Cradle Of Filth is sort of an odd duck in the current metal scene. No other band around manages to be both as loved and hated at the same time as they do for the same reasons. Too Goth for the evil-true-satanic-black-metal-faction and still too much Metal for the Goths. Too samey and boring for some of the oppositon, yet oddly enough too progressive and daring for the others. People just don't seem to be able to make-up their minds about it, yet the band (rightly so) doesn't seem to mind a bit and merrily go their own way, and with Thornography, their new album, this is no different.
As with pretty much every release Cradle Of Filth has done, Thornography adds a couple of new and daring elements to the already quite varied musical spectrum of the band. Gone might be the extreme blastbeats which were still in abundance on an album like Dusk And Her Embrace (1996), and gone too for the most part are the heavily orchestrated parts of Damnation And A Day (2003). This time around it seems that Dani & Co put the emphasis on vocal experimentation, ranging from the clean singing parts in a song like The Foetus Of A New Day Kicking or Tonight In Flames, to the very sensual vocals of Sarah Jezebel Deva in Under Huntress Moon or even the guest appearance by the much-maligned (at least in the Black Metal scene) Ville Vallo (H.I.M). All of this of course without forsaking the rather unique screaming/grunting/whispering vocal style that Dani has always had and became the band's main trademark overtime.
But there is a lot of variation to be had musically as well. And it doesn't really matter if the song in question is a fast, thrashy demon like Dirge Inferno, a melodic Goth groover like Cemetary And Sundownor a beautiful, almost soundtrack-like instrumental like Rise Of The Pentagram. Not a single note seems out of place, and agression is perfectly ballanced by the softer, more melodic parts. All of it is done to perfection and shows just how far the band has come in the last twelve years.
Of course there will be a lot of people who will take the release of Thornography as an opportunity to drag the band's name through the dirt, without having even listened to it. And yes, the evil & true Black Metal possé of Count Fharwock The Grim will probably shit all over it, but none of that takes away from the fact that Cradle Of Filth is not only one of the most interesting and unique bands in Heavy Metal these days, but also yet again delivers another quality release. In fact I will even go as far as saying that they are to metal today what Iron Maiden was twenty years ago. Innovators, with a trademark sound and image, who are not afraid to venture into new musical directions and do this with enough humor and intelligence (not to mention self-awareness) to permanently leave their mark on the music scene. Definitely recommended!