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Cradle of Filth > Live Bait for the Dead > Reviews
Cradle of Filth - Live Bait for the Dead

A crucial collection of classic Cradle - 87%

Absinthe1979, August 26th, 2023
Written based on this version: 2018, CD, Peaceville Records (Reissue)

With the release of ‘Trouble and their Double Lives’ in 2023, Cradle of Filth’s first live album since 2002, the time seemed ripe to review not just that release, but the very first live release ‘Live Bait for the Dead’. I’m reviewing the single disc audio only version of the latter album, re-titled and re-released as ‘Eleven Burial Masses’ (and I’ll be referring to it as such) in 2007.

Two live albums released two decades apart; which one is superior? I’ll examine both, starting with this one.

The first thing to recognise with ‘Eleven Burial Masses’ is that, unlike the slick and controlled click-track-tight ‘Trouble and their Double Lives’ which takes each song from a different city across three years of touring, this release is all from the one show, namely Nottingham in June 2001. This date falls a couple of months before the release of ‘Bitter Suites to Succubi’ and several months after the release of ‘Midian’, and therefore includes the ‘Midian’ line-up of Dani Filth, Paul Allender, Gian Pyres, the mighty Martin Powell, Adrian Erlandsson and Sarah Jezebel Deva.

This is pretty much around the time when the rot started to set in for the band, but with a little bit of magic still left in the tank. ‘Eleven Burial Masses’ is a lot more organic in its sound than ‘Trouble…’ and while all of the instrumental elements are played with a great deal of precision, the whole thing is mixed in such a way that it feels a bit turgid and dirty. You can hear the little imperfections and moments of feedback that come from a fairly frenetic live event, and I think this generally works in the album’s favour. It’s a good quality recording, but you wouldn’t ever call it digital or plastic sounding.

The track listing here is superior to ‘Trouble…’ due to it coming right at a time where Cradle had released their 90s classics and had a veritable buffet of bombastic bangers to choose from without the also-ran albums that would later need acknowledgement and inclusion. Here, the classics abound. We have the 1-2 punch of ‘Ebony Dressed for Sunset’ and ‘The Forest Whispers My Name’ from ‘Vempire’, which are played at a fairly frenetic pace compared with the album versions, as well as all time masterpieces such as a fairly rough performance of ‘Cruelty Brought Thee Orchids’ and the majestic ‘Dusk and Her Embrace’. You also really can’t go wrong with ‘Summer Dying Fast’ and ‘Lord Abortion’ which both exude atmosphere. The release closes with ‘From the Cradle to Enslave’ and, somewhat surprisingly, ‘Queen of Winter, Throned’, the latter of which contains some fairly deflated sounding drum sounds at times but is ultimately pretty triumphant.

You can see for yourself the track list, but I merely mention some of the songs here to impress upon you the sheer breadth of excellence on offer. The song selection is almost beyond criticism, and while I would have loved to have seen the powerfully emotive ‘A Gothic Romance’ make an appearance, it wouldn’t be a live album without something to grumble about track-wise. We also didn’t really need the god-awful ‘Satanic Mantra’ tape from ‘Midian’ which appears unlisted at the end of the similarly unnecessary interlude of ‘Creatures that Kissed in Cold Mirrors’. Hardly deal breakers, but very skippable. Unlike the epic 18 tracks on ‘Trouble and their Double Lives’, we only get 11 metal tracks here plus two keyboard instrumentals, but there’s plenty of great material here to sink your fangs into.

One of the less engaging elements of this release is Dani’s vocals, especially his piercing shriek which tends to sound great on the early albums but is slathered with a touch too much reverb here, and it’s not always a joy to listen to. The vocals can generally be forgiven, however, as their imperfection tends to match the rough and ready sound of the rest of the band.

The booklet to my version contains one of those fairly generic essays from a metal journalist that were de rigueur around this era, this time composed by Dom Lawson of Metal Hammer magazine. For a corporate fluff piece it’s ok, except when he takes the foolish misstep of trying to describe the various band members who appear on the album with nekro profiles. Seemingly running out of hyperbolic steam by the time he reaches the fairly uninspiring Gian Pyres, Lawson haplessly resorts to describing him as “a man who quite literally shits metal”. Which is not just a strange usage of the word “literally”, but also code for “I’ve got no idea what this guy does”. As a package it’s ok, but a little on the basic side, especially when compared with what you get when you buy ‘Trouble and their Double Lives’.

Overall, this is a worthy live disc, and it sits nicely alongside the greatest hits double album ‘Lovecraft and Witchhearts’ which was also released in 2002. The songs are indisputable classics, the performances are pretty good, and the production is a bit rough but suits the live show brief. ‘Eleven Burial Masses’ works very well if you want to hear the classic songs with a little less polish and a little more rock n roll punch.

Is it better than 2023’s ‘Trouble and their Double Lives’, which offers nearly twice as many tracks, the ‘Hammer of the Witches’ line-up and modern recording technology? Probably not, but this is (at the very end of) classic Cradle, and therefore mandatory for fans, as well as being a worthwhile live album full stop.

Only Post-Midian Recording Worth a Damn - 97%

WinterBliss, August 8th, 2008

While signs of Cradle of Filth's deterioration were quite clear with Cruelty and the Beast, they were able to put out one more gem before they began to suck for a living. I am a huge fan of Dusk and Her Embrace and their material of that era, but after Midian everything pretty much grew too gothic and Hot Topic friendly. Some songs have been decent -"All Hope in Eclipse", "Born in a Burial Gown", "Mannequin", "Nemesis", and "Coffin Fodder" - to be exact, but beyond those songs, Cradle has been nothing but an embarrassment and disappointment as of late. Thankfully this live album acts as a final summary to what used to be a great band. Within this album we're treated to some of Cradle's best songs, and an excellent sounding performance.


One aspect that makes a live album good is, well, if you can tell it's live; and with Live Bait…, you'll have no problem telling that. From the howling fans and cheers, to Dani's terrible sense of humor, to the chilling atmosphere and great sounding performance of the actual band, this album puts you directly in the crowd. The guitars sound phenomenal, not one note is missed. The higher pitched guitar dominates the right side, while the lower sounding guitar pervades on the left side (wearing headphones, just in case you didn't pick up on that). Beyond the mixing, the guitars sound crystal clear, but not without a decent amount of distortion to make it more akin to a typical black metal sound.


The guitars, the keys, the drums, the vocals (both Dani and the female), and even the bass sound great as well. They keys don't sound overtly cheesy, and the female 'ohhs' and 'ahhhs' are very soulful and enjoyable. I know Dani's vocals are a sore subject for most, but I find them to be great. The vocal performance does not disappoint here, his guttural grunts, mid ranged rasps all sound great and work well with the echo of the venue (and the echo effect on his mic). The high vocals can be a bit much, but thankfully they're rarely used.


With a solid recording job, only one other factor matters: the set list. Luckily for us Cradle plays some of their best songs (sadly no Haunted Shores or Funeral in Carpathia) with gems like "Ebony Dressed for Sunset," "Cthulhu Dawn," "Summer Dying Fast," and "Queen of Winter, Throned" this album pretty much acts as quintessential Cradle listening. What's also great are the older songs ("Ebony Dressed for Sunset," and "Queen Of Winter, Throned") have been touched up (better production, more powerful sounding) and are performed better than they were on their actual release.


Songs like "Lord Abortion," "Cthullu Dawn," and "The Principal of Evil Made Flesh" sound ridiculously heavy and powerful and others like "Dusk and Her Embrace" and "Summer Dying Fast" are as captivating as ever. Every riff and every solo, is performed excruciatingly well (the solo in "The Principal..." sounds terrific, down to every little detail) and leaves little room for improvement. Beyond their excellent performance, Dani's stage banter provides for entertainment and sense of personality that is much welcomed. Nothing is worse than a band live who just goes from one song to another and ends the show with a simply "good night". The break during "The Principal of Evil Made Flesh" where Dani taunts "Come on Nottingham! Make some fucking noise!" is fucking awesome


The album comes with a second cd of remixes, covers, and leftovers which isn’t anything too worthwhile. Here’s a quick rundown of each track. I do not hear any difference between the remix of “Born in a Burial Gown” that’s present on this disc and the one previously released. The Sisters of Mercy cover is quite horrid, but I’m not into that type of stuff usually. The sound check recording of “Funeral in Carpathia” sounds great, the drums aren’t triggered and everything sounds a lot meatier; maybe better than the original. “Deleted Scenes of a Snuff Princess” is fucking terrible and makes me angry, next. “Scorched Earth Erotica [Original Demo Version]” sounds alright, was never too big a fan of this song but it has some pretty good riffs. “Nocturnal Supremacy” is one of my favorite Cradle songs, more black metal than most of their stuff; sounds a lot stronger here, but lacks some of that atmosphere that came with Vempire’s production. The remix of “From the Cradle to Enslave” is just a tiny bit less shitter than “Deleted…;” terrible techno crap. The disc comes to an end with Cradle’s rendition of Twisted Sister’s “A Fire Still Burns,” the song isn’t thaaat bad, but Dani’s vocals kill it. Doesn't really add to the purchase of the album, nor does it hamper it.


I really do love this album, after all these years since I first bought it, I still find myself listening to fully, and enjoying every second of it. It's a real shame how things turned out for Cradle of Filth, and this live album is just a testament to how superior and professional these guys used to be.