Cradle of Filth Album: “Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa [Deluxe Edition]”

I have loved cradle of filth from the beginning, from The Principle of evil made flesh to Damnation and a day. After damnation, they have started to disappoint me...

While this album, in my opinion, is junk compared to their older stuff, it still has interesting songs. However, even when not compared to their older music, it is still pretty different. I gave their album godspeed on the devils thunder 1 star because that album was just... awful. This album however, was a lot better then godspeed, but still lacking in many aspects.

Guitar: The guitar sounds pretty fast, pretty brutal, and pretty awesome on the first track, but then the next track, it sounds almost EXACTLY the same. And with almost every song in this album, it all sounds the same. Not all songs however. The cult of venus aversa, Little immaculate, and Forgive me father(I have sinned) are the ONLY tracks on this whole CD that stand out, and the guitar is the best on these tracks. But the rest, it all sounds the same. 2/5

Drums: Don't get me started... Ever since godspeed, this new drummer has been bugging me to the deepest condo in hell. He is a good fast drummer, but has no rhythm, no technicality! Their older music had amazing drums that went with the music perfectly, and always were different. It was incredible music, and got better each song. Now on this album, it's just him doing random constant blast beats, and EVERY song it sounds the same. It's always the same beat! Slower or faster, it is the same beat. Listen to it thoroughly and you will notice it... 1/5

Vocals: Well, I must admit that the vocals are pretty good. Not as good as older times but Dani still has it. His screaming vocals and his ability to shift voices from very high to very low in an instant is still incredible. The vocals are my favorite thing in this album, and I still find it fascinating how he can sing so well. His vocals though, sound like it can't keep up with the constant drumming that's so randomly fast and out of beat to the song. But I do not blame Dani for this. 4/5

Bass: I can't hear any bass. Unless I hear the record version. On CD, I can't hear it(Yes I own both). Bass goes pretty well with song structure. But is still difficult to hear even on record version, either that or my ears are just piles of poop. 3/5

Overall: I gave it a 3/5 because it DEFINITELY beats godspeed, but still does not live up to their old music. If you are a new cradle fan, do NOT buy this album, buy either Dusk and her embrace or Midian. Preferably Midian.

I'm not a huge fan of this "genre" I guess you would say.But I have noticed one thing about the fans of this band.Most give bad reviews because of how much they liked their early work.So they rate the newer stuff terribly.Opinion are opinons I guess.So here's mine.I like the whole vibe of this album.I like the sound,the artwork,everything.If you listen to the samples and you like it a little...You wont be disappointed.

ok before i talk about the album i need to get this out of the way

getting tired of all the ex cradle fans bashing every cradle album cause

it doesnt sound like midian,cruelty,or vempire news flash idiots its not

supposed to if dani or paul wanted to make the same album over and over

again they would i luv midian myself i luv all of there old albums as

well but why wait for a new album if you just want the next one to

sound like the recent one cradle is obviosly trying there best to make

an album just the oppisite cause then you all would complain it sounded

to much like midian soo get over it if u dont like the album dont waste

your time crying about it on amazon if you wanna listen to midian go listen

to it

ok and my oppinion of this album is clear i bought the $99 fans edition of this album

this concept album gave me goose bumps certain vocal lines and solos yes this album is

much different from godspeed and all others but thats what i luved about it this a

very heavy cradle album plus the bonus tracks are amazingly beautiful brutal as hell

if you are not a big cradle fan dont buy this if your a stuck up cradle fan dont buy this

if you are a true cradle fan and dont have a twigg lodged up your ass its a must buy iv listened

to this album over and over then saw the band live in chicago this is my favorite new release

lyrics are spectacular its heavy and a great album to listen to all the way through my favorite

tracks on this album are the cult of venus aversa,one foul step from the abyss,the pesicution song

decieving eyes, lilith immaculate, harlot on a pedistal,behond the eleventh hour mainly i just realized i listed practicly the whole album lol well there ya go if you like cradle and are not a hater check this out and spread the filth

We've all been somewhat nervous about Cradle for a while now. Nymphetamine and Thornography were enjoyable but really subpar for Cradle. Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder was a nice save, and is actually one of my favorite albums, but many found it wanting. Then came this album, Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa. It seems everyone's giving it five stars (or one, which probably come from the people who don't like Cradle anyway; one either likes Cradle or loathes them, with no middle ground.) I agree with the sentiment: this album is very good. It brings back a certain gothic mood and... dark prettiness in the midst of the heaviness that I think Godspeed didn't quite have in the same way. I think any Cradle fan should at least like it.

But I wouldn't give it five stars. The best of Cradle's concept albums, like Cruelty and the Beast or Midian or (I would argue) Godspeed, immersed the listener far more in the story. This, I couldn't even make out the story for many listens, and now that I'm reasonably sure what's going on, it's still got holes in it that niggle at me. The best of the atmospheric works made you feel you were there, amid the monsters, beholding the dark fairytales as they unfolded around you. This is... about Lilith. And she's sexy. And a demon. And the music is cool. It's fun, it's interesting, it's engaging -- but I feel engaged with, not transported.

And the older stuff was twistedly erotic and darkly naughty. The lyrics pushed the envelope and then shredded it with feminine claws stained with blood and more intimate substances. This harks back to those days in a way Godspeed didn't, but it's less inspired on that score. We're told that sexy things are going on, and yes, some details are explicit, but that wry, spare-you-nothing wit is far less in evidence than it used to be.

I sound like a downer, and I don't mean to. This is a darned good album, and I recommend it highly. It deserves four stars.

I only talk so much about what I found lacking because -- sorry, Dani & crew -- it does not deserve five.

We know you can do it. We admire your endless willingness to experiment. Now get in there and blow us all the hell away.

Genres: Extreme Metal, Gothic Metal, Black Metal, Symphonic Metal

I did not have overly high expectations for this album. Overall, I am not a huge fan of the direction Cradle of Filth took with Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder (although there were many songs I liked from it.) I do enjoy their new melodies and more guitar-driven music, however this album has no variation. First of all, the symphonic instrumentals are missing. I have always enjoyed those both for the music and a break from the intensity. Second, I do not like the drumming. It's just constant blast beats that sound the exact same every single song. I greatly miss Adrian Erlandsson. Finally, just about every song is super fast, relentless action with no break in the pace. It's not that I dislike it, I just don't like it enough to have every song be that structure.

Now, for the positives. Forgive Me Father (I Have Sinned) is one of my favorite CoF songs. The main riff and chorus are catchy, and I enjoy the female vocals. There are three other songs with female vocals and I liked all of them. I also enjoyed the story line; Lilith is a very fitting topic for this band. I liked the keyboards/organs (especially the intro) and am glad Cof has a keyboardist again, but much of Ellyllon's playing is drowned out by the drums.

I rarely listen to the album as a whole, but I like listening to individual songs. The bonus disc is probably my least favorite bonus disc from this band. Usually, they contain covers and songs that stylistically didn't fit into the album. This just has four more songs of the same thing.

Overall, if you're a Cradle of Filth fan and don't absolutely despise their current direction, I think it's worth your money. If you liked Godspeed more than their previous styles, Darkly is probably for you as well.