It’s been a long time between drinks but UK metal icons Cradle Of Filth returned to Australia this past week with a final stop in Perth on Monday night, or as Dani Filth put it, a school night. The kids certainly showed up in droves as they witnessed the Filth boys tear it up on what culminated in a near closing leg of their world tour.
After two brilliant albums in “Hammer Of The Witches” and their latest release “Cryptoriana – The Seductiveness Of Decay”, it was time to finally witness the live experience of Cradle Of Filth who over the years have always flew under the radar for some that was never fully immersed in the extreme metal world and particularly the goth and black metal scene. It has been said that the latest albums have been a somewhat return to the old Cradle sound, the introduction of Richard Shaw and “Ashok” on guitars a big reason for that return but whatever the case may be, there’s an old school flavour that can’t be denied and their live show certainly gave a good representation of that.
Kicking things off for the night were Perth’s very own extreme metal act in Earthrot who are well established on the western front. A raw and vicious sound that playfully teases tech death elements with a real gutteral sound has been what Earthrot have always been about and clearly playing in front of a good size crowd even early on has got to be a pleasing experience. The locals kicked it up a few notches for the Cradle fans as they dutifully provided the necessary task of warming the crowd up, judging by the response we think it was achieved on all levels.
The dark intro that bled straight out of the house music wasted no time in getting peoples attention as the lights dimmed and the 6 piece British metal act came out on stage and proceeded to open with the unapologetically titled “Gilded Cunt” off the “Nymphetamine” album. It was smooth sailing from there and Dani Filth and the band played out a long history of dark and brooding numbers mixed with blistering speeds of thrash and black metal-esque sounds. The gothic backgrounds from Lindsay Schoolcraft on the keyboards added an ambience and a horror filled nuance that only Cradle Of Filth are known for, the fast paced tempos surprisingly worked well with the scream filled operas filling the room as Dani screamed and growled his way through the set.
The animated dance moves coming from the twin guitar attack of Richard and Ashok was hilarious but entertaining, interacting with the crowd in their own ways with Ashok’s blood splattered guitar a main focus as he squealed out high pitched wails and some notey guitar noises that combined with Richards more fancier style and his zombie Jesus looking poses was a show all in itself.
It’s been 20 years since the release of the now iconic “Cruelty And The Beast” album, a release that many Cradle fans hold high regard for and the band celebrated that fact by performing a number of tracks including the epic “Bathory Aria” in all it’s glory. The album holds up really well, sounding as fresh as ever and maybe even more so with a lineup aside from Dani that is fairly new to the material. The newer stuff sounded great, a furiously fast paced affair with “Blackest Magick in Practice” holding the prize for a true highlight in the set.
It was a no holds barred set to be honest and aside from the odd moment of doomy elements creeping in that kind of brought the show to a slight standstill if only momentarily, Cradle Of Filth showed why they are still as strong as ever. As a 6 piece the fluidity of the collective outfit is slick and not messy as sometimes large bands can be with each task of the individuals on stage an important piece in this chessboard of maniacal metal madness. The theatrics while entertaining simply became secondary to the music which at the end of the day, should always be the case and Cradle are certainly careful to be aware of that. Let’s just hope that we don’t have to wait so long for their next tour in Australia.
PHOTO GALLERY
Photos by Jessica Vaini at JV Photo Film
Cradle Of Filth
Earthrot
