There's no words describing the tremendous amount of feeling pouring from a Cradle of Filth song. The lyrics are intense, the music is larger than life.
Singer and songwriter Dani Filth turned to 19th century gothic literature for inspiration, at times even emulating the work of masters such as Edgar Allen Poe. Despairing vengeful lovers, beautiful maidens, a touch of moonlight... Dark Romanticism at its finest hour.
Musically speaking, Cradle of Filth are simply the best band in the world. Since their debut in 1994, I'm still waiting for their first false note. I know there's people who think otherwise, but I consider each and every album to be a masterpiece. The only thing to be regretted is the commercial image the band has come to be branded with. But Cradle of Filth stand just as firmly at the helm of the dark metal universe as they did ten years ago.
The black metal grandeur of The Principle of Evil Made Flesh, the spine chilling atmosphere of Vempire and Dusk and Her Embrace and the unique sound of Cruelty and the Beast, they laid the foundation for the band's recognition by a wider audience.
Midian, although spit out by so called 'true' black metal adepts, still bears the unmistakable mark of genius. Damnation and a Day, then, is profused with grand biblical imagery, an anti-testament in glorification of a darker deity. Although having nothing more to prove, Cradle of Filth still try to surpass musical expectations with every step they take. The sound has become slightly heavier, something that is also apparent on the previous album, Nymphetamine. Their latest effort, Thornography, although lacking the trademark spinechiling howls, is still constructed around solid guitarwork and poetic lyrics.

In its long and unholy history, the band has gone through numerous changes. With frontman Dani as the ever-present and beating black heart of Cradle of Filth, other band members have come and gone. But at any given time, the band has always been a union of kindred spirits. At present, the two guitarist are Paul Allender and Charles Hedger, on bass there's Dave Pybus and behind the drums resides Adrian Erlandsson. Background vocals are courtesy of Sarah Jezebel Deva. On the title track of Nymphetamine, there's also the additional enchantment of the angelic voice of former Theatre of Tragedy's Liv Christine.

In conclusion, I would like to devote a few words to the idea behind this website. In earlier days, I felt there was much information to be found on the net, but always more or less in a scattered manner. Different fansites would have only a few pictures available, so I wanted to bring them all together on one site. I realize of course that by now this is not that much of an issue any more.
Since I've studied English literature, I have always been impressed with Dani's lyrical talent, maybe more so than the next fan. Because I felt a lot of this poetic gold was - and probably is - taken for granted, I wanted to zoom in on this. Not only did I try to explain the use of mythology and the obvious quotations from literature, I also tried to translate many of the lyrics. Since I'm from Flanders, this was done in Dutch. I immediately have to admit that this undertaking has a downside as well. Although it may enhance understanding of the story behind the songs, translation is also devastating for the original splendour of the text. Furthermore, some parts containing playful constructions in the English language, are inevitably lost in the process. But I hope none the less that my translation serves somes purpose in the end.
In a special section of the site, I have also inserted poetic work from myself and - for the most part - 19th century masters.

Joeri