I just realised that I completely missed ‘The Manticore’ and it’s been 5 years since I’ve heard any new Cradle material. I would also appear that Dani Filth, Martin Skaroupka and Daniel Firth are the only ones still with the band since that album. New guitarists Richard Shaw and Ashok seem to have taken things back to the early years with sheer speed and ferocity the order of play, but still keeping the clever twists and tempo changes we’ve come to expect from Cradle. Also joining the ranks is keyboardist and female vocalist Lindsay Schoolcraft, and what an exquisite voice she has.
The intro “Walpurgis Eve” has that eerie horror movie vibe you’d want as an opener for an album this well made, the violins just add to the ambience of the voices that chills the skin. Within seconds of the guitars roaring into action on “Yours Immortally…”, Dani does the same with that shrill screech of his reaching heights greater men could only wonder about. Martin’s drum attack is relentless but when the guitars restrain themselves to allow Daniel a brief bass solo, he gently taps cymbals before blasting them again once the tempo is resumed. Once the first song ends you are in no doubt that you shall be in for a great ride.
“Enshrined In Crematoria” is Richard Shaw’s first contribution to the new album and with a healthy dose of Filth, shows that his writing may definitely stand the test of time. The lead is a little more avant-garde than I’d normally expect, but matches the piano outro far better than a manic fretboard frenzy ever could.
Very quick key tinkling is drowned out by viscous guitars within seconds on “Deflowering The Maidenhead, Displeasuring The Goddess”, but then they sound of the piano manages to keep breaking through whenever there’s a slight pause for breath by Dani and the guitars. Again the lead feels far more in control than the raging guitars behind it, but when there is a respite in the storm the sweet harmonies of Lindsay’s vocals compliment Dani’s harsh lyrics about our destruction of the Earth, driving them home.
Now we have gentle violins and an operatic voice to ease your transition into “Blackest Magick In Practice” which ebbs and flows from blast beats to mellow symphonic sounding passages, making it an interesting ride with all the grandeur and majesty of old. The deep rumble of Daniel’s bass is clearly audible throughout the song, but more so during a bridge where it’s the only instrument still played before diving back into the fray.
The pretty instrumental “The Monstrous Sabbat (Summoning The Coven)” works perfectly as the intro to the title track “Hammer Of The Witches” which seems to be far less frilly than it could be, sticking to keeping things simple and straightforward in its approach as it goes from fast to faster with the finesse of a mallet gently crunching bone. Don’t get me wrong, that isn’t a complaint, but rather a statement that simple can be bludgeoning without needing to be too dramatic about it.
“Right Wing Of The Garden Triptych” is the first single from the album and by now I’m sure most shall have seen the video for this, so no real need to go into too much detail, but thankfully the dancey intro is short-lived and all the pent up rage that you’d want from a Cradle song comes to the fore, along with the tempo changes for emphasis reminiscent of 2 decades ago.
Originally a contribution by Ashok before the rest of the band added to it, “The Vampyre At My Side” opens melodramatically with acoustic guitar being picked with forest night sounds in the background before full darkness descends and things liven up wonderfully. The chunky guitar riffs are accented by tapping on a closed high-hat as their twin attack works its way through the song.
If the production was really shitty on “Onward Christian Soldiers” you could say it was a real early 90s black metal track, but with the decent sound quality taking off the harsh edge and the keyboards adding an extra layer it needs to make it a far better song than riding on just sheer aggression alone.
“Blooding The Hounds Of Hell” is a pleasant outro that helps wind you down as the album ends with the notes of a pipe-organ accompanying a piano and finally some brass.
I didn’t get the bonus tracks so I can’t comment on them, but I’m sure they’ll be just as good as everything else here and if you are a fan of their early work, then you shall definitely love this album.
(8/10 Marco Gaminara)
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