CRADLE OF FILTH · Cruelty And The Beast | CD

Jewelcase CD with 20 page booklet.

Background information about 'Cruelty And The Beast'

What happens when symphonic grandeur collides with extreme metal brutality? Cradle of Filth delivers the answer with "Cruelty and the Beast", a conceptual masterpiece that stands as one of the most ambitious and theatrically stunning albums in the extreme metal canon. This isn't just an album – it's a gothic opera painted in blood and shadow, telling the twisted tale of Elizabeth Báthory, the infamous Blood Countess of Hungary.

From the haunting orchestral intro "Once Upon Atrocity" to the epic closing statement "Lustmord and Wargasm", every moment drips with cinematic darkness and melodic sophistication. Dani Filth's banshee wails pierce through layers of symphonic arrangements while the band weaves together black metal ferocity with gothic romanticism. The centerpiece "Bathory Aria" is an 11-minute gothic symphony that showcases the band's ability to craft complex, multi-part compositions that rival classical works in their emotional depth and structural complexity. Tracks like "Thirteen Autumns and a Widow" and "Beneath the Howling Stars" demonstrate how extreme metal can be both brutal and beautiful, creating an atmosphere that's simultaneously terrifying and mesmerizing.

For fans of:
Dimmu Borgir, Emperor, Old Man's Child, Arcturus, Anorexia Nervosa

Track listing

1. Once Upon Atrocity
2. Thirteen Autumns And A Widow
3. Cruelty Brought Thee Orchids
4. Beneath The Howling Stars
5. Venus In Fear
6. Desire In Violent Overture
7. The Twisted Nails Of Faith
8. Bathory Aria: Benighted Like Usher/A Murder Of Ravens In Fugue/Eyes That Witnessed Madness
9. Portrait Of The Dead Countess
10. Lustmord And Wargasm (The Lick Of Carnivorous Winds)

Manufacturer: Sony Music Entertainment International Services GmbH, PO BOX 510, 33311 Gütersloh, Germany
, Contact: www.sonymusic.com