Deftly executed--and we do mean executed--riffs and massive yawps lift this British death-metal outfit to the high ranks of the genre, but it's a deep immersion in macabre myths that really set them apart. Because loud music can only be so scary, but evil tales are the stuff of nightmares.
These are heady days for those of us who wear our devotion to metal like a badge of honour. The deafening beast of the dark depths has lived to roar and rampage again and the scene has never been in a happier or healthier state. But don't be deceived. Metal never really went away. In fact, its current fortitude stems entirely from the bands that never surrendered; those brave, liquor-soaked men whose total disregard for the vagaries of fashion and finance kept them glued to the grindstone through metal's mainstream wilderness years. Now, as seems wholly fitting, the greatest of these are finally reaping their rewards and hitting new creative peaks as they surge unstoppably onwards and upwards. And, as it was in the beginning, so shall it be in 2006. (continued on cradleoffilth.com)