Supports: Infected Rain and Our Last Enemy
Saturday, the 28th of September 2024
Metro Theatre, Sydney
Score: 4 ½ skulls.
As a queue of largely band artwork based black t-shirts stretched down the nearby venue alleyway, it was clear a sold-out metal show was on. To pick the sub-genre though, there was also odd bit of face paint, some tattooed torsos, and the occasional pair of PVC platform boots, dark coloured lipstick, and black nail polish. The Cradle of Filth brigade was out in force and as some rain threatened mascara, nothing was dampening their enthusiasm, albeit shrouded in an attitude of self-inflicted gloom. Still, the setlist promised much, given it had been several years since Cradle of Filth last ventured to our shores, with a prior tour cycle for the 2021 release Existence Is Futile, and a recent live album Trouble and Their Double Lives.
Once inside the venue, the audience quickly took up their preferred viewing spots, possibly unaware that the floor space area was destined to be opened up by circle pit antics many times throughout tonight’s show. Starting things off was Sydney industrial styled extreme metal band, Our Last Enemy, with first track “Wolves of Perigord” receiving audience approval with yells, as the industrial bursts became a wall of sound, pushed by the rhythm section of fingerstyle bassist and backing vocalist Matt Heywood, with drummer Frank Macri perched on a double bass pedal equipped drum kit set up near the keyboard riser, as Cradle of Filth’s full double bass drum kit sat shielded by Perspex screens.
Our Last Enemy launched into a ferocious attack of shimmering cymbals, heavy riffage from imposing looking guitarist Wade Norris, and guttural vocals from frontman Oliver Fogwell. After addressing the crowd, guitar lines took to some high pitched, wah-pedal effected squeals. Next up, a crouching Fogwell jumped up to hammer out the ferocious “Bless the Fall” from As Within So Without EP, complete with synchronised strobe lighting, and post chorus breakdowns after the sonic barrage, which soon built back up for a rhythmic assault.
Cymbals continued to cop a hammering, followed by “Devour the Sun”, another track from the 2012 Wolves of Perigord EP, with moody, harmonics building a more intense groove, sprinkled with a brittle sounding guitar drone figure. Heywood and Norris would swap raised platforms on either side of the further raised central platform. During “Hex Design”, their 2023 single, with an element of hillbilly, Rob Zombie groove, Heywood played alongside and behind Norris, before which Fogwell offered do-si-do and square-dancing jibes to the audience.
Soon enough, “Never Coming Back”, their 2020 single, morphed into an aggressive groove, with the vocal style of spitting venom mixed with spoken aspects, enhancing heavily gated chord attacks, against slower chords over the chorus, as Heywood windmilled, legs apart as he traversed the bass fretboard, and then added backing vocals. Our Last Enemy ended their set with the fast, barraging “10,000 Headless Horses” from their 2010 debut album Fallen Empires, as heavy drums and angry vocals sounded very reminiscent of Pantera’s most abrasive, heaviest material. Solid work, wrapped up tightly in a brisk half hour set.
Infected Rain were next, and this was the first time the Moldovan heavy metal band from Chișinău had toured Australia. The aforementioned side stage drum kit now had some extra, larger cymbals added, and some slight lighting changes made the backdrop of Cradle of Filth’s Hieronymus Bosch inspired artwork became a bit more visible, hinting at things to come.
Lights dimmed as the atmospheric introduction indicated the setlist would be primarily focussing on their latest release Time. “A Second or a Thousand Years” played over the PA, with keyboards, volume swells and rhythmic time-based effects.
On walked the band, with the charismatic vocalist, Elena ‘Lena Scissorhands’ Cataraga taking charge of the stage presence department with ease. Flanked by a very Korn inspired looking guitarist Vadim ‘Vidick’ Ojog and the black leather clad Italian fingerstyle bass powerhouse Alice Lane Pandini, who offered serious grunt with her Overload Achilles headless bass guitar, the drumming of Eugen Voluta was almost understated due to Cataraga’s sheer stage dominance, but the rhythm section was most certainly felt as the band belted out Infected Rain’s brand of newer metal.
“The Realm of Chaos” from the 2022 album Ecdysis offered more down tuned guitar, aggressive harsh vocals plus dynamics in the breakdown parts. The heavily tattooed and flowing dreadlocks adorned Cataraga soon introduced herself and band to the audience, with well spoken, clear English, as the band then unleashed “Pandemonium” from Time, with bass heavy, cymbal smashing and soaring vocals. Tracks of keyboards figures were heard at the slower interlude fake outro part before a reprise of the musical onslaught.
After Cataraga asked, “How the fuck is everybody doing so far? Can we see some movement going? It’s our first time, we’ve got to see it,” a circle pit ensued as they played “Vivarium”, from Time, as the cymbals and bass groove filled industrially driven track kicked in. Cataraga’s higher register vocals shone as it took the track into moodier territory, again, showing the musical dynamics that Infected Rain understood and delivered.
“The Answer is You” offered more fast-paced, barrelling industrial styled metal with the ode to self-reliance enhanced by breakdowns, some atonal female vocals and a mid-song stoppage of sorts as Cataraga instructed the audience to engage in a wall of death, which they did as the song resumed and her vocal delivery worked against Ojog’s muted guitar rhythm figure. Another track from Time, “Dying Light”, saw percussive pick scrapes, melodic keyboard backing tracks and quieter vocals leading into heavier material. Cataraga’s ability to alternate between harsh and clean vocals was impressive, even with a mid-song sit down request to the audience after telling them to jump, after initially saying, “Let’s have fun together, let’s go!” Clearly, Cataraga had won over the audience, and her flexibility was captivating.
“Never to Return” added some atmospheric keyboard parts, higher register vocals and then lower, guttural parts in line with the heavier bass parts. Drum accents worked against a temporary band tacit, as the song dived into heavier sections. A set highlight was “Because I Let You” which took on heavier riffage, cymbals and drum work, followed by quieter breakdown interlude of vocals against a simple keyboards track, whereby Cataraga’s unique vocal vibrato was clear, before the song launched back into the heavy parts, with speedy drum fills against her emotive singing.
To end proceedings, “Sweet, Sweet Lies” from their 2014 album Embrace Eternity, allowed Cataraga to again engage the audience, saying, “Be part of a small tradition we have,” in ending each show with this song, and demanding, “the biggest fucking circle [pit] this place can handle. Run in circles, let’s go. Don’t be a pussy, join the fucking circle!” Sure enough, the audience on the floor area again complied, as the drone like octave guitar riff let Cataraga yell, “Let me see you jump!” She then strode the stage barrier repeating the chorus of, “Is that what you want?” as the guitar feel took on a very Korn styled approach, peppering the down tuned riffs with the odd, quickly squeaked guitar noises, plus harmonics, as a keyboard track filled it out. Cataraga and company thanked the audience for the warm reception, and then advised us that they would do merch booth signings and that “the almighty Crade of Filth is here to kick your ass.”
After the changeover, which is becoming a lot quicker these days given bands adopting the digital amplification route, smoke machines set the mood on the stage, with some eerier lighting, as the evocative artwork peeked through. The stage consisted of various raised platforms, three at the front and a long rear on, with a small mid-section staircase for quick accessibility, that soon became an interchangeable location for mobile musicians in Cradle of Filth. At stage left, there was a keyboard rig, and at stage right, a large drum kit, encased in Perspex, the only indicator of the impact of years of touring on band member’s preservation of hearing needs.
As expected, the introduction music was of course, the original theme music from the legendary Hellraiser horror film, by Christopher Young. The brooding orchestration then segued into “The Fate of the World on Our Shoulders” from Existence Is Futile, as band members took to the stage. Guitarist Marek ‘Ashok’ Šmerda, decked out as Pinhead, aka the Hell Priest and Lead Cenobite from Hellraiser, even brought a film related puzzle box prop to the front of the stage temporarily, before putting it at the foot of keyboardist and female vocalist, Zoë Marie Federoff, who added some vocals to the opening atmospheric track.
Not missing a beat, the band launched into “Existential Terror” from Existence Is Futile, with bassist Daniel Firth locking in with powering drummer Martin ‘Marthus’ Škaroupka, as the song’s black metal feel took flight, with cold guitar sounds from guitarists Ashok and Donny Burbage. Sliding chords and female vocals worked well with frontman Dani Filth signature mixture of high pitched shrieked and guttural bellows as the song took to a half time feel whilst twin guitar work, even with tremolo picking, had an element of Iron Maiden as the song picked up to a double time gallop.
The epic black metal styled “Saffron’s Curse” from Midian showed the talent of the band, with Federoff’s mastery of the song clear, as her vocal delivery floated over Filth’s vocal stylings that sometimes inched towards narration. Some neoclassical keyboard work ushered in guitar lines mirroring the vocals, and the odd well placed plectrum scrape from Ashok. “She is a Fire” from Trouble and Their Double Lives offered more well executed time signature changes and despite the blast beats, again had the Maiden aspect, most notably when the melodic twin guitar soloing moved between harmony lines to trade off solos.
Of course, the outro was ferociously played, shortly following by the title track from The Principle of Evil Made Flesh, but not before Filth addressed the audience making light of the 30th anniversary of the track, with his usual sardonic banter. Blast beats, sliding chromatic chords to tremolo picked rhythm parts, and female vocals which had an almost theremin like quality, then saw more fluid and technique filled guitar soloing with whammy dives, speed runs and sweep picking before more relentless drumming and half barked, half shrieked vocals from Filth continued the onslaught, as was also heard in “Crawling King Chaos”, with Filth very occasionally bouncing up and down on his platformed boots.
It was not until “Nymphetamine (Fix)” from Nymphetamine that a change of pace was felt, offering some relief. Keyboards and vocals against sustained or held guitar chords, plus some harmony figures gave the slower paced track room to breathe. The haunting vibe reinforced by the vocal trade-offs and harmonies between Filth and Federoff, with a simple keyboard figure providing a memorable melody line. The circle pit enthusiasts resumed their antics during the double kick drum fury of “Dusk and Her Embrace” which, even with all the musical intricacy, resembled controlled chaos, as repeated chord phrases melded black metal with punk, before melodic death metal aspects offered counterpoint leading tones, blast beats and an abrupt end.
Making quips about Melbourne and their “godawful football”, Filth and company dedicated the time signature varying “Necromantic Fantasies” to Infected Rain, with Ashok dropping in some whammy bar purrs and dips during one of his more expressive guitar outings within the track. The pace increased again as “Born in a Burial Gown” from Bitter Suites to Succubi took the main set closing track into fast extreme metal territory, even with soprano female vocals and keyboard figures.
The band departed the stage briefly as the encore was introduced with the largely instrumental “A Bruise Upon the Silent Moon” from Damnation and a Day played over the PA. As the ominous soundtrack aspects completed, with a brief dialogue couplet, the band were back in position to rip into subsequent track, “The Promise of Fever”, as fast, sliding chords, tremolo picked rhythms, and blast beats segued into a galloping feel, with the track benefitting from Federoff’s keyboards and vocal works.
“Cruelty Brought Thee Orchids” from Cruelty and the Beast went from opening female dialogue into breakneck paced black metal, as Filth’s poetic lyricism was largely barked, losing some of his unique eloquence in his choice of delivery. Even at double time, there were some power metal styled guitar chords mixed with the tremolo picked extreme metal. Similarly, classic Midian track, “Her Ghost in the Fog”, whilst a full tilt, belting track, had structures in place to keep the band from losing time and turning it into a cacophonous mess. Cradle of Filth’s tight sense of synchronisation is certainly impressive and pulling it off live is not an easy task. Completing their performance with the title track of the From the Cradle to Enslave EP, the speed of the song, soaring female vocals and harmony guitar lines whizzed by with incredible precision, and saw Filth sans an encore specific jacket, revealing a long sleeved, black top with gothic fashion sense.
Ashok handed his plectrum to a fan and closed out his final song parts with tapping runs and climbing whammy dips, reinforcing suspicions of his appreciation of Vai with his guitar mannerisms during the set, indicating substantial musicianship, despite the Pinhead makeup. Hanging this guitar upside down, vertically aloft like a swinging pendulum, the rest of the band took to the front of the stage and bowed to the receptive audience. Cradle of Filth live is an intense experience, but they are unique, and with serious musical pedigree, and interesting lyricism. The tour pretty much sold out across the board, and they rewarded their loyal fans with a vast and varied setlist.
Crade of Filth Set List
Original theme music from Hellraiser
The Fate of the World on Our Shoulders
Existential Terror
Saffron’s Curse
She is a Fire
The Principle of Evil Made Flesh
Crawling King Chaos
Nymphetamine (Fix)
Dusk and Her Embrace
Necromantic Fantasies
Born in a Burial Gown
Encore:
A Bruise Upon the Silent Moon
The Promise of Fever
Cruelty Brought Thee Orchids
Her Ghost in the Fog
From the Cradle to Enslave.