Cradle Of Filth have been an all-time favourite amongst gothic and black metal fans around the globe since they formed in 1991, and throughout their 34-year run they have released a staggering thirteen studio albums, two live albums, two compilation albums and four EPs. The band takes their time to curate and perfect every piece of art they create, and their brand new neck-breaking album The Screaming Of The Valkyries is absolutely no exception.
The Screaming Of The Valkyries encompasses the same raging energy that the fans have
come to know and love from the band, with nine brand new tracks to quench fans’ thirst for frontman Dani Filth’s feral growls. Starting the album off seriously strong is ‘To Live Deliciously’, a track that takes the concept of living your life to the fullest to dizzying new heights - expect ear-bursting screams (enough to shatter your family’s fine china), and even a few thunderous sound effects from this unfortunately short-lived track. The band strive to make every song their absolute best, and this album displays this ‘deliciously’ with the next track ‘Demagoguery’, which really delves into the band's vocal talents and showcases exactly what they are capable of. The guitar riffs throughout most of the song are absolutely insane, but none of them compare to the riffs in the bridge of the track, which are guaranteed to send even the most relaxed of the band's fans into a headbanging frenzy.
Would Cradle Of Filth really be their extremely talented selves without their iconic build-ups? These iconic build ups have been there since the beginning, and their penchant for this is showcased phenomenally during the next track ‘The Trinity Of Shadows’. It starts off slow, and its build-up fits together seamlessly with the backing vocals. This being the most prominent part of the track, and a part that fans are bound to fall in love with, combined with this being the longest track of the album, make for a brilliant song.
Next up to take the limelight is ‘Non Omnis Morar’, and would a black metal band really be a
death metal band without at least one song in their arsenal with a latin name? This track
showcases just how seamlessly both Dani Filth and Zoe Marie Federoff’s brilliant vocals merge together, working like a well-oiled machine. Federoff’s vocals dip in and out during the track, giving an energy of etherealness amongst the macabre lyricism.
The next track ‘White Hellebore’ seems to skip a couple of steps and leaps directly into the
hardcore riffs, which is not at all what you would expect after the relatively much slower previous track, but Cradle Of Filth takes this concept and makes it their own in such a talented and unique way. The track ends with gracefully spoken lyrics, which are a blessing to every fan's eardrums who have the opportunity to hear this masterpiece.
The next two tracks ‘You Are My Nautilus’ and ‘Malignant Perfection’ are two completely
sonically disparate tracks, yet both touch on the same topics of love and heartbreak, most notably ‘Malignant Perfection’ hitting the topic of falling for someone who's unhealthy. The mosh-worthy electric guitar and drums from the incredibly talented Marek Šmerda and Martin "Marthus" Škaroupka will have fans forming circle pits in absolutely no time.
The next two tracks, much to fans’ despair, bring the album to a bittersweet end, but Cradle Of Filth are of course known for their music gluing itself to fans’ eardrums. The band give a whole new perspective to the phrase ‘going out with a bang’ with these next two tracks, ‘Ex Sanguine Draculae’ and ‘When Misery Was A Stranger’ - and with track names like those, you know that the band means business. Cradle bring their feral energy to spectacular new heights to close off the album here. The tracks have everything you could ever ask Cradle Of Filth for; insane riffs, blinding vocals and the energy of an 80’s metal ballad on ‘When Misery was a Stranger’.
Cradle Of Filth have been creating art and showcasing their blinding talent for the last 34 years, and they keep showing us that they can still bring the same untamed gothic energy as they could the day that they released their first album.
Score: 8/10
The Screaming Of The Valkyries will be released on March 21st 2025 via Napalm Records.
Words: Becca Wheeler
Photos: Cradle Of Filth
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