CRADLE OF FILTH: New Album Will Be Our Darkest And Catchiest To Date

CRADLE OF FILTH frontman Dani Davey and guitarist Paul Allender made a recent appearance on BBC Radio One's The Rock Show, where they discussed the release of the group's "Best Of" album, entitled Lovecraft & Witch Hearts (The Very Best Of CRADLE OF FILTH), through Music For Nations Records and their upcoming studio album through the Sony label. Here are some of the highlights of the interview:

On the upcoming "Best Of" album:
"I think the thing was that the record company were going to put it together anyway, and it was better if we were involved rather than them just do it in their Judas way. It was better for us to put it together. The first side has got a Best Of from the years we were with Music For Nations, the second side is rare material: remixes, stuff that people probably haven't got. Stuff that was usually condemned to Japanese versions, so it's worth having!

"The new stuff is a lot darker than the stuff on this CD. I don't think that it is an end of an era, it is the end of Music For Nations stuff, but it isn't the end of us."

On the forthcoming studio album for Sony:
"A lot of the new material has been tuned down, which will give it a darker edge anyway. There's a lot more material on the new album, there's 15 tracks. I'd say it's catchier than anything that we have done before. We're going over to Prague for a full orchestral set up to add to the album. That in effect will give it a soundtrack edge and coupled with the music has given it a darker feel. It's more experimental."

On Sony's expectations for the new CD:
"It is a bit extraordinary, because they sign about three people a year. And of those three people, most of them are pop divas or faddish pop icons, so for CRADLE OF FILTH to be nestled up with them is a bit of a risk. Because they know that we are going to be as outlandish as possible. But they wouldn't want to sign us if they wanted to mess with the music. We're not going to change it just because we are on a major."

CRADLE OF FILTH are due to New Rising Studios in Peldon, UK (where they recorded their Bitter Suites To Succubi CD) in early June to begin recording their new CD, tentatively entitled Damnation And A Day for an early 2003 release. Although presently unconfirmed, it is strongly rumored Ozzy Osbourne will make a guest appearance on the CD on the group's cover of Ozzy's "Mr. Crowley".