All that petty crap aside, the bands music has always been solid and appears to be actually getting better with every new release. As much as I loved Dusk and Her Embrace, it wasnt until Cradle toned down the BM influence and stepped up the Maiden-ish/all around "metal" sound on Cruelty and the Beast that I became an actual fan. Every subsequent record since then has become less pigeonholed genre wise and now with their current album Nymphetamine, its safe to call CoF just plain METAL...and a better band at that.
The intro track "Satyriasis" gives way to the mighty "Gilded Cunt." Easily one of most aggressive tracks on the record, complete with neck snapping tempo changes, thrashing guitars, breakdowns, and single foot blast beats. Things slow down on the next few songs, never really getting past a galloping beat but these tracks are filled with haunting guitar harmonies,and backed with subtle keyboards that will be with you for days. The epic, "Nymphetamine (overdose)" gets things slamming again before giving way to the ultra gothic midsection that features amazing female vocals and damn right infectious melodies. "Medusa and Hemlock" is another thrashy number that shows CoF still know how to let loose but its songs like "Coffin Fodder" that really stand out. Its sounds like a long lost Maiden song with blast beats. The final song on the record is a shorter/ less extreme version of "Nymhetamine (overdose)" that has a video on Headbangers Ball and whatnot but its lacking all the great qualities of the original version so I like to end things with the song right before, "Mother of Abominations." Its fast, violent and the most unmelodic song off Nymphetamine...as close to old school CoF as your going to get.
Dani Filth still sounds exactly like you remember (like a cat screaming as it runs its nails down a chalk board) but the band has slowly changed over the years. This new record isnt going to change your life or expand your musical horizons, because its obvious that wasnt the bands intention. They arent trying to break new ground or impress the legion of black metal hoardes anymmore, now Cradle of Filth has stepped back and decided to do what Cradle does best, play some good metal tunes.
Standout Tracks:
Gilded Cunt
Gabrielle
Nymphetamine (overdose)
Coffin Fodder
Filthy Little Secret
Mother of Abominations