CRADLE OF FILTH — Midian (review)

Album · 2000 · Gothic Metal

4/5 · 2021-10-02
lukretion

Midian is Cradle of Filth’s fourth full-length album and was released in 2000 on Music for Nations. The band underwent some major line-up changes between their previous LP Cruelty and the Beast and Midian. Old-time drummer Nicholas Barker left and was replaced by Adrian Erlandsson from At The Gates. Guitarist Stuart Anstis was also replaced by Paul Allender, who had recorded Cradle of Filth’s LP before quitting to form the short-lived doom/gothic project The Blood Divine. Meanwhile, Martin Powell from My Dying Bride replaced keyboard player Les Smith who went off to join Anathema. The production team was also changed, after the disastrous sound production of Cruelty and the Beast. This time Cradle of Filth went to Parkgate Studios, Sussex, to record the album under the supervision of producer John Fryer (Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails), who did a great job in giving the album a powerful yet nuanced sound.

All these personnel change are inevitably reflected in a progression in the band’s sound relative to previous releases. Midian is more guitar-driven and less romantic/gothic than Cruelty and the Beast or Dusk … and Her Embrace, perhaps harking back to the heavier and thrashier sound of Cradle of Filth’s debut LP. On the other hand, the symphonic influences are also accentuated considerably on Midian, also thanks to the inclusion of operatic vocals (both male and female) and the use of a cello in a few songs. These changes contribute to give the album a sound that is at the same time more metallic and more nuanced than before. What’s more, it shows that Cradle of Filth are a band that does not easily rest on laurels. Although the previous records had been highly successful, Dani Filth & co were still hungry for pushing boundaries and did not shy away from experimenting with new sounds and bringing in new influences into their sonic palette. Needless to say, this is a characteristic I hugely appreciate in any band and even more in acts that could in principle be satisfied with what they have reached and keep producing the same record over and over again.

Many of the 11 tracks of Midian are fantastic tour-de-forces that showcase the band’s unique sound. After the traditional instrumental prelude, the breakneck pace of “Cthulhu Dawn” makes it immediately clear that Midian is going to be a comparatively heavier affair relative to the gothic romances of Dusk and, to a lesser extent, Cruelty and the Beast. The guitar riffs are massive and thrashy as hell, and are nicely complemented by Martin Powell’s keyboard arrangements, striking a great balance between aggression and melody. The chorus is ominous and ferocious and sticks in your head like a ravenous tick, not because it’s melodically accessible but for its sheer brutality. It’s an approach that the band will repeat on a few tracks that are placed in the first half of the album, like “Saffron’s Curse” and “Lord Abortion”.

The second half of the album is less frenetic and more experimental, and I appreciate it all the more for it. “Amor e Morte” (Italian for “Love and Death”) is an astonishing piece of music that weaves together epic mid-tempos, fast paced sections, operatic choruses, cello melodies and a ton of excellent guitar riffs. It’s a fantastic ride where it is really hard to guess what’s coming next, making this one of the most exciting tracks on the whole record. “Her Ghost in the Fog” is another great song: moody and romantic, it brings back the atmosphere that the band had so successfully mastered on Dusk, turning this into an all-time classic for fans of the band. Another highlight is “Tearing the Veil from Grace”, which starts with one of the best (clean) vocal melodies of the album before descending into a more aggressive mid-section that gives way to a truly majestic finale.

Alongside these strong episodes, the album does contain songs that are slightly less interesting and exciting. I would not call them “fillers”, but tracks like “Death Magick for Adepts” (which, however, sports some tasty Maidenian guitar melodies), “Tortured Soul Asylum”, and “Saffron’s Curse” are a tad too formulaic and repetitive, diluting a bit the overall impact of the record.

Nevertheless, Midian is a very strong record, well-written and well-produced and containing some innovative and experimental songwriting from the band. It does not quite reach the level of majestic splendour of a timeless masterpiece like Dusk … and Her Embrace, but it does get damn close, and it certainly deserves a place among the top 5 releases of the band across their whole career. Highly recommended!