CRADLE OF FILTH

Imperious mavericks in their prime, CRADLE OF FILTH have been on majestic form in recent years. Invigorated lineups have led to new leases of malevolent life, and albums like 2017's "Cryptoriana – The Seductiveness Of Decay" and 2021's "Existence Is Futile" have been self-evident career peaks as a result. A highly productive partnership with producer Scott Atkins also seems to have had a profound effect, and that collaboration continues on the British blackhearts' 14th studio album. The first Cradle record to feature latest recruits Zoe Marie Federoff (on keyboards and operatic vocals) and Donny Burbage (guitars),"The Screaming Of The Valkyries" sounds magnificent, and continues in a similarly destructive vein to "Existence Is Futile", but with even more spellbinding melodies woven into the band's trademark gothic blitzkrieg.

Most bands would be doing a cynical lap of honor this late into their careers, but Dani Filth has never allowed his band's songwriting to flounder or fade. The sheer exuberance that CRADLE OF FILTH display throughout this latest litany of bloody horrors is utterly infectious, and these songs are as catchy and elegant as any in their catalogue. The singles, "Malignant Perfection" and "To Live Deliciously" are simply magnificent: finessed and ferocious, they wield giant hooks like scalpels and always with a vicious sting in the tail. "Non Omnis Moriar" doubles as a sizzling showcase for Federoff and a sumptuous, gothic metal study of vexed mortality, while the seething, fleet-footed "White Hellebore" is a blazing inferno of classic metal bombast and blackened mysticism. Audibly having a great time throughout, Dani Filth is on vintage form, and rattles through his infernal repertoire with more spittle and spite than he has produced in years. Those trademark, shrill screams are still here in abundance, but there is a depth and intensity to some of the other voices that he uses — on the grimly atmospheric but gleeful "You Are My Nautilus" and the ice-veined and theatrical "Ex Sanguine Draculae" in particular — that make this the most authentically unsettling CRADLE OF FILTH album in decades. Mutant old-school riffs fly in from all angles, drenched in haunted house keys and assailed by drummer Martin Skaroupka's ruthless battery, and the sound of a band glorying in their own greatness is unmistakable.

Past masters at the grand finale, CRADLE OF FILTH confirm their ongoing prowess with "When Misery Was A Stranger": a dizzying denouement with wickedness and pathos etched into its callused skin, and a wondrous, melodic undertow that sparkles with dark intent. It almost seems to redundant to say it, but this band are lethally adept at keeping their own musical world alive, dangerous and perpetually fit for another day. "The Screaming Of The Valkyries" is another superb addition to an illustrious legacy of total fucking darkness, and a compelling snapshot of a legendary band having a fucking excellent time.