It’s quite astonishing that fourteen albums and thirty-four years into their career, Goth metal act Cradle of Filth are yet to produce something that could be overwhelmingly described as poor. At the top end of the scale we’ve got classics like Dusk and Her Embrace, Cruelty and the Beast, and Midian but at the other end, it’s more a case of least best, rather than worst with not a single St. Anger in sight. Some bands barely get to release two albums without the first rumblings of discontent but while hardcore black metal fans might still turn their noses up, the fact is that Cradle is as popular now as they’ve ever been. And it’s been that way for years.

All this despite a revolving door of members which has left frontman Dani Filth as the last Englishman standing in a band now best described as international rather than British. One Scot, a pair of Americans, and two members from Czechia make up the rest of Cradle of Filth 2025 but you’d never know it as The Screaming of the Valkyries (Napalm Records) effortlessly continues the band’s natural evolution without ever forgetting its roots.

A looming storm and diabolic chanting mark the entrance to opener “To Live Deliciously,” the song’s repeated refrain answering the question posed by devil goat Black Phillip from 2015 folk horror The Witch. Skilled guitar work from axemen Donny Burbage and Ashok (aka Marek Šmerda) ensure this stands as one of the band’s best opening tracks for years. “Demagoguery” follows with an insistent mid-paced riff and tremolo-picked celerity before the second half builds on another hook-laden melody as it surges towards its dramatic conclusion.

After an initial flurry of speed, “The Trinity Of Shadows” quickly becomes one of the best and most melodic cuts on the record, the band’s love of Iron Maiden making itself known again while Dani goes into lyrical rhyming overdrive. Things slow down a little for the no less powerful “Non Omnis Moriar” (“Not all of me shall die”) a dark ballad which contains more Maiden influences and the superlative vocal talents of Zoe Marie Federoff.

Federoff also features prominently as ‘White Hellebore’ delivers another pulse-pounding stomp and a chorus catchier than the measles. Drummer Marthus (aka Martin Škaroupka) shows off his skills on the multifaceted “You Are My Nautilus” while Daniel Firth‘s bass pulses powerfully below the surface. The damnably catchy “Malignant Perfection” bulges with lascivious lyrics as “Ex Sanguine Draculae” harks back to the band’s earlier years while still delivering a fresh approach. “When Misery Was A Stranger” serves as a fitting climax to the record, another powerful cut bolstered by Federoff’s vocals, huge melodies, and another glorious guitar solo.

If you’ve been tempted into thinking that after three long and eventful decades, Cradle have little left to offer then this album happily proves you wrong. Freshening up their original sound by adding new layers and streamlining other areas makes The Screaming of the Valkyries an essential addition to the Cradle canon. Even its hefty fifty-five minute (oh come on, you should be used to this by now) running time flies by faster than you would imagine aided by a strong mix and muscular production.

While it’s abundantly clear this latest iteration of the band is bursting with talent and creativity, Dani himself deserves to be singled out for special praise here. At over fifty years old, his barbed-wire voice remains as vicious as ever. His screams are still piercingly shrill, his croaks are even croakier, and his lyrics are still every bit as darkly poetic. Bands with only one original member left are usually best avoided but Cradle, as ever, is an exception to the rule.

Buy the album here:
https://lnk.to/CoF-TheScreamingOfTheValkyries

9 / 10
GARY ALCOCK
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