12. "Us, Dark, Invincible" 6:26

Recording during the lockdown, the label didn’t give the band any pressure to do anything as they didn’t know what was going to happen with Covid, so it gave them a lot of time to be creative.

So it’s another great album, again the Iron Maiden influence really showing and pretty much the only CoF album that kind of acknowledges real events rather than based of some Victorian witch vampire zombie werewolf knight combination. The last track is god awful though.

Artwork is censored again which is a shame as it’s one of their best covers.

Rating
8/10

Sept 22, 2024 9:36:03 GMT sandylea said:

Live gigs I’ve got me coming up:
Public Enemy
The Weeknd
Dean Lewis
James Blunt
Green Day w/AFI
Keith Urban

Not sure if support acts count, but I’m excited for AFI so I’m counting them haha
I’ve seen Dean Lewis, James Blunt, and Keith Urban all before but I adore them in concert, and they’ve all had new albums out since so it feels brand new again 😁

Now seeing Cradle of Filth thanks to System for being like the Flash and securing a ticket to the sold out show!
Haven’t listened to much of their music. I checked them out originally in my teenage years and wasn’t much of a fan 😅 but I’ve been enjoying the songs I hear when Ferg has been listening to them this past few weeks. Plan to listen to their set list on the train ride if I can stay awake hahaha

Didn’t get there until the end of Infected Rain’s set and it was PACKED.
Convinced the more a band is hated on the more tickets they sell.

www.instagram.com/reel/DAdz0htuTGe/?igsh=MXUzbDgza2cyZjFiag==

Even with seeing the first time could tell that screaming for so long has taken a little bit of a toll here and there but the band definitely brought the energy and impress to still be able to do this vocal style in his 50s. Backup singer was great also.

Still managed to get a pretty good view (footage courtesy of sandylea) and crowd were pretty good except one guy kept getting crowdsurfed out then barging his way back into the crowd, nearly topped a woman a few spaces over from me completely over. Security were otherwise good so idk why they didn’t get rid of him for good.

FUCK 🥲. Non-Refundable hotel book as mentioned as seeing Busta the night before.




Public Enemy Aus Tour Postponed

Public Enemy have postponed their upcoming tour of Australia due to Chuck D's eye surgery.

“I’m sorry to make you wait a little longer but I need to get this eye surgery done, so I can really rock the house for you and Bring The Noise. Stay tuned for the new dates," Chuck D said.

The press statement added that "all existing ticketholders will be notified of rescheduled dates once confirmed and need not take action; original purchases will be valid for the rescheduled date without the need for exchange."

Find out more here on Tone Deaf tonedeaf.thebrag.com/public-enemy-postpone-australia-tour-dates/

Now both cancelled, album reviews have been deleted as I cbf finishing his discography now.

Kiss Land
(2013)

Tracklist



After a series of mixtapes and a compilation release, Abel reveals his identity after realising it was too hard to conceal it in the internet age and releases his first album.

It’s more of the same on the other releases and I wasn’t even aware this was his first LP until years later as the next album gets talked about much more.

As for this album the blueprint was there for the sound we know now but still had a lot of trimming and production improvements to come.

Rating
5/10

The Beauty Behind the Madness

(2015)

Track list

1. Real Life
2. Losers
3. Tell Your Friends
4. Often
5. The Hills
6. Acquainted
7. Can’t Feel My Face
8. Shameless
9. Earned it
10. In the Night
11. As You Are
12. Dark Times
13. Prisoner
14. Angel




(Copy/paste from favourite albums thread)

While TV Shows may not be his forte, music definitely has been for Abel Tesfaye best known as the The Weeknd going from releasing music on YouTube in 2009 with his identity concealed to a household name. Having his music played at several sporting events and big productions, going on 5 Wrestlemanias this year.

Compared to Michael Jackson a lot vocally, I’d compare this also to Craig David’s Born to Do It just a lot more explicit for modern audiences. The Weeknd is unapologetic yet self-aware about his lifestyle and vices throughout this album detailing drug fueled nights and romances in a much more graphic way.

I’d heard rumblings about The Weeknd prior to this and while this is his second album
after releasing 2013’s Kissland and a series of mixtape before this. However this is the album that definitely put The Weeknd on the map and deservedly so.

Favourite Tracks are Real Life, Angel, Shameless and I Can’t Feel My Face which infamously got a kid’s choice award nomination.

Rating
10/10

That's a bummer about Public Enemy!

Obviously he's turned into the biggest male pop star around, but I'm a hipster doofus really don't think he's come close to making anything as good as the trilogy mixtapes. R&B was terribly stale at the time and along with Frank Ocean he completely revitalised the genre. The production on House of Balloons is just god tier, the transition between the title track and Glass Table Girls is chefs kiss, and sampling Beach House on The Party was iconic.

Starboy
(2016)

On a train so wrote a full post only to lose service. It takes an album that could have been Thriller with nothing but hits. Instead it’s weighed down by heaps of filler, for every Starboy and I Feel it Coming there’s stuff like Rockin’ and All I Know.



Rating
6/10

After Hours
(2020)

Think its clear The Weeknd is a singles artists at this point, as both After Hours and Starboy have some great singles that get constant radio and WWE play but the deep cuts are nothing to write home about.

Slight edge over Starboy as the singles are bit more to my liking but that’s about it.


Rating
7/10

Dawn FM
(2022)

My second favourite Weeknd album, love the synth pop influence and working with Daft Punk seemingly paid off as it reminds me of their album “Random Access Memories”.

Production is varied, it’s fun most of the way and the features are well selected. Not sick of hearing Sacrifice despite WrestleMania 38.

Rating
9/10

One of the best concerts I’ve been to and first stadium show. Great stage production and Abel’s voice is just as good live. Just a good atmosphere overall, no fuckwits which I’ve got a lot at other gigs recently.

I love metal and heavier music but I’m just over mosh pits etc. Rather just chill and listen to the band now I’m getting older