Band:	Cradle Of Filth
Album:	Nymphetamine
Style:	Extreme gothic metal, Symphonic metal
Release date:	September 28, 2004
A review by:	jupitreas

Disc I
01. Satyriasis (Intro)
02. Gilded Cunt
03. Nemesis
04. Gabrielle
05. Absinthe With Faust
06. Nymphetamine (Overdose) [feat. Liv Kristine]
07. Painting Flowers White Never Suited My Palette
08. Medusa And Hemlock
09. Coffin Fodder
10. English Fire
11. Filthy Little Secret
12. Swansong For A Raven
13. Mother Of Abominations
14. Nymphetamine (Fix)

Disc II [special edition]
01. Devil Woman [Cliff Richard cover]
02. Soft White Throat
03. Bestial Lust (Bitch) [Bathory cover]
04. Prey
05. Nymphetamine (Fix) [feat. Sarah Jezebel Deva]
06. Mr Crowley [Ozzy Osbourne cover]
+ Nymphetamine (video)

Believe me, reviewing the new album of a band which is so universally judged by almost every metal fan is not an easy thing to do. Most people have already long ago made up their minds about Cradle Of Filth and I don't think I can change the attitudes of either the lovers or the haters of this band. Instead, I will try to describe the album to these two groups separately.

If you are a fan of this band, its safe to say that you will find this album enjoyable. Basically, its more of the same, minus the modern sound of Damnation And A Day. Nymphetamine is more old-school and more metal. The industrialisms of the previous album are all gone (to my dismay actually). Instead, we get more of the classical metal arrangements - some thrash elements, a lot of traditional heavy metal chords and leads, a lot of neoclassicisms and the generally recognizable CoF atmosphere. Most songs have a form which is classic for this band - dynamic, reasonably complex and filled with tempo and mood changes. Some of the riffs on the album are very memorable. There is no real highlight of the album as all the tracks are basically good, although I found myself enjoying "English Fire" the most, perhaps because it sounds like a bit of a tribute to the recently and unfortunately deceased Quorthon. The guest appearance by ex-Theatre Of Tragedy diva Liv Kristine is quite successful, as she sounds nothing like the previous female guests on CoF albums and thus adds a whole new dimension to the music.

If you are a CoF hater then well, this album will not change your mind. It is not black metal, it is quite commercial and it still has all of the elements that irritate many people in this band. The low end, for example, is still almost non-existent. Except for a thin bass that I could only really pick up when using a sub-woofer, the band goes for the usual trebble-overkill. They also still utilize the faux gothic passages which add nothing at all to the music except for an atmosphere of forced romanticism. Dani's voice is still as annoying as ever, even more so when he tries to sing melodically. He also still mispronounces Cthulhu, which shows exactly how seriously he takes the whole occult thing

I already gave you the two sides of the spectrum of how this new Cradle Of Filth album can be evaluated. Now, let me give my own opinion. This is definitely not a bad album, although in my eyes it is a step backwards from the more experimental textures of Damnation And A Day. We've already heard this band churn out their tremolo melodies, their piano passages and their female/Dani duets on numerous occasions. I would have preferred to hear CoF expand their sound and not just record more of the same. But then again, why fix what ain't broken? I think a 7 is the most objective grade I can muster for this album. If you are a fan of this band, add a 2 to this and if you hate it, subtract, well, the equivalent of your hatred