Cradle of Filth
Midnight in the Labyrinth


1.5
very poor


Release Date: 2012 | Tracklist

Review Summary: As much as I hate to say this, it might be time for Cradle to call it a day.

There have been plenty of ups and downs when looking back on the career of the British black metal band Cradle of Filth. Starting out as a brutal death metal band in 1991, then changing their style to a more symphonic black metal with their debut album, The Principle of Evil Made Flesh, in 1994 all the way up to their current extreme metal sound. Let's just say over the recent years, the respect for Cradle has been declining into the depths of hell. I for one have always been one to defend them, and they're still my favorite band to this day, but even I can't defend what they've done here on Midnight in the Labyrinth.

For some odd reason, probably money, Dani Filth has decided to recreate a total of 19 tracks from the band's first four releases, The Principle of Evil Made Flesh, Vempire, Dusk and Her Embrace, and Cruelty and the Beast. Why he would want to take 19 songs, most of them some of the best Cradle of Filth songs to date, and completely butcher them like this is beyond me. First of all, this is a purely orchestral album. That may sound kind of appealing and interesting, but believe me, it runs the names of some of these originally amazing songs right into the ground. They just don't work in a purely orchestral setting. It completely takes away the emotions and atmosphere that these songs once had and just makes for over two hours of a snoozefest. There's honestly not one redeeming quality about this two-disc album.

The first disc features spoken word parts from both Dani Filth and former female vocalist for the band Sarah Jezebel Deva. They would've been better off leaving the first disc purely instrumental like the second disc because they both sound, for lack of a better word, awful. Both Dani and Sarah sound as if they're just uninterested in what they're doing and that just makes the album ten times more boring than it was to begin with. They absolutely destroy songs such as A Gothic Romance (Red Roses for the Devil's Whore) and Funeral in Carpathia just because of the monotonous voices.

Like I mentioned before, disc two is a purely instrumental album. And while it doesn't have the horrid "vocals" of Dani and Sarah, it still suffers from the monotony of the first disc. They sound as if they're just putting the songs through the motions and the people in the orchestra sound as uninterested as Dani and Sarah were. Both discs will have you wondering when this madness is going to stop, and honestly, you'll be lucky to get through half of one disc, let alone both of them.

Overall, this is by far the worst thing I've ever heard and until now, I've never been ashamed to be the one to say I'm a Cradle of Filth fan, but Midnight in the Labyrinth really makes me question whether or not I want this band to continue on. If the next studio album (due out in October of this year) is as bad as this, I'm gonna lose all hope in Cradle of Filth. If you're someone who hates this band already, you need to stay as far away from this as possible, unless you want another reason to make fun of them, because this is well worthy of the heckling.



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user ratings (45)
2.4
average

Comments:Add a Comment 
Hawks
April 23rd 2012


93944 Comments

Album Rating: 1.0

Yes, Hawks giving his beloved Cradle of Filth a 1.5 rating. It's true.

MMX
April 23rd 2012


5021 Comments


Are you feeling ill?

Tyrael
April 23rd 2012


21108 Comments


why are you stealing my ideas

i said they should call it quits in my soundoff :[

Hawks
April 23rd 2012


93944 Comments

Album Rating: 1.0

@ MMX: I am now.

@ Ty: Not stealing ideas. I didn't say they should, I said if they continue this THEN they should.

Tyrael
April 23rd 2012


21108 Comments


pos

Willie
Moderator
April 23rd 2012


20311 Comments


As much as I hate to say this, it might be time for Cradle to call it a day.
You're basing this on an orchestral album? Seems kind of a dumb time to decide that since it's, you know, not an actual new album. If their new album sucks then say that all you want, but it just seems like a dumb time to make that decision.

Dreamflight
April 23rd 2012


2286 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

Even if this is as bad as you're saying (and it probably is), I see this record as a band having fun with some old tunes, just like Anathema and MDB did last year. it's no big deal imo.

Hawks
April 23rd 2012


93944 Comments

Album Rating: 1.0

pos


Haha thanks buddy. :]

You're basing this on an orchestral album? Seems kind of a dumb time to decide that since it's, you know, not an actual new album. If their new album sucks then say that all you want, but it just seems like a dumb time to make that decision.


I'm basing it more on the decision to even make a stupid album like this. This was only a move to make more money. At least that's what it seems like to me.

Tyrael
April 23rd 2012


21108 Comments


'You're basing this on an orchestral album? Seems kind of a dumb time to decide that since it's, you know, not an actual new album. If their new album sucks then say that all you want, but it just seems like a dumb time to make that decision.'

Their last EP was terrible too

Hawks
April 23rd 2012


93944 Comments

Album Rating: 1.0

^^^ Yeah that too.

Willie
Moderator
April 23rd 2012


20311 Comments


I'm basing it more on the decision to even make a stupid album like this. This was only a move to make more money. At least that's what it seems like to me.
Like Dreamflight already mentioned, Anathema and My Dying Bride just did orchestral albums over the last few years and no one thought it was
time to quit (even though they both sucked). Emperor did one after Anthems that was terrible and no one thought it was a money grab or time to quit. Samael did one after Passage.... I think you see where I'm going with this.

Their last EP was terrible too
EPs are a chance for the band to fill a time-gap or unload some unused material or, at the very least, write some music without all the pressure.

Hawks
April 23rd 2012


93944 Comments

Album Rating: 1.0

They've been declining for a few years though. I don't think anyone can say that about the bands you've mentioned. Or at least not as much.

ThroneOfAgony
April 23rd 2012


3485 Comments


This looks bad. The album cover is cool though

Hawks
April 23rd 2012


93944 Comments

Album Rating: 1.0

The album cover is cool though


Easily the best thing about this whole album, which is pathetic.

Willie
Moderator
April 23rd 2012


20311 Comments


Their last EP was terrible too
They've actually been getting better, lately. They got better from their debut through Midian. Then they declined from Damnation through Thornography, and they've been getting better again since Godspeed.

Hawks
April 23rd 2012


93944 Comments

Album Rating: 1.0

Ahhhh I don't agree with that. I like Godspeed and Darkly, but I think they're the weakest.

Willie
Moderator
April 23rd 2012


20311 Comments


My opinion is that Thornography is easily their weakest.

Hawks
April 23rd 2012


93944 Comments

Album Rating: 1.0

That's actually my favorite of their post-Midian albums haha.

Tyrael
April 23rd 2012


21108 Comments


Godspeed is zzzzzzzz

Darkly was good (great riffs) but where the orchestral elements were once a great addition to the band they became more of a crutch, which is never a good thing

Hawks
April 23rd 2012


93944 Comments

Album Rating: 1.0

I'm still hoping the new one will be good.



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