Band:	Cradle Of Filth
Album:	Dusk... And Her Embrace
Style:	Symphonic black metal
Release date:	August 28, 1996
Guest review by:	Stuart

01. Humana Inspired To Nightmare
02. Heaven Torn Asunder
03. Funeral In Carpathia
04. A Gothic Romance (Red Roses For The Devil's Whore)
05. Nocturnal Supremacy [96 version] [japanese bonus]
06. Malice Through The Looking Glass
07. Dusk And Her Embrace
08. The Graveyard By Moonlight
09. Beauty Slept In Sodom
10. Haunted Shores [Feat. Cronos]
11. Hell Awaits [Coffin box bonus] [Slayer cover]
12. Carmilla's Masque [Coffin box bonus]

There has been plenty of debate over the years over this band's musical direction and the motives behind it. But whether you love them or hate them you simply cannot deny that this band has played a major part in bringing some of the darker forms of metal to the fore of this musical sub-culture.

Purely due to their controversial nature it is absolutely imperative we are able to look at their music without any prejudice or preconceived judgements. There was in fact a time when they were well respected in the Black Metal fraternity and this term is used lightly to avoid any immediate accusations of incorrect genre definition.

Accusations aside, "Dusk? And Her Embrace" was a key album in the Cradle of Filth progression. It is hailed by long term fans and detractors alike as the moment when all the elements of their music came into perfect alignment and was indeed a revolutionary collection of songs for either better or worse.

The gothic overtones and soundscapes are immense, the classical influence ever present and the long complex compositions lingering. Musically this album has been written as an ode to the darkest emotions of mankind and is as exquisitely violent as it is morose and beautiful. The songs are continually changing and the complexity of the arrangements and musical commentary cannot be ignored.

Guitars and keyboards combine to make an almighty force entwining each instrument around the other and yet are respectively given the opportunity to seize hold of individual moments within this grand statement of human intensity. The drumming is simply superb, whether we are being treated to the beautiful caressing of symbols over the gothic eeriness which the keyboards offer or being bludgeoned with the speed and ferocity of this human battering ram that is Nicholas Barker, it is always delivered in the most technically adept way possible.

The lyrics are virtually of Shakespearean quality and you will definitely need to study them carefully before you will begin to actually pick up which line is being sung at a particular time. The vocals will always be the one most unique characteristic of this band as Dani Filth shrieks his way from beginning to end in the most inhuman style ever to grace your virgin ears. Once you become accustomed to the vocals they do grow on you, but to fully appreciate this you must give them time to grow. We are also blessed with some lovely, seductive, feminine serenades.

Despite giving to the world some of the most beautifully intense and extreme metal music ever written this band will always be hated in certain circles. In this album they prove beyond any doubt that they had the capabilities of pushing the boundaries of human emotion to entirely new levels and it should definitely be given a fair chance.