Year: 2021
Total Time: 70:23
Label: Nuclear Blast
The so called ”romantic people” tend to claim that “A great and true love never dies”. UK’s CRADLE OF FILTH is definitely one of them for many of us, I still remember like it was yesterday the impression that the cover of their debut album gave me when I first saw it at the record stores here in Athens back in the day of release, which I of course bought it straight away and loved it from days one. I followed them fanatically until the turn of the century with their top album “Midian” but after that our paths have started to move away from each other. But, who would tell that after so many years we would meet again and those old feelings would sparkle once again. Yes, they did it, our beloved “Vampire freaks” as we used to call them back then, would release a new album which, by its first only playback brings into mind those old glorious days, but with thankfully a modern approach.
“Existence Is Futile” is their 13th but obviously not “an unlucky” record that succeeds their 2017 album “Cryptoriana – The Seductiveness Of Decay”. From the beginning of the album with “The Fate Of The World On Our Shoulders” and “Existential Terror” the bands purposes are clear. The orchestral type, heavy production with all the atmosphere and the choral parts, are composing an audio nightmare that just verifies the title that all existence is futile indeed. All this has started to come to life back in 2019, before the spread of the covid virus, imagine what they would have said now. After those tunes, we get a classic C.O.F. “hit single” called “Necromantic Fantasies” (also the first video) that is mandatory to every album, but still, this one here is of very high quality and power, those keyboards and backing vocals from Anabelle are really taking it to another level and I am pretty sure the chorus will stick in your heads for good.
Onwards the album gets more interesting and even quite impressive after all. While the album continues in the spirit of its two previous ones, thanx to the steady line up, which started as an emergency one because of touring obligations but then the members seemed to hit it off, there is a freshness and robustness in the sound which is full, almost cinematic, but at the same time simple in order not to tire you out, it’s understandable and keeps the listener in vigilance throughout its big playing time since, with the two bonus tracks it lasts more than one hour. The more you listen to it, you will figure out that there are some thrash or techno thrash elements here and there, some power metal parts and of course the theatric aura of the horror leader ALICE COOPER, mostly in the top tune “UIs, Dark Invincible” and elsewhere too. For those who like romance in their lives, there is the black metal ballad “Discourse Between A Man And His Soul” and for the others whose blood is still boiling there are the hyper speed numbers “Crawling King Chaos” and “The Dying Of The Embers”. One extra highlight is that on “Suffer Our Dominion” Doug “Pinhead” Bradley (from the Hellraiser movies) is offering his voice once again, skyrocketing a track that deals with a rather unusual topic form them, the destruction of our planet.
If all of the above are not enough, there are two bonus tracks too, the first one being “Sisters Of The Mist” which is the climaxing of the “Her Ghost In The Fog” trilogy that started with “Midian”, so the end is pretty similar.
So, those of you who are looking for the prophecy and the soundtrack for the upcoming destruction of the world, dressed with high quality music and orchestra, look no more. The CRADLE OF FILTH of 2021 are here, stand strong in their ground and offer us a new album more than worthy of their heavy name and legacy. Long numbers with lots of variety, upheavals, atmosphere and speed, they truly remind us a lot of their early days but thanx to the great job in the production they do not sound like a lousy retro or reunion band, Dani Filth is in great shape and the whole concept is up to date presented with an album title that leaves no space for misinterpretations. So, be sure that existence is futile, we will all going to die!!!
Rating: 8,5/10
Editor: Antonis Livanios
Related Link: CRADLE OF FILTH – Official Page
