This was the third demo released by Cradle of Filth in 1992. As is the case with many demos the quality is horrendous, however at this time, Cradle of Filth were seen in many regards as a Black Metal band and this poor production quality seems to fit the typical depiction of the genre. The demo includes 5 tracks, one of which is The Black Goddess Rises, which is a fairly well known track as it was re-released on Cradle"s first album release The Principle of Evil Made Flesh.
This track is also the first on the 5-track demo. It is a relatively slow for the majority of the song and includes a drastic reduction in the amount of lyrics, to replace this Dani just growls a lot more and makes other guttural noises as they progress through the song that includes two nice guitar solos, one that is just a wild shred. The actual merit that these solos deserve is questionable as, with the production quality, it is hard to discern exactly how nice the solo is, nevertheless it is a nice track to begin with for the demo.
The song transfers into Unbodied of Dusk, which starts with a riff that sounds similar to Cradle of Filth on the album Dusk" and Her Embrace, however it ends and a chugging riff commences that sounds nearly identical to that of the main riff in The Black Goddess Rises, however the song is different as the tempo and riffs change and accelerate and is, in my opinion the best track on the short demo. It has some nice background keyboards and the like, accompanied by the traditional Cradle of Filth breakdown where the tempo slows and the keyboard becomes much more prevalent.
The Rape of Faith is the third track on the demo and it begins with only keyboards for nearly half a minute before they break into an eerie guitar riff that shows some indication of what would be seen on Cruelty and the Beast. Overall, not just this track, but for the demo in general, Dani"s vocals were lacking in the range that he will later express. There can be no complaints regarding his vocals on the demo, but his development, as a vocalist is easily distinguished.
The fourth track is As Deep as any Burial where keyboards and slow building guitars fill the track with minimal vocals before the track seems to change into Fraternally Yours, 666. However, I can"t honestly say for sure as my copy of the Demo combines the two tracks into one and there is no distinguishable transition. Either way, it is a nice "double-track" that includes a guitar solo that transfers into a nice fill by Nicholas Barker and then a little bass fill before the band unites again, a nice little glimpse at Cradle of Filth"s music talents. Also, to conclude the demo Dani adds in a high-pitched shriek, something that was not as common on the demo as will be in the future of Cradle of Filth.
Overall it is what it was meant to be, a demo, a demonstration of what Cradle of Filth can accomplish and I think that it gave a nice teaser of what Cradle of Filth could be. The production quality is a little disappointing, but I suppose they were working with what was given to them at the time. I would like to hear a re-furbished version of the songs to see if they are equally impressive when a professional producer has his hands on the band"s original tracks from the early 90s. Taking into account all the variables... I'm going to surprise myself and give it a 4/5.
