Nymphetamine

After the tragic wreckage that was ‘Damnation and a Day’ had washed up on the shores of corporate island in 2003, Cradle of Filth evidently wanted to restrict the bleeding as much as possible with the excitingly titled ‘Nymphetamine’. Interestingly, it was bustled out via Roadrunner Records in little more than a year after 'Damnation...' which is a hell of a speedy turnaround, yet what they've produced here contains the elegance and grace that was sorely missing from their effort for Sony. Despite the hellhammering ‘Nymphetamine’ has received here at the Archives, to me it is substantially better than the ill-fated ‘Damnation...’ in practically every way and a worthy inclusion in the Cradle canon.

Firstly, ‘Nymphetamine’ is blessed with some absolute bangers when it comes to the individual tracks. One needn't break into an erotic sweat in order to observe that ‘Gilded Cunt’, ‘Absinthe with Faust’, ‘Nymphetamine (Overdose)' and ‘English Fire’ are all more compelling and moving than anything that was stumbling below the awkwardly murky production of ‘Damnation and a Day’. All tracks are presented in a crisper, more colourful production, with clear guitars and evocative keyboards. There is still the heavy presence of 'modern' Cradle of Filth, with chunkier riffs and fewer immersive moments, and this isn't by any means a return to the 90s glory days, but I'm happy to accept what is served up here. By rights I should despise ‘Gilded Cunt’ as a puerile, bouncy commercial cry for help, but the truth is I find it entirely engrossing with its simple power riffs and double-kick energy. The lyrics in the verses are fitted so well together, and contrast so profoundly with the blunt and cheeky chorus, that it actually really works:

“Your thin pretense overstretched and sickly/Feigns love and light a long time laid in the grave/My preference leans to killing you quickly/Scissored in the gizzard that a heart no more maintains”. It just rolls off the tongue.

Meanwhile, ‘Absinthe with Faust’ is a riff-fest, beginning with some haunting piano trills before moving into an airy groove that allows the song to build and develop beautifully, as if in honour of the green elixir itself. Its climax occurs around the 3 minute mark where we get a gloriously triumphant epic lead guitar line that packs a powerful emotional punch. Similarly, the YouTube sensation that is the title track is also an open and elegant piece that moves through different pacings and sections, taking the listener on a journey of emotion and discovery. The beautiful soprano vocals of Liv Kristine from Theatre of Tragedy add the suggestion of some tasty eroticism to the track: "I could always find the right slot for your sacred key". Blimey... I suddenly feel like listening to 'Velvet Darkness They Fear'... Snapping out of it, ‘English Fire’ begins with some atmospheric piano (there’s plenty of piano on this album and it works very well to set a much more classy vibe than the last album which eschewed it for the most part), and lyrics in honour of England’s green and pleasant land. Other tracks like ‘Swansong for a Raven’ rattle along at a quick clip while also offering some pleasing twin guitar harmonies, again with a mood-setting piano introduction and conclusion. This is quite a collection of tunes that work exceptionally well and it's surprising to see them so utterly rejected by so many.

It's not all beer and bordellos, however. The clunky riffage of Paul Allender and his newfound fretboard friend James McIlroy (who is here referred to as Germs Warfare *sigh*), while working quite nicely on the tracks I’ve mentioned above, tends to have a lesser effect on the relatively unexciting ‘Gabrielle’, ‘Medusa and Hemlock’ and the rather boring and ill-fitting final track ‘Mother of Abominations’. These songs generally offer a mid to fast paced no-frills heavy metal experience that is neither gothic nor classical in attitude, with the guitars seemingly going through the motions with little in the way of emotion coming through. Unsurprisingly, they tend to be the more upbeat and faster tracks that don't really go anywhere special. The album is a mighty 76 minutes in length, just one minute shorter than ‘Damnation…’, and while it feels a lot more varied and engaging than that release, it’s still too bloated. If the tracks mentioned in this paragraph were trimmed away, ‘Nymphetamine’ could be a real classic.

The thematic direction is back on the right track, too. The album’s title harkens to the concept of the addictive nature of alluring nymphs, and the introduction ‘Satyriasis’ also supports this erotic focus. It works really well for Cradle of Filth, and Dani's lyrics feel confident and on point. The album artwork is back to being stunning, and the seductive woman in the corset looking over her shoulder amidst a flare of lascivious fire is brilliant and suits the theme well. The booklet is also an attractive work, not least because there are no fewer than seven sets of visible breasts throughout. Yes, I counted. Unfortunately the band photo has the members looking like absolute gothic dorks with their heavy black lipstick and matching fishnet shirts, but that's how they like to roll apparently and who am I to judge.

‘Nymphatamine’ isn’t perfect, but it actually offers some elegant gothic metal moments with a thematic focus that suits the band. It succeeds because it slows down and allows the atmosphere to build and linger, plucking at the heartstrings with a little more maturity. Some of the previously missing gracefulness has been reinjected through some moving guitar and piano moments that are carefully composed and tastefully performed. While the album isn't entirely addictive, it certainly contains enough of the good stuff to have me jonesing for some of the tracks here during those sultry nights when the embers of desire start to stir...

Well, I want to say that Roadrunner Records blow-ass. And Cradle ended up having this weak-ass, cheesy image throughout the mid. 2000's because of Roadrunner Records. Overly popularized and disrespected. This is probably when Cradle started to heavily transitioned into the commercial scene. But we all know one song saved the band's image, but that doesn't take away that this record is a bit...child-friendly. But it's still considerably better than "Damnation and a Day" (2003)...and since it's more..."laid back", it was a nice, basic record for once.

I hate how most of this album is pure-filler. But I like the production of this record. It's pretty good. But back to this album being a filler, the lyrics are so candy-ass-related, that it's not even worth reading. Just admit it, Dani...that fucking movie you ended up playing in, took away from your time, to even create a good album. This record was rushed...and well, I can't say it was a total loss, even though it might as well have been. I just like how refreshingly different it appears, but it's generally bland in creativity, sadly. The atmosphere is back and adds some groove that the band never really had before, at this time.

The guitars are a little lazy...and even a bit too "melodic". The aggression is lacking and I feel it's a bit "high-classed" in taste. A bit...snobby-sounding. The energy is weak, but the tones are fine. Any idea that came into mind first, that's what it seemed to have been kept. I guess you have to do the DMT drug to feel the essence of the guitars. They're a little groovy, but far-too-fancy. It's like going to a high-end motel... I swear... I don't understand why Cradle went down this route, but whatever. The bass is still quiet, as it normally seems to be, but I can "kind of" notice it better on this record for a change. It's hardly a forceful object though...

The drums are clean, and basically crisp, but a little boring. They're constructed poorly, but executed well in performance. As for Dani's vocals, they're a little interesting this time. Bringing an altered vocal style, slowing down on the screams entirely. But again, it's different. He doesn't really have a widespread vocal range on this record, he's heavily clam throughout his performance, which is probably done on purpose, so I do like that. But I also think it's an excuse because his vocals just can't take the abuse from all those years playing live on stage. Dani's always been good with voice-related alterations, so he's fine. Whatever, you know?

I know, I basically been ripping on the band, I might have well given this a lower rating than I did, but it's Cradle of Filth, and they do alright at making changes throughout the years. I love the environment brought to the table, but it's not quite...dark enough. It's like a high school dance, dramatic, but not enough action. Just some spots of excitement. I guess to put it in a nutshell...the general concept and atmosphere provide more than the physical essence of this record. So, they have the right idea, but they didn't hit it as well as I'd hoped. Sure, this is better than their 2003 record, but the "step-up" still could have been provided better than it was. And yeah, here I go again, being overly generous. Though, I do like three-or-four tracks on this record at least. But we all know that the album's title (which is the most-popular song on this album) is easily the most-memorable thing about this record. No-matter how well some of the other songs are... "Nymphetamine" stole the spotlight and always will. And that song is actually good, too. But it become too popular and burned out quickly, so that's the reason for its "demise", if you ask me...

The keyboards are what really did it for me... The keyboards are what helped the guitars sound less...dull. And a little less fancy. I felt it added a fantastic display of creativity. The keys are pretty harmony-like. They're drowned in reverb, and it's the easy, simplistic nature of the keyboards, that make them so neat. For once, Cradle took it easy on virtually everything and it just...kind of worked. Though, an album like this is only good for one usage. So, if you're going to do it, make sure you do it decently-well. For me, this record was saved because of the release title and the track that saves the whole thing. Talk about a low-blow comeback, right? Whatever, at least I don't feel as bored as I did with some of their earlier works. I got to admit, this was hard to write. With everything else "kind of" lacking, the keyboards and some of Dani's altered vocals are what made it come together for me. Also, the female vocals are worthy of mentioning, that also made the band's general vibe as interesting as it did back then. If everyone would have done a better job at doing their part, I'm sure this album could have been killer, even if it was rushed a bit. Well, whatever. Those gentle female vocals were comfortably "warming". Felt suitable to me. Because of "Midian" (2000) and this album, no-one really remembers "Damnation and a Day" (2003). So, all-that effort seemed for nothing... Sad!

Cradle of Filth's previous album 'Damnation and a Day' was far from being their best but at least had some moments of artistic value. With 'Nymphetamine' the band is just sub-par. Their sound is always distorted and they try to save the day with emotional piano melodies. But as a whole 'Nymphetamine' is a pointless gothic/black/thrash album that begins, proceeds and ends with no purpose at all. And it's not any kind of short album as well... You have to put up with this shit for 75 minutes. Damn even the most skilled bands take some time before crafting an album that exceeds the one hour time mark. The most depressing thing about it though is that Cradle once was one of these bands. To be honest, there are about two songs in here that I like but as a whole, 'Nymphetamine' sucks.

The theme of an evil female figure was always a part of Dani's lyrics but here, here it just goes way over the top. I cannot think of one song in here that doesn't revolve around a 'diabolic' (so you say) romance and while it was cool in their first three albums there just comes a moment when you think; 'Enough is enough'. Dani's voice is thankfully still working in this album. The music however is beyond repetitive. Seriously it's like they had one draft and just altered it just a tiny bit for each separate track.

Focusing solely on the musical aspect which I earlier called repetitive, it is easy to see where my claims are coming from since each track features about two or three basic riffs and simply doesn't move on. But be warned that's not the worst part. The worst part is that EVERY single song uses similar riffs. It's like listening to one track and then ten renditions or variations of it. Maybe the band intended to have similar themes in every chapter of the album. Maybe they were afraid that the result would lack focus (which happens anyway). Maybe they were just too bored to sit down and write some more music, preferably more variable than what they did. Now if you want a detailed description I could tell you that the guitars have a really dry sound when it comes to leads and fills. The rhythm parts are favored by it but seriously, would it be such a pain in the ass for the producer if he stayed over the console for some more hours and put some effort? The bass follows the rhythm guitars. The sound of it is pretty much on par with the standard sound of a bass recording. Nothing special. The drums are well played I admit that. Adrian Erlandsson is really talented and he did great work on every Cradle release in which he participated. Finally the keyboards are just alright. What do I mean? Well, the ideas are good albeit a bit repetitive like the guitars however their sound could have been richer and more detailed. All in all, apart from the drums the rest of the music is just mediocre. But why didn't Cradle try harder to make the album truly special. I suspect that it was mostly designed to be a commercial triumph rather than an artistic one.

Cradle has been trying hard to play the obscure guys in the extreme metal scene but since their commercial success it's all like a Halloween special on a TV series reminiscent of Scooby-Doo or Casper or... you know something spooky (I hate myself for typing this), while it should be like a gore infested show in the watershed zone. Cradle of course can do better than this but I don't know why this had to happen yet.

So what do we have here after all? We have a once great band, turning into an attention whore and trying too hard to be 'dark' and 'romantic'. They should have kept 'Absinthe with Faust' and 'Swansong for a Raven' and then just build on that atmosphere with DIFFERENT song structures. As you might have already assumed this album is not total garbage but it's boring. There's no suspense, no pressure, no tension, nothing at all. And with two good songs out of a total of fourteen... Well you should just stick to their early works and avoid buying this.

Favorite tracks: 'Absinthe with Faust' and 'Swansong for a Raven'.

38/100.

I'm going to measure this up to 2 artists from very different areas of our beloved heavy metal universe. The first is King Diamond, thinking perhaps of an album like The Eye or one of the later '90s releases. The theatrical vocals, the drama of storytelling, fluid and melodic guitars, the slightly more modern, formulaic take on a classic occult formula (we're talking Mercyful Fate here) - you're probably with me so far. The second album, and I'm taking full advantage of something called retrospect here, is Trivium from their Shogun phase - I know, bear with me - because it showed a band with a popular and distinctive sound broaden and streamline their songwriting style, creating an album that might at first appear like a lapse into directionless or mediocre experiments, but ends up being richly tunneled and veined and just curious. The sound of this album is somewhere between those 2 as well, because there is a odd accessible/heavy divide that Cradle began to teeter over at this point in their career, where the songs are rarely extreme heavy but often extreme in their structure (like King Diamond) and the instruments sound fully modern but are wielded without any cutting-edge creativity (like Trivium).

Even while you're listening to the intro, this album will take you one of two ways. Either you'll already be bored and hating Cradle of Filth, or you'll already be bored and waiting impatiently for the main event. Cradle have never knowingly underdone anything, right to the narration, choirs, and sound effects that crop up right from the start of this album. The thing with Nymphetamine is that Cradle have pushed everything to an even higher level of overblown pantomime. The lyrics, which were previously akin to a hyperactive, ultra-explicit version of My Dying Bride's neo-Baudelarian tracts of doom, madness, and sin, have gone a shade more rash (like the title 'Gilded Cunt' didn't give it away) or a shade more gothic (the mellow parts of the title track). Admittedly there are a few pearls, like "Our skies, they bruise like Nordic women". There isn't actually a lot of narration, because Dani realised - thank fuck - after the perpetual storytime of Damnation and a Day that bedtime reading just wouldn't cut it for a metal album. Keyboards are used rather unwisely on Nymphetamine, staying silent where they could have been used on some rather dry, chuggy riffs and pissing all over 'English Fire' and the wet, wet dream that is 'Gabrielle' and its death/love fantasy. The only excuse for the wetness of that song is that Dani thought it would be funny to print those soggy lyrics next to the picture in the booklet of a nude woman with legs spread and see if anyone got the joke. It's not even a clever joke Dani, and now that I check, that mossy-abdomen'd dryad is next to the lyrics from 'Absinthe With Faust'! What a fucking waste of time.

However, the album does make up for the usual Cradle tedium. When it's good, it's really quite decent and (you're going to need those comparisons now) these moments can be split into King Diamond moments and Trivium moments. The guitar melodies and smattering of solos are a big plus here and save a very average set of riffs from destroying the album. The slow little high riffs in 'Nemesis' are tricky and unexpected, the dips and darts of melody and solo in 'Coffin Fodder' keep it vital and vibrant through a strange mid-section where a rhythmic distortion that is part bass and maybe part synthesized beat can be heard. For a change, the main bassline here is both good and audible and is one that King would be proud to have for his own, though less proud of Dani's vocals that have lost a lot of their range and vigour. He doesn't squeal and rant much here, and sounds best on the more brutish, straight-up songs like 'Gilded Cunt'. The good Trivium moments are the parts of the album when Cradle go head-down and follow a riff to its successor without getting distracted, like on raging closer 'Mother of Abomination'. There are still tremolo riffs on this album, but they bear more resemblance to Amon Amarth's groovy, sweeping style than anything blackened or malevolent. The drums have a lot more feel during these faster parts and, to be fair, make better use of Adrian Erlandsson's skills than mid-tempo gothic songs.

When the lead flair and energised heaviness combine, the album really shows what it could have been. The raspy, dirty guitar of 'Filthy Little Secret' is propelled along both by clever, insistent melodies (from the same book as Satyricon's 'Repined Bastard Nation', but a little rockier) and a sense of necessity, while 'Medusa and Hemlock' just about steals the show as a blustery, autumnal tune with a proper overdriven solo. The title track - bloated 9 minute monster that it is - is the culmination of the album's experimental side. It does sound like 2 separate songs as that "single edit" version on the end of the album shows, but the gothic part and the heavier, riff-driven sections are respectively wistful and menacing enough to satisfy both ends of Cradle's spectrum.

However, the main riff brings up a problem of its own, which is that it is the only thing on Nymphetamine that justifies the excessive downtuning of the guitars. It's a full-fat brooding doom riff and sounds great, but the faster sections of some songs end up clogged by bottom end mundanity or stick horribly where the song requires urgency - case in point here is the hilarious opening of 'Swansong for a Raven' where the keyboards are widdling away heroically and the guitar chugs and stumbles like an unnecessary homage to Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny. It's not clear whether the band chose such a low tuning to conceal the fact that they didn't have many good riffs or whether they ended up with so few good riffs because they thought tuning low was enough, but it does give the album a serious problem. If Cradle were trying to tone up the inventiveness and modern power of the album, why would they tone down the frantic guitars and vocal exhibitionism that made them popular? Why indeed?

I don't deem this Cradle of Filth's worst album, actually at points it's quite luminous and shining in metal glory, but 1 thing they could've omitted from this hour and 15 minute+ output could be the lead guitars. At some points these guitars were quite melodic and evanescent, though never boring. Tempos here varied and for the most part they were quite mild. This album is in no way really heavy and very dark. Dani was not at his highest shrieking point, I actually think he's pretty mild in his screaming. Most of it isn't stale, yet it was not overtly pounding. Cradle toned down a bit on this one. They I think were going for melodic vibes and not darkness.

What's different about this album not described yet would be it's probably most mellow Cradle release in existence. Yes, they were on Roadrunner here, which doesn't to me make a difference when it comes to songwriting. This was highly experimental and effective. I think that they probably made use totally of guest vocalists enough, with a female voice expounding Lovecraftian lyrics. There are very many changes here and overall this was a combination of great musicianship and songwriting. It's enjoyable from the opening song "Nemesis" till the end fade out to eternity. I grew to like this one, didn't think much of it as many people didn't hold value of this release.

I think that their music is the strong point, not the intensity, even though at times they do show some brutality. Sounds like they're in D tuning, the guitars that is, maybe even a little bit lower. In any event, you'll hear bar chord mania along with some tremolo picking riffs, but almost no blast beating whatsoever. This one is ambient, though the production quality was a little flat. That's why I took off from some of the overall effectiveness of the album. But yeah, it's one to get to grow on you, don't expect anything overly brutal or explosive. Dani's vocals are moderate as mentioned, he's really toned down on here. Whispers, semi-shrieks, a little deep and that's the gist of it.

This release is really long, but it has a lot of variety. Yes, there are synthesizers as pretty much all Cradle of Filth albums have, but at least on this one they don't drown out the music. There's a massive lineup here plus like I said guest vocalists and pianists. Just for short periods though, most of the album features Dani plus the guitars that can be quite melodic in whole, captivating, yet pretty simplistic. They stuck to the basics and as a friend pointed out, became very creative. I don't think this as "garbage" or a total wasted album, I think that it just takes some listens to before your make that final overall judgment of the release. It's definitely worth ordering!

For starters I don't hate Cradle of Filth at all. The song Nymphetamine(fix) is one of my favourite songs by them and to me it's literally the best song they've ever written. Although things just don't work out very well for Cradle of Filth with this release. The original release didn't have the Nymphetamine(fix) version on there. It was later re-released as a bonus track with other versions of the album. What the actual fuck? The song that made this band where they are today was a bonus track? Somehow they still managed to stay on top but they've done fuck all since anyway.

If you compare the original Nymphetamine song and the fixed version you'll know everything you want to know about this album. The original track sounds like they were high while recording the album. They even fucking claimed it themselves by writing Overdose next to the title. The fixed version is a great symphonic black/death metal song especially with Liv Kristine's guest vocals which are a great addition to the song. The chorus is catchy and it's original in symphonic metal as a solo is used not an actual riff. Dani's vocals sound great... or do they?

If you've watched any live Cradle of Filth show you'd know that Dani Filth sucks at doing his falsetto black metal vocals. He might be the creator of those vocals but he sure does suck at them now! It took me a bit of research to see exactly what Dani has done here. I bought the DVD Peace Through Superior Firepower that was released a year after this album. Surely Dani can't have lost his voice in a year true? His vocals were shocking on that DVD which leaves me with one conclusion. All of Dani's vocals on this album are fucking auto tuned. It's okay to echo your voice little bit but fucking hell this cunt sounds like a baby when he tries to do them on stage. After my first listen, I didn't enjoy this album at all but after working this out there was no way in hell I was going to enjoy it.

The music overall besides the Nymphetamine(fix) song seems eclectic. There are songs that sound grind/black and there are songs that sound like a band jamming in a garage. Cradle of Filth and Arch Enemy have the same problem - both bands think they master genres where in reality they don't even fucking come close to the genre itself. Cradle of Filth tends to describe their music as symphonic black metal but there's nothing BLACK about it whatsoever besides the vocals. It's mainly chugging and solos and there isn't a good variation of riffs. Listening to this album is like listening to Winds of Plague but with black metal shrieks.

I would give this album a 0% but I actually love the song Nymphetamine(fix) too much despite the auto-tuning bullshit. I am also a fan of the instrumentals on this release even though they're pointless but oh well. The only person bringing the band down is Dani himself, but Cradle of Filth can't kick him out since he is the main founder of the band. I'll give Cradle of Filth a year or two and they'll be gone.

For better of worse, Cradle of Filth have always been one of the more important metal acts in my collection as they helped shape my musical tastes from developmental adolescence to definitive maturity. That being said, I've enjoyed just about everything they've done, albeit with varying degrees of objectiveness, and that includes their "mainstream" or "sell-out" period albums (again, I never understood HOW Cradle of Filth have "sold out"...and to who?) I took said period with an open mind and a grain of salt, and at the end of the day was pleasantly surprised and satisfied to a certain extent, leaving me wondering just how further the band can push that invisible-yet-present envelope.

2003 gave me one of their heaviest offerings in recent years, and a year later, could that magic still be present?

I didn't know until a while after I'd picked up this here "Nymphetamine" album up that it was quite controversial for reasons that seem to elude me. Was it because it was bad music (I'd always put "Thornography" on the top of that list, myself...)? Was it their signing to Roadrunner? Or was it because, in the end, they're Cradle of Filth? Either way you slice it it doesn't seem to matter, as once I dove into it I found this album to be a very satisfactory, yet flawed, record. I was actually quite surprised that the band had the moxie and ideas left to release an album one year after the monstrous "Damnation and a Day", but dammit if they didn't throw me for a loop as a result of it. From a musical standpoint, "Nymphetamine" doesn't deviate too much from the sound presented on "Damnation", and comes off a bit more streamlined and experimental, with each track essentially containing its own mood and feel. Utilizing a clean, very concise production and a fusion of different styles, from aggressive black metal to palm-muted thrash to gothic orchestration to a sprinkling of modern metalcore (tastefully, no less) Cradle of Filth unleashes a feeling of stylistic unity and confusion from one end of the album to the next, where crunchy guitar riffs, atmospheric keyboards, shattering drumwork and Dani's now-commonplace shrieks/growls showcase a band that still has a sense of like-mindedness in what they want to play, heard by the likes of the album's stronger tracks like "Nemesis", "Gabrielle", "Absinthe with Faust" and "Filthy Little Secret".

However, like Mr. Filth writes, all that glitters was not gold. "Nymphetamine", for all its good qualities, is by no means a perfect album and, unfortunately, runs out of steam about halfway through. The first half of the record bursts with energy and fanciness, which peters out near the tail end, save for a few sporadic tasty tracks, where songs like "Coffin Fodder", "English Fire", and "Swansong for a Raven" end up being outright ignored as a result of a lack of cohesion and ideas, making for rather tedious listens. But the biggest sin of this is, sadly, the lyrics; for me, one of the redeeming values of a CoF album has always been Dani's defloration of the English language, but this time around it seems his skills are watered-down, either by a lack of inspiration of an attempt to not talk over his listeners. Either way, the end result is lackluster, to say the least, and not anywhere near the lyrical miracles present on albums past. All these negative aspects brought together give the last half of "Nymphetamine" a miring, middle-of-the-road appeal that causes this listener to pretty much end it all after the title track, longing for further intensity and grand ideas.

In the end, Cradle of Filth's Roadrunner debut doesn't blow all the candles off the cake, but it's not what I would consider the band's creative nadir. I still find enjoyment in an occasional listen and just might subject myself to this time and again for years to come. Recommended...if you're into this sorta thing...

Cradle of Filth are probably one of the worst "metal" bands I have ever had the displeasure of listening to. "Nymphetamine" was my first true exposure to the band, and I have to say, if you like this band, you must also hate music.

In no way is there anything good about this album or any COF album for that matter, as they all sound the same. Basically, every album has been a watered down rehashing of the first, and "Nymphetamine" is no exception. Dani Filth's vocals have to be the worst thing ever put on a CD. He uses different voice styles (all equally annoying, mind you) and when he screams, I swear I thought there was a guy in the studio kicking him in the balls. It is really terrible, not "scary" or "evil" sounding at all, unless you think hearing a guy receiving continuous nut-shots for 75mins is scary. I realize that complaints about Filth's vocals are nothing new, but I really do not think this can be over-stated. They are just so horrid.

Sometimes a band with a bad vocalist can get away with it if there is a good backing band involved. I'm afraid this is not the case here, as they are also pretty terrible. The "riffs" are bland, uninteresting, and frankly downright boring. I was struggling to even recall any of the flaccid guitar parts, and had to go back and listen to this pile of shit AGAIN before I could truly recall just how mediocre they really were. I can't really complain about the bass, because well I didn't hear it much. Although, since when was audible bass guitar associated with this genre in the first place? Adrian Erlandsson has effectively disgraced himself in everyway by playing drums on this record, or for that matter, in this band. I can't believe this is the same man who played for At the Gates. He is quite talented, but it seems to me he laid down one drum track and it was applied to every song. The keyboards serve no real purpose, as they really add nothing to the songs. Don't get me wrong, skillful use of keyboards can really add to a band's sound. Here, however, they are used way too much, and are often competing with the guitars. Not only that, but they sound like they were lifted from an episode of Scooby Doo.

As if all this wasn't enough to convince you to avoid this album, the insipid lyrics might. Maybe I'm wrong though, as writing a song called "Gilded Cunt" must have taken alot of imagination and lyrical skill. Anyone catch the sarcasm there? The lyrics you will find here are of the "look how evil we are!" variety. Although typical for a band of this nature, I cannot forgive them because of the horrible vocals and instrumentals. Maybe there is actual meaning in these songs, but I didn't care enough to really notice. If that weren't enough, the songs just go on and on, and at no point was I begging to hear more. Half the time, you will think a song has ended, only to discover that it hasn't, and you still have to endure another 3 minutes. Needless to say, Dani and Co. often overstay their welcome, only to return for the next track. For example, the title track is no less than 9 minutes long. I don't know about you, but I do not wish to sit through this type of garbage for 9 minutes. Hell, I don't even want to sit through it for 2. When I say "sit through", I mean it. Because you won't be doing much else, except for maybe laughing or trying to find something else to put on instead.

In conclusion, this album is terrible. It is not memorable, inventive, creative, nor do you leave it wanting more. If you are even a casual fan of metal you should stay far away from this disc. As for the rest of you, I'm sure it will fit nicely between your Slipknot and Manson CD's.

The precise moment when Cradle Of Filth fell off is probably right after 'Midian'. On that album, where essentially all black metal influence was expunged from the overall sound, the music was probably the most melodramatic of all of Cradle Of Filth's work, but it was also some of the best written, allowing the less extreme sound to thrive. However, along with removing all black metal, they also used up all their good ideas, and so the band has been running mostly off gothic fumes for a number of years now. 'Nymphetamine' is a great example of what happened to the band: it's overlong, overambitious, bloated, and packed to the brim with meaningless filler tracks. There's about an EP's worth of ideas expanded into an ungodly long album that does nothing new, and doesn't even do what it does particularly well.

The way the album opens up is pretty promising; after the stock intro, 'Gilded Cunt' storms in with a flurry of double bass and tremolo riffing. It's a silly song; the lyrics are completely ridiculous (though catchy), and the little melodic break in the middle is highly amusing, but it's a fun song, with a good level of speed and propulsion that's lacking from the other songs. So while it's certainly nowhere near as great as the music that Cradle Of Filth wrote earlier in their career, but it's easily passable by their standards. But from then on it's almost entirely downhill. 'Nemesis' just sucks. It's overlong, the chorus is stupid, and the worst sin of all, it's slow but completely without atmosphere. Early Cradle Of Filth was completely soaked in atmosphere, and fast songs can get away with lacking atmosphere simply due to speed and riffing. But a slow song must be soaked in atmosphere to function correctly (see 'A Gothic Romance (Red Roses For The Devil's Whore)' and 'Her Ghost In The Fog'), but 'Nemesis' lacks even the barest trace of the quality, resulting in a complete loss of a song that goes absolutely nowhere in its over seven minute running time.

Of the rest of the tracks on the album, only three really maintain quality after repeated listens. 'Absinthe With Faust' is well constructed despite the ridiculous lyrics, and the riffs can actually convey a moderately erudite atmosphere. The next good track is 'Coffin Fodder', which has some excellent riffing, with dueling, intertwining guitar lines and a generally solid, propulsive delivery. 'English Fire' is also very good- at least until Dani decides that he just HAS to start screeching and the music just HAS to pick up into gothic stupidity, as opposed to sticking with the cool, nearly Bathory inspired opening. There's no perceptible reason to make this change, and yet the band feels the need to destroy the atmosphere that was created with more inane 'extreme' riffing. So if this album was just an EP of those songs plus maybe another like 'Swansong For A Raven', this would be okay. Not very good, but okay. The problem is, this album has NINE OTHER TRACKS that you have to wade through as well.

So at this point, it's pretty easy to see that the removal of black metal elements has effectively stripped Cradle Of Filth of all the qualities that made their early works so great. Taking the black metal out has simultaneously gouged out essentially all traces of atmosphere and emotion, leaving the band's music as a complete shell of its former grandeur. There's no real extremity in any regard; without the black metal, you have very little substance at all. It's still well played, yes, and well crafted in a very sterile, professional sense, but the songs, even the good ones, are terrible as artistic entities. Yeah, there's craftsmanship, but craftsmanship without inspiration and art behind it makes a song about as impressive as a pretty chair. You can sit in it; it's also pretty! But it's still just a chair no matter what, and no amount of frilly carving or overblown synthestra can change that basic fact. This album can only be appreciated from a demonstrative perspective, and otherwise, it's entirely empty of everything else.

'Nymphetamine' is entirely emotionless. An early album like 'Dusk... And Her Embrace' was packed with emotion; it was presented extremely dramatically, but it was genuine and clearly real. 'Nymphetamine' just has this weird parody of emotion, like the members of Cradle Of Filth were replaced with identical robots who were educated on what 'emotion' is supposed to be, but have no actual knowledge or feeling of it themselves. There's melodrama, but there is emotion, and it seems that the band thinks that if they make the music bombastic enough, add enough layers of sound and a clear enough production, and give the APPEARANCE of emotion, they'll be able to mask the fact that there's really none at all. But it doesn't work even remotely: all the adornment of the music just seems to brutally magnify this incredible absence of feeling. It'd be eerie if it wasn't so dull. So without emotion but with melodrama, there's incredible cheesiness that pervades every part of the album. While early Cradle Of Filth albums were pretty melodramatic themselves, they never quite passed into the realm of cheesiness because the music was so genuine and the delivery was so effective. But here, absolutely EVERYTHING is soaked in gothic cheese, even the good parts which have to maintain quality in spite of this idiocy as opposed to because of it.

Perhaps the most damning fact of all about this album, though, is that it proves Cradle Of Filth's musical output has been reduced to little more than a checklist. The construction of half the songs on this album makes literally no sense at all: they just go through a series of motions because they feel like its necessary. The most obvious example of this is the aforementioned 'English Fire': its opening is extremely good, like a gothic version of 'One Road To Asa Bay', but then it goes into boring, stock Cradle Of Filth gothic shit. There's no reason at all for the band to make this change; they just do it because it's what Cradle Of Filth fans expect at this point. They demand fast riffing, female vocals, big, deep gothic warblings, screeches, dramatic tom fills, etc. SO now Cradle Of Filth will never write a song that doesn't fall perfectly within these parameters, as to not alienate any fans. The band would never have done this on the earlier albums; while they've always played populist music, it was never quite THIS neutered and pathetic.

Sometimes I wish that Cradle Of Filth would go back to the early style of gothic black metal, but the sad fact of the matter is that they'll never write another 'Haunted Shores' or 'Funeral In Carpathia'. As an artistic entity, Cradle Of Filth is dead; get everything up to and including 'Midian', love them, and don't look back.

I honestly don’t know what the fuck people are talking about when saying that Cradle Of Filth sucks. This band has a very dedicated fan base that does NOT consist of 14 year old Manson fans. Cradle makes good music…period.

First off, this album is not as bad as people say it is. I’ve been a Cradle fan for a while, and I’m far from disappointed with this album. With songs such as “Nemesis”, “Gilded Cunt”, and “Swansong For a Raven”, all on one album, how can anyone be disappointed? The vocals from Dani Filth aren’t bad either. Yes, they are high pitched and get annoying eventually, but he does some amazing vocal work, especially on this album. More specifically his vocals on “Gilded Cunt”. Despite the not so impressive lyrics on this particular track, Filth makes up for it with his high pitched shrieks and glass shattering wails.

Apart from the vocals being impressive, yet kind of annoying, the instrumental work on this album is, alone, worth taking a listen to. What makes the instrumental side of this album so impressive is the use of the keyboard, and how it mingles with the other, conventional, instruments. This is no more apparent than on “Swansong For A Raven”. This song opens with a few measures of piano (keyboard) notes, it alone sounds amazing, but what really makes this song is how the piano (keyboard) continues when the rest of the band joins in. The way the keyboard and the other instruments compliment each other is actually impressive. Even if you hate Cradle, take a listen to this song, it may not change your view of this band, but you won’t be disappointed with this song, no matter the band.

Overall, the feel of this album is that of change. Change in regards to how this album, compared to Cradle’s earlier releases, sounds. Early Cradle was more black metal, but with this album they have really stepped into the “gothic” genre of metal. But it really isn’t even gothic, in that its faster and harder…sharper. So in considering listening to this album, or buying/downloading, whatever, realize that this band is actually good, although many people say that Cradle of Filth is the retarded cousin of Dimmu Borgir and will never expand its fan base beyond pre-teen “rebellious” girls.

Highlights: “Nemesis”, “Gilded Cunt”, “Medusa and Hemlock”, “Swansong For A Raven”

Cradle of Filth (COF) over time have become a band in the black metal scene which is just cool to hate, even despite the fact that they really aren't black metal anymore. They used to be bad, back in the late 90s, but now, this is just pathetic.

This goes without saying that music just flat out sucks. After hearing Dusk and Her Embrace, I was under the impression that COF, were a pretty shit band and that you shouldn't approach them with a 10 foot poll. However, I decided to give them one last chance. Nymphetamine, was released 8 years later than Dusk, so I figured things might have improved. After all, Deathspell Omega's first releases were pretty shit and look at them now. However, unlike Deathspell Omega, COF haven't improved. If anything, they have got even worse.

It still amazed me that, even now, after the thousands of complaints against Dani's vocals. He's still doing them on this album, and if that wasn't enough, to add insult to injury, he hasn't even changed his style. They are still as ridiculously high-pitched and cheesy. Furthermore, the songs are packed full of lyrics, which means every song will be plagued with Dani's annoying vocals.

The riffs are boring and repeated excessively. This tends to make the songs overly long and boring as hell. For the most part the songs just meander around going nowhere, take Nemesis, for example. The song just takes forever to end, you think they are gonna finish, but then they start up again. The result is sickening. You can get away repeating the riff if: 1) the riff is good and 2) it gets you head banging. COF's riffs did neither. And, to make matters worse, we get 75 minutes of this, proving the old adage: "Great wealth brings great shame". No one likes 75 minutes of uninteresting songs, with no cool memorable parts.

The synths and keyboards are still used excessively in this album. This becomes a serious problem when they are competing with the guitars. Admittedly, this album IS more metal than Dusk, because the guitars often become more prominent, but this makes the album no better, let alone forgivable. Again, the synths and keyboards are cheesy, it sounds like they just ripped off the sound track to some b-grade version of Dracula or something.

Why are the female vocals used on virtually EVERY track here? They are one dimensional and are totally irrelevant to every song they feature on. They seem to be to just be haphazardly thrown into the songs. It was as if she was told to come into the song whenever she felt like it. Anyway, her singing qualities aren't even that good. If Dani's wants female vocals on an album, he should at least get someone who is really good, not just someone who is average.

I thought the lyrics were bad before, now they are just pathetic. Not only are the lyrics sleazy now, but they are stupid. Double whammy. Take the lyrics off track 2 for example:

"Dirty little soul frigger
Dirty little soul frigger
Dirty little soul frigger

Cunt (Cunt)
Gilded cunt
Oh, you gilded cunt
Cunt
Cunt"

Those lyrics pretty much speak for themselves. Dani can still write some good lyrics, but the stupid theme of an evil woman is still there. Adding some lyrical variety into their songs would be a huge improvement. I thought Swansong for a Raven might be something new in the lyrical department, but unfortunately it wasn't. Even if you like the music but hate the lyrics, you still have to take in the lyrics anyway, because Dani is easy to understand.

There is a lot of filler in this album. As implied above guitar riffs are excessively repeated, there are pointless, stupid filler songs and interludes in the middle of songs. The only reason they are there was to make this album longer, for whatever reason.

All in all, to say this album sucks, would be an understatement. To say something like, this is the worst album since mallcore, then you'd probably come close to effectively summarising this album. Take all of the aforementioned issues, mash them all together and drag it on for 75 minutes, then you know you are going to get a nauseating listen. If COF were some abstract noise band whose intent was to aurally torture their victims, then I guess you could consider this album to be a success. Otherwise, this album is a total failure. How anyone could like this crap is beyond me.

Conclusion: The above is not recommended for download or purchase.

Ironic, isn't it? Metal (especially of the black and death varieties) suffers from musical elitism almost as much as punk, yet, much like punk, the genre was founded on doing what ever the fuck one fucking wanted to and not giving two shits what anyone else though. Strange, really.

Undeniably, one of the bands to have suffered most at the hands of such bigotry is Cradle Of Filth. However, in all fairness, it is not totally undeserved. For one thing they are clearly marketing themselves at a more mainstream audience than others in the collective category we have come to term "extreme metal." Furthermore, their image is founded on trying to look scary, trying to look extreme and trying to look like vampyric overlords of darkness or whatever the hell they're going for. While this in itself isn't so bad, they throw it in your face so damn much its more than a little off putting. Its more "hey, look at us, we're extreme! Aren't we cool! Roar!"

On the other hand, its undeniable they're introducing more and more people to far superior black and death metal, Hell, I'll openly admit this was the second "extreme metal" band I found myself enjoying enough to purchase a CD by (the first being Opeth). While I've now moved on to higher ground, I still get out the Cradle a little. I get a bit of flack for it, but at the end of the day, this album is surprisingly good at times.

So, where to start on giving a critique of this album? Well, I must say it is no wonder many more traditional black metal fans turn up their noses to this album in particular when they start at the logical place - the beginning. For me, this album starts at Nymphetamine (Overdose), about half way through. Why? The earlier tracks are simply poor, illiterate attempts at filling the stereotype. The opener proper (Gilded Cunt) is perhaps one of the most embarrassingly poor attempts at being "liek sooo extreme!!!111" I have ever heard. Sure, Venom were just as crude, but Venom did it for kicks, these guys are clearly doing it to seem brutal. The feeling of the song is abysmal, trying to seem fast and crazy and evil...and failing. There is absolutely no substance to it ever, many cliches are apparent and none of them sound like they fit the song anyway. After this things pick up, but again, its all so... lyrically sterile, songs like Nemesis ("Black is my heart! Black is my heart! Black is my heart I am Nemesis!") and Absinthe With Faust confirm what elitists have been saying for years.

However, once you get to Nymphetamine (Overdose), things begin to pick up. For a start, that song is beautiful (though I prefer the shortened version at the end of the CD). As much as "operatic metal" pisses me off, it is a brilliantly composed (if perhaps too radio friendly for comfort) and executed epic. From here on out the previously hackneyed riffs, abysmal structures and horrendous matching of lyric to music begin to dissipate. English Fire, and Filthy Little Secret are both memorable tracks with catchy lines that get lost in your head and never quite find their way out. Swansong For A Raven takes all the poorly timed and executed classical features that made the first half of the album so dull and turns them into immaculately placed, powerful features of an epic song. Sure, its hardly Opeth or Symbolic era Death, but everything pulls together with finesse.

All in all it js evident that this album could have been improved so drastically by simply removing the first half, or at the very least shoving them to the back, to stop potential purchasers hearing the abysmal beginning to what is otherwise a fine album. Of course, even the second half is hardly essential, but its a pleasurable listen and stands head and shoulders above 90% of all the "metal" the kiddywinks are buying these days (even the most elitist of elitists should prefer this to, say, Korn or Linkin Park).

If you're looking for a fun, screamy listen and its not overly painful to the pocket, the CD's quite worth it for the second half. On the other hand, if you're a "best of the best" kind of person you're probably better off somewhere else. Of course, if you're a "best of the best" kind of person, I don't know what you're doing in the Cradle Of Filth section in the first place.

When this was released in 2004, the band itself claimed it to be a return to form; with the overblown arena-rock ambition of DaaD out of the way, CoF could really get back to business on their signature sound. There was a huge catch to this, however: the band had moved from Sony to Roadrunner. Regardless of the antics behind the label switch, the change to the often-loathed record label showed through in its own weird ways in the music. Not only did the band re-issue this album a few months after the initial release, but the album's title track had been trimmed down for a "single edit." (Ironically, Opeth did the same thing; and of course, those bands are labelmates.) Now, the question remains: Is this really CoF at work, or Roadrunner?

Nymphetamine does show a slight return to form for the band; symphonies are absent, sans the keyboards. Paul and James play some actual leads here, and even some solos on songs like "Filthy Little Secret." Dani's lyrics, albeit a bit more digestible than former works, do kind of hearken back to the "vampires and romance" themes. Don't expect to see anything from "Dusk...", though. Though the band have reverted back to a more savage sound in a roundabout way, things in the songwriting department and production are decidedly more ear-friendly. The construction of the songs follow the rigid, narrative structures that the band are known for; if a comparison was to be made, I would have to say that, roughly, Nymphetamine bears a few close resemblances to Midian. But, like the band's signing to Roadrunner, there's a loophole. Sure, the guitar harmonies are back, and the keyboards do a fine job, but the band choose to utilize a more thrash/rock influence. This works well in some places, such as "Gabrielle", which does an excellent job of melding a melodic, gothic sound with something darker; but the beginning riffs of "Filthy Little Secret" and "Gilded Cunt" will raise a few eyebrows. Some moments on the album seem more remotely "bouncy" than what one would expect. There are countless passages driven by power chords here, which does make for some "brutal" moments, but sometimes falls flat on its face. This aspect of the band's sound would come full swing on Thornography.

That being said, Nymphetamine contains some great songs. "Absinthe With Faust" recalls the melodicism of the band's older works, and the full version of the title track, although a bit cheesy, illustrates the "beauty and the beast" theme clearly enough. "Medusa and Hemlock," though one of the weaker tracks here, has gone on to be a classic in the band's newer material. "Coffin Fodder" switches gears between Maiden-esque leads, thrashy verses, and slower moments that recall some of DaaD's more subtle heaviness. "Mother of Abominations" is another great one, and proves that not even a few cover songs and singles can tame the band's impeccable songwriting.

I have a few qualms, though: "English Fire" is a fucking joke. Not only is it uninteresting and plodding, but it actually sees CoF try to move into accessible territory while simultaneously blending the most watered-down aspects of the band's sound into a blender. It simply can't be done: the keyboards sound waltzy and even happy at some points. To further this, the vocals and lyrics really aren't that great.

The band as a whole succeed, though. Dani sounds a little better here, and doesn't layer the vocals as much. Adrian has more chance to shine through here, and he does exactly that on "Mother of Abominations" and "Filthy Little Secret." Everything is aided by a thick, clear production, and thankfully, the band don't go overboard with interludes, spoken word passages, or too much cheesiness.

Nymphetamine is certainly a weird one, just like the majority of CoF's other works. It succeeds and fails on some levels, but somehow the band manage to keep us interested. Newcomers to the band will probably appreciate this album the most for its more ear-friendly moments, while those of us who have been around for a while will be left scratching our heads in wonder and confusion.

Compared to "Damnation and a Day", this album is simpler and perhaps more concise. Simpler isn't always bad and sometimes people prefer to-the-point songs as compared to grandiose concepts and orchestrations, however these new elements lead to many iffy moments throughout the album which can be quite unsettling.

The first noticeable area of difference is the guitar section. Newest addition James McIllroy returns the band to their classic two guitar setting and allows for a good helping of leads and guitar solos. That sounds good coming off of the mostly rhythm-driven "Damnation and a Day", but herein lies the first problem; the leads are relativity simple melodies and their appearances are often predictable and the solos seem a bit on the unfocused side and don't add too much to the songs.

The rhythms guitars are also noticeably different as the black, death, and gothic elements are tuned-down in favor of more modern rock structures (sometimes bordering on nu-metal) and even some hints of metalcore (ending section of Mother of Abominations). A clashing, grindcore-like riff is also heard in "Gilded Cunt" and "Filthy Little Secret" (how clever) sounds like a strange heavy metal/hard rock hybrid. The most common thing you'll hear on this album is a song starting out in one way and then going another. For example, "Nymphetamine Overdose" and "Absinthe with Faust" start off with gothic metal riffs that lead into a modern section. Some of these modern sections sound like bids for accessibility and "Nymphetamine Fix" actually received radio play.

Amongst the shady parts there are some glimpses of good music. The leads and rhythms from "Nemesis" and "Nymphetamine Overdose/Fix" are very enjoyable, the orchestral songs are great and rousing, and the lyrics are still poetic and grandiose albeit simplified a bit. Dani's vocals are still as good as they were on the preceding album (something that can't be said about "Thornography") although his lower growls rarely appear anymore.

Martin Powell's keyboards are the saving-grace of this album. Songs like "Swansong for an Raven", "Coffin Fodder", and "English Fire" have great atmospheres thanks to the symphonic and tender keyboard parts. Elsewhere the keyboards add the classic haunt and spook here and there. Two of this band's best albums were built around this man's keyboards and even though it's sad to see his part reduced (even sadder now that he's gone), it still makes the album.

The bass still doesn't do much in the thrilling department and the drums are much less flashy, but overall the rhythm section is still pretty tight.

It's not a bad album, but the downward spiral has started. Is it any coincidence that this album was released by RoadRunner? I'm not making any accusations, but the timing is kind of suspicious. It's more streamlined, more simplified, and more modern; three adjectives that will make many metal fans cringe (if the words "Cradle of Filth" didn't make them cringe already).

So after just one album (the ambitious Damnation and a Day), the major label involvement comes to an end. The head honcho’s at Sony records must have been kidding themselves if they thought they had a chance of breaking COF into a larger audience. Despite the constant ‘sellout’ calls that COF receives, Damnation and Day was not a ‘commercial’ album by any stretch of the imagination. It was, however a typically overblown and pompous piece of symphonic Black Metal, much the same they have always done, just on a grander scale. Furthermore, with Dani Filth’s ‘acquired-taste’ vocals at the forefront of this bands music, COF will always be seen by outsiders as an ‘extreme’ metal band. Hence, the band seems just a little more comfortable on a metal label’s roster – namely Roadrunner.

Everytime I review a new COF album, I find it tricky to come up with anything new in terms of descriptive prose. You see, the thing with this band is that despite slight differences here and there, for the most part they present us with overtly familiar trappings. ‘Nymphetamine’ is no different in this regard. At the risk of repeating myself, like their previous discs, Cradle of Filth have not done anything other than continue on with what they do best (or worst, depending on your partiality). COF are COF; Just like Slayer is Slayer. You are pretty much certain of what you are going to get. If you are a fan, then you will worship every lasting moment of this album. If not, then ‘Nymphetamine’ will not sway your thinking otherwise.

‘Nymphetamine’ is a typical COF album as far as I am concerned – but boy, is it a good one. It has all of the traditional elements of a Cradle record - Gothic laden drama, infectious melody, extremity, and quality musicianship). The demonic shriek of Dani Filth is still omnipresent and the overly generous running time (a lengthy 75 minutes) gives fans tremendous value for money.

Noting the tried and true recipe that the band continues to stick to, it would be remiss of not to point out a few new tricks that have been employed. Firstly, this album tends to be a bit more ‘riff’ oriented – almost 80’s thrash like at times whilst blending some authentic ‘British’ elements within (check ‘Filthy Little Secret’). I also find it to be a more ‘romantic’ laden disc – the use of slower, gentler symphonic moments (keys and piano) are very noticeable as is the excellent use of the female vocals (this time, Liv Kristine of Leaves Eyes) to accentuate the emotive aspect of their music (the nine minute title track is the centerpiece here). As for Dani himself, well I think most of us have given up on telling him to shut up for a bit and let the music ride a tad longer – however, this is probably one of his better efforts in that his typical style is not as grating (if that’s even possible) and he employs lots of variation throughout adding extra character and texture. For those who hate the guy, I doubt you’ll even have the patience to notice the difference.

With Anthrax’s Rob Caggiano producing and Colin Richardson in the mixing chair, ‘Nymphetamine’ is blessed with an excellent sound. Those who found ‘Damnation..’ to be a little sterile would notice a thicker up front guitar sound on this new one. The sterling orchestral arrangements are most impressive – listen to ‘English Fire’ and ‘Swansong For a Raven’ for a superb melding of riffage metal meets symphonic pompousness!

There is no question that COF are one of the most hated (and loved) symphonic Black Metal bands in the world. Dani Filth cops most of the blame. Personalities aside, I still find it hard to ignore the utter professionalism that gets poured into every one of his albums. ‘Nymphetamine’ maintains the standard with ease. Album number six and counting – there’s still a few more left in them by the sound of this.