To some people, Cradle of Filth may seem shocking: For more than 20 years, the English heavy metal band has been using deliberately inflammatory imagery (including merchandise with slogans not fit for print here) to get audiences’ attention, and it’s paid off with controversy and outrage, but also with a lengthy, successful career and a devoted fan base. Led by singer-songwriter Dani Filth, Cradle released its debut album, The Principles of Evil Made Flesh, in 1994, and while the rest of the lineup is ever-changing, Filth has remained as the group’s mastermind, with ever-increasing ambitions for Cradle’s music.
The band that started out playing black metal has embraced gothic and symphonic elements for an expansive sound, and Filth has penned several concept albums, starting with 1998’s Cruelty and the Beast, based on the life of Countess Elizabeth Báthory. The band’s most recent album, 2015’s Hammer of the Witches, was inspired in part by the Malleus Maleficarum, a medieval treatise detailing the discovery and prosecution of witches. Cradle’s live performances are just as intricate as its music, with elaborate costumes and stage design. To some it may seem shocking, but to fans, it’s all part of the show.
