Review Summary: Longtime Cradle fans rejoice!
If you will, indulge me in a little background. I've been a Cradle of Filth fan( a shameless fanboy if I'm being honest) ever since Midian. My first experience with their material was a double disc greatest hits compilation called Lovecraft and Witch Hearts. After that I went backwards through their previous albums and was amazed, particularly with Dusk and Cruelty. Midian was also a superb album. After Midian however there seemed to be a marked drop in quality, each successive album being good, not great. With Manticore I thought that they were sounding bored. Yes the riffs were there, the lyrics were there but the passion was missing. Then 2015 rolls around and we find out that they basically have an all new lineup with Rich Shaw and Ashok on guitars, Lindsay Schoolcraft on keyboard and female vocals. With the release of Hammer what you saw was a band that sounded completely reinvigorated and returning to that dual guitar sound, and adding the element of shredding solos. It was widely considered to be their best in 15 years. So can Cryptoriana capitalize, was Hammer of the Witches just a nostalgia trip? Could Cradle build on the sound they developed and indeed exceed expectations? Hell Yes they did! With Cryptoriana you find more of the dual guitar harmonies, more aggression, tighter songwriting and an overall enjoyable experience.
Instead of the obligatory keyboard intro what you have is a short little song entitled Exquisite Torments Await which does a perfect job and introducing you to the album. This fades seamlessly into their lead singe Heartbreak and Seance which is a nice melodic track full of superb riffs and even more superb guitar leads. To point out that the lyrics are well written is in itself redundant as anyone who has read Dani's lyrics has come to expect that. From there on the album flows onward containing many of the older filthisms such as dual guitar harmonies, bass and keyboard interludes, furious drumming and songs that evolve as the song progresses instead of relying on a verse chorus motif. The highlight of this album is definitely the guitar work. Ashok and Rich do a tremendous job, and indeed prove that they're the best guitar duo the band has had since Gian and Stuart. Instead of relying on simple nostalgia they write with an extra emphasis on technicality and thrashtastic riff breaks. The album never gets boring, there is absolutely zero filler on this album and the production is perfectly balanced without being overproduced. Lindsay master the keyboards and knows exactly when to take charge and when to back off. Dani is at his best vocally, better than he's been in a long time, proving that Hammer wasn't just a fluke.
The standout tracks for me are Heartbreak and Seance, Wester Vespertine, Seductiveness and Decay and The Night at Catafalque Manor. It's at this point that I'd like to encourage you to get the bonus version. It wouldn't do for anyone to miss the two bonus tracks which I think would be a crime to ignore. They do an amazing cover of Alison Hell. They don't over emphasize the keyboards and they stay true to the original. The Night At Catafalque Manor is definitely a nod to that classic Cradle sound from the Dusk/Cruelty era full of twin guitar leads and soaked in melody.
Old Cradle fans rejoice! It seems that Cradle is truly back with a vengeance and if they can keep this line-up there's no telling what we're in for in the coming years.
