CRADLE OF FILTH Frontman: 'We Never Like Doing Two Albums The Same'

I Like Music recently conducted an interview with vocalist Dani "Filth" Davey of British extreme metallers CRADLE OF FILTH. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

I Like Music: Tell us about the narrative behind [the new CRADLE OF FILTH album] "Darkly Darkly Venus Aversa".

Dani: We've done a home-spun gothic horror story that involves the first trespasser, who was Lilith, Adam's first wife before Eve. She didn't want to be beneath Adam, and wanted joint ownership of Eden, so she fled and hooked up with Samael the serpent. Supposedly she became this dark archetype who gave birth to thousands of demons and thus was the reason for evil being in the world. Jewish mythology sees her in a different light though, viewing her as a strong female icon. We've used a bit of both, though rather than dealing with the creation myth we've brought her into a story that runs from the 14th century through to the present day. It involves Sumerian and Egyptian mythology, nun-sploitation and Knights Templar all rolled up into a story about sex and death.

I Like Music: Do you feel a pressure to evolve with each album?

Dani: Definitely. We never like doing two albums the same. It may not be overly apparent to a Martian who picks up two of our albums, but to our fans there are loads of little things that add up to give this record a new flavor. It may be that there are more guitar solos, or perhaps there are different melodic or vocal techniques, but it's there somewhere.

I Like Music: Do you ever find yourselves listening to other bands with whom you may be compared by fans or press, and comparing notes?

Dani: Well, not on this record. I made a point not to. Whilst recording I would leave the studio to drive around the countryside in my new car, and I'd bought a load of CDs by bands like KISS and MÖTLEY CRÜE to play whilst I did. A load of bubblegum music that I could just stick on and sing along to. I got BAD RELIGION, and HIM as well. Stuff that was far-flung from the band. I didn't want any outside influences. I mean, of course you do keep your nose to the ground. I do have a few firm favorites from the current extreme metal roster, but I'm not one of these people that are so into it that I have to buy every single album. I'd rather buy ten really good albums than have an iPod full of shit.

I Like Music: Has moving from a major label to an independent for this album made a big difference for you?

Dani: Yeah, absolutely. It looks like a step down, but it's actually the other way around. For Sony, we were signed by someone who was really into the band, but then two months later he had another job in another part of the world and the person who took over wasn't quite as keen. Roadrunner just weren't using their imagination when promoting us. Now, being a slightly bigger fish in a smaller, more creative pond, we've got people coming up with ideas all the time. There's a tight-knit group who share a love for what we're doing.

I Like Music: Do you think that an extreme metal band like CRADLE OF FILTH can ever find a satisfactory home on a major label?

Dani: Yes, I think they can. It's about vision. Nobody would have thought that a band like CRADLE OF FILTH could get to the size that we have. MARILYN MANSON and SLIPKNOT are other similar examples. Then you look at the crap you get, like CHERYL COLE, for example. She can't sing, but she's everywhere, and more often than not it isn't even about the music. But on the other side of the coin, people just aren't made aware of music like ours. There's currently a resurgence of people enjoying the escapism of being scared; going to horror movies and things like that. When they're made aware of this other part of music, they find that they love it. They just need to be exposed to it first.

Read the entire interview from I Like Music.