01.04.2003

01. A Bruise Upon The Silent Moon
02. The Promise Of Fever
03. Hurt And Virtue
04. An Enemy Led The Tempest
05. Damned In Any Language ( A Plague On Words)
06. Better To Reign In Hell
07. Serpent Tongue
08. Carrion
09. The Mordant Liquor Of Tears
10. Presents From The Poison-Hearted
11. Doberman Pharaoh
12. Babalon A.D. (So Glad For The Madness)
13. A Scarlet Witch Lit The Season
14. Mannequin
15. Thank God For The Suffering
16. The Smoke Of Her Burning
17. End Of Daze 
 

Dani - Vocals
Paul - Guitar
Martin - Keyboards
Adrian - Drums
Dave - Bass


CRADLE OF FILTH: "Damnation and a Day"   www.theorderofthedragon.com   

 

 

Review   by Carl "Adrimir" Bengtsson________________

 

Well now. England's foremost Black-metal act is back with the sequel to "Bitter Suites to Succubi".
With this album, entitled "Damnation and a Day", the guys really show how it should be done.
Cradle is not only leading the black metal act, but has, to some people, sold out and been signed to Sony Music in the UK. Whether this helps them or ruins them in the long run, time will tell.

As for the music, lovely tracks such as "Better to reign in Hell" sound very promising, and while I'm speaking of that song in particular, there's a part in the beginning where the bass is the leading instrument. Fun to listen to, and it also sets the mood for the rest of the song.
Dani is screaming away with his typical high-pitched voice, alternated with whispers and occasionally a low growl. As usual.

The album has several tracks that are instrumental, almost symphonic, and one of them really caught my ears.
"The Mordant Liquor of Tears" is possibly one of the best ones I have heard yet. Starting out as a soft and mellow tune, it gently crosses over to becoming very dark with an angelical choir, setting an evil mood  over the entire song, only to become more and more pompous, and finishing off with returning to the soothing part heard in the beginning. Indeed lovely.

I saw Cradle when they were last in Sweden, and not being able to follow the band's evolvement,
it was fun to see Sweden's own Adrian Erlandsson behind the drums. Of course, Adrian is a very
capable drummer, having played with Swedish act "The Haunted". But I wonder if they didn't make a mistake when letting Nicholas Barker go, having heard his recent work with Dimmu Borgir.

Overall, this album is indeed great, but I doubt they will ever return to the glory of "Dusk...and her embrace"  or "Cruelty and the beast".

Carl "Adrimir" Bengtsson  

 
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