Recently on Twitter, music writer Corbin Reiff asked for examples of bands whose third album was their best. Suggestions such as The Clash, Nirvana, Pavement and Radiohead came flooding in.
If you start going a little deeper, though, British metal extremists Cradle of Filth would be a worthy addition to the discussion. 1998’s Cruelty and the Beast is a brutal, monolithic LP, grandiose in nature and released at a point where the band was truly starting to come into its own.
“It’s one of those albums that really pushed the band in the right direction,” says Dani Filth – the band’s lead vocalist, figurehead and sole original member. “It was a springboard up to higher levels for us, I feel. It was something new, and it was certainly different. It put a lot of eyes in the music industry onto what we were doing.
“For our fans, a lot of people have told us it came a special time for them – during a difficult time in school, or whatever else – so there’s the sentimental value there, as well. It’s still a record I’m very proud of – it’s a very cinematic album, in a lot of ways, so it makes sense to revisit it in full.”
When the 20th anniversary of Cruelty rolled around in 2018, Filth began a roll-out of celebrations to commemorate the milestone. This included a tour in which the album was played in its entirety, as well as a complete remaster of the album for its vinyl reissue. Unfortunately, not everything went to plan when it came to pulling it all off. “We tracked down the original tapes, just so we could remix the entire thing properly,” explains Filth.
“We had the artwork, a new lyric video, blah blah blah… it was all ready to go. It was then that Sony informed us that they hadn’t received the clearance from all of the other former members. There was one, in particular, who was just really obstinate. It didn’t matter what was done, or what needs were met, or whatever silly little demands that were pandered to… they just wouldn’t let it go.
“The shows were there to coincide with the release, but that obviously didn’t end up happening. We decided to go ahead and do the shows anyway. It’s all in legal hell right now, but hopefully it all gets sorted out. Regardless, the shows themselves have all been great.”
While many bands will reassemble the lineup that performed on the classic album in question in order to perform it live, it’s not quite feasible with a band like Cradle of Filth. The band has famously never held the exact same lineup for more than a few years at a time – its current longest-serving member, aside from Filth, is drummer Martin Škaroupka, who joined in the middle of 2006 (some 15 years after the band originally formed). Having said that, Filth is unperturbed regarding members of the current incarnation of Cradle of Filth playing through an album that they themselves had no part in.
“I guess it’s no different from them playing anything that was recorded prior to them joining,” he says. “If anything, they were more excited than I was to do these shows. They were fans of the band before they were a part of it, and it seems like it’s one of the favourite records among the ranks. We’ve been able to take this record to so many places that I could have never have dreamed of going to when we first put it out.”
Australia will be next on the cards, a place that Cradle of Filth are no strangers to. “We’re very much looking forward to it,” says Filth. “Australia has always been so supportive of what we do, and we even play New Zealand on this tour for the first time ever – so, hopefully, people come.”
Cradle of Filth come to 170 Russell on Friday September 6 to perform Cruelty and the Beast. Grab your tickets via the Destroy All Lines website.
