Enmore Theatre, Sydney
Friday the 10th of July.
Co-headline tours can be tricky but with this 2023 tried and tested double bill of English extreme metal band Cradle of Filth teaming up with pummeling American metal band DevilDriver, Australian audiences were in for a unique blend of metal sub-genres. Both bands have toured our fine land several times, but with Cradle of Filth last here in the later part of 2024, many of the queue lined up at the venue were sporting a variety of Cradle of Filth adorned garments, to go with the usual array of gothic inspired attire, that sits with the moody, orchestral aspects of the British band’s wide discography. The DevilDriver fans, also in abundance, were more inclined to sport pragmatic, circle pit worthy apparel.
The day of the show coincides with the release date of DevilDriver’s eleventh new album, Strike and Kill, whilst Cradle of Filth’s most recent release behind this tour is their 14th studio album, The Screaming of the Valkyries, released early last year. The latter has also endured some rather public slinging matches initiated from ex-personnel, but that was probably furthest from the minds of those in attendance, eager to capture the theatrical onslaught of frontman Dani Filth’s unrelenting performance, backed by an updated band to meet touring demands.
As lights dimmed, the DevilDriver faithful kicked off the pit within moments of the band starting up the double opening punch of two tracks from The Last Kind Words: “Clouds Over California” and “Not All Who Wander Are Lost” being unleashed on the audience. The current lineup of DevilDriver is of course fronted by the effusive, prowling frontman, and overall musical director, Dez Fafara, flanked by the twin guitar virtuoso duo of Alex Lee and Gabe Mangold, with drummer Davier Ortega Perez atop a drum riser, synchronised with returning bassist Jon Miller.
The odd guitar change for Mangold and Lee saw even heavier riffs, together with higher register soloing excursions, and tradeoffs, whilst Fafara orchestrated many circle pits. His emotive vocal delivery over “Grinfucked” continued into the first couple of DevilDriver album tracks aired this evening, as the pummeling rhythm section and strobed lighting added to the musical intensity. Newest band member, Mangold, employed some subtle wah pedal use but overall, his wide vibrato soloing melded with heavy, fast tremolo picked rhythm passages flawlessly. Only one track from the new album was heard in the set, with new track “Dig Your Own Grave” offering a solid representation of the current DevilDriver sound: a punishing sonic wall, varying in pace, with some fluid guitar soloing interspersed.
The initially atonal and ferocious “Dead in the Water” whipped past at pace, complete with trade-off guitar solos and harmonised parts, followed by the second of three tracks heard from The Fury of Our Maker’s Hand, with Fafara’s grooving “old-school” “Hold Back the Day”, enhanced with red lighting, and Fafara holding the microphone in both hands between pacing the stage in circles. “My Night Sky” offered a partial slower paced reprieve, even some handclaps, before some debatable healthcare industry opinions from Fafara, to introduce a heartfelt cover of AWOLNATION track “Sail”.
Two more DevilDriver album tracks rounded out the tail end of the set, as the bands logo flashed briefly on the backdrop as “Cry for Me Sky (Eulogy of the Scorned)” and “The Mountain” added both groove and hammering riffs in glorious succession. Having dismissed the concept of an encore as a mark of punk music ethos, DevilDriver’s tight one hour set concluded with a fiery rendition of “End of the Line”.
As the changeover for Cradle of Filth took place, the upper portion of artwork for The Screaming of the Valkyries was visible for the backdrop, and at the rear of stage-right, an impressive double kick drum fitted kit sat behind a Perspex sound baffle shield. It dwarfed the stage-left keyboard stand, all of which sat on a raised rear platform that would soon allow Filth, and others to stand between the two rigs, whilst delivering vocals, playing instruments or simply surveying the chaos about to unfold.
Many of the audience returned, some notably more ‘refreshed’ than others, which Filth would later address with a quip as the set progressed that Cradle possibly sounds better to drunk listeners. A requisite piano and orchestral introduction over the PA let the band members take up their stage positions, temporarily with their backs to the audience, as phones were held aloft to capture the moment, as opposed to experiencing it. Cradle of Filth opened their crushing set with two of four tracks heard in this set, from their latest album: the barking, barreling yet sometimes melodic “To Live Deliciously” and the driving, falsetto backed, twin guitar power of “Demagoguery”.
Cradle of Filth’s recent personnel dramas meant two new members in the line-up; namely, a new second guitarist in the capable, flying V sporting Joff Bailey, who peeled off nimble fingered solos, alongside touring keyboardist and soprano backing vocalist Kelsey Peters. The latter wearing a bodice and dress type version of attire that complemented front man Dani Filth’s spiked leather stage clothes, all in black, of course, with usual solid boots and his signature corpse paint makeup. All band members had varied applications of corpse paint, and dusted stage clothing. Filth’s vocal delivery is generally guttural, but with high pitched shrieks and yelps intertwined. For the uninitiated, it can be hard to decipher however many present seemed able to yell some of the lyrics back at Filth.
The live sound mix was top notch, with the instrumentation clear and audible, allowing second guitarist, Donny Burbage’s guitar rhythms and lead playing to soar through the PA, with the bottom end supplied by bassist Daniel Firth sitting perfectly alongside the rapid tom fills and blast beat bursts from drummer, Martin ‘Marthus’ Škaroupka. “Nocturnal Supremacy” saw more drumming and controlled musical chaos that melded into a more direct rhythm figure. Lighting varied between strobes and swathes of colour or white downlights, as the guitarists would sometimes windmill or headbang in unison. Filth would lean back, screaming into his microphone, held in both hands, but maintaining a sound level that wasn’t overbearing, from years of well-honed performance technique.
The third track played from the new album, “Malignant Perfection” was kicked off with bass and keyboards, purple stage lighting, and soon morphed into a melodic extreme metal outing that included tremolo picked rhythms, and Filth jumping on the spot as the song’s pace quickened, and gold lighting colours bounced against windmilling band members, with Burbage’s guitar skills in fine form. Classic album title track from The Principle of Evil Made Flesh gave Bailey the soloing spot as he leaned right back at stage-right, as Filth punched the air with his microphone wielding hand, but mainly stood stop the drum riser platform delivering signature high pitched vocals. As expected, the audience participation in stage diving rapidly increased during the classic material.
“How Many Tears to Nurture a Rose?”, a fast, galloping, gothic tinged, metal guitar filled track from Existence Is Futile was squeezed in, swiftly followed by the operatic, lyrical, keyboard and female vocals rich “Nymphetamine (Fix)”. The fourth track heard from the new album, “White Hellebore” was delivered with symphonic finesse and utmost ferocity. To round out the main set, Cruelty and the Beast classic track “Bathory Aria” was a certain set highlight, combining some theatrical flair, including a blood red shawl adorned by Peters, with the excellent musicianship skills delivered by all members, as the track ebbed and flowed between perfectly executed musical dynamics.
A three-song encore was ushered in by solid white downlights, and some atmospheric smoke. “Gilded C-nt” seemed a vehicle for Filth to utter the obscenity repeatedly with relish, but the musicianship was still evident, and “Cruelty Brought Thee Orchids”, the second track tonight from Cruelty and the Beast was a sensational rendition, with all guitarists standing side by side at stage left, as Filth’s presence and perfected screams drove the track’s delivery. To introduce their final track for the night with Midian classic, “Her Ghost in the Fog” a masked road crew member provided the initial track dialogue as again, Škaroupka’s drumming prowess shone, with falsetto vocals floating effortlessly against the maelstrom of musical onslaught, with moments of guitarists headbanging in unison as Filth belted out his vocal parts, sans his outer leather apparel. As the band thanked the audience, a progressive keyboard and gothic styled piece played over the PA.
Seeing Cradle of Filth on a larger stage, made possible by the combined logistics of adding DevilDriver to the bill as co-headliners, was a masterstroke, and it increased the production quality supplied. Cradle of Filth”s flawless 80-minute set was blindingly good, with a good selection of newer tracks, spaced well with legendary and career defining material. DevilDriver provided a solid and surprisingly fitting addition to a Cradle of Filth tour, that should silence any naysayers. As such, there is no denying the talent of Dani Filth and his influence on extreme metal is vast. Tonight’s performance reinforced his passion for Cradle of Filth’s music by delivering a fantastic live show.
DevilDriver Set List:
Clouds Over California
Not All Who Wander Are Lost
Grinfucked
Meet the Wretched
I Could Care Less
Dig Your Own Grave
Dead in the Water
Hold Back the Day
My Night Sky
Sail (AWOLNATION cover)
Cry for Me Sky (Eulogy of the Scorned)
The Mountain
End of the Line
Cradle of Filth Set List:
Intro
To Live Deliciously
Demagoguery
Nocturnal Supremacy
Malignant Perfection
The Principle of Evil Made Flesh
How Many Tears to Nurture a Rose?
Nymphetamine (Fix)
White Hellebore
Bathory Aria
Encore:
Gilded C-nt
Cruelty Brought Thee Orchids
Her Ghost in the Fog.