Cradle of Filth - Thornography

"Oh my sweet Satan!!! He sings... badly" - my reaction hearing 2006 single "Foetus of a new day kicking".
Cradle of Filth was one of the greatest if not the greatest extreme metal bands. Their music was fusion of Gothic influence and Black metal, but you are probably aware of that. Lyrics screamed (purposely I say screamed, not singed) by Dani Filth set standards for today's gothic scene. After the masterpiece and a peak of CoF career "Midian", they kicked their best musician Gian Pyres leaving quite mediocre guitarist Paul Allender as lead. They recorded unnoticed album "Damnation and a day" which neither smelled or stinked. I didn't hear "Nyphetamine" so i cannot judge but I will write a review of something, that is by CoF fans, the lowest bottom that CoF ever reached. I am off course, speaking of "Thornography", ladies and gentlemen.

Tracklist
1. "Under Pregnant Skies She Comes Alive Like Miss Leviathan" 1:40
2. "Dirge Inferno" 4:53
3. "Tonight in Flames" 5:55
4. "Libertina Grimm" 5:51
5. "The Byronic Man" (featuring Ville Valo of HIM) 5:03
6. "I Am the Thorn" 7:06
7. "Cemetery and Sundown" 5:37
8. "Lovesick for Mina" 7:00
9. "The Foetus of a New Day Kicking" 3:43
10. "Rise of the Pentagram" 7:02
11. "Under Huntress Moon" 6:58
12. "Temptation" (Heaven 17 cover, featuring Dirty Harry) 3:47

Total length: 64:44

Review

After a predictable but promising "Under Pregnant Skies..." into,  comes something so raw and Americanized that resembled Pantera more than Cradle of Filth. Third song comes with some nu-metal staring riff, but  create some classic CoF, but then... fucking singing. Like fucking Disturbed or some of the nu metal stuff.

"C'mon everybody sing with me!!! Tonight in flames ooooo"

...Tonight I want to see this album in flames. Also the song are very look alike. Starting riffs are punk alike and it sounds like when my brother takes the guitar and he never played before. Also songs so far are very predictable. I've came to the fourth song and i am bored. The guitar parts are boring, keyboard is only in the backgound (they don't carry a melody), too raw for CoF. Fifty times repetitive I hear Libertina Grimm. Monotonous and repetitive. This isn't the Cradle of Filth that I've loved. Also Ville Valo cameo is pure shit! Valo voice was so unfitting with the concept of CoF. It sounded like he sung it acapela (w/o music) on his cassette player and they just glued it to the mix although off tune.
"I am Thorn" sounded good for a change. That song sounded like modernized CoF but Cradle of Filth. Not Pantera.
I've heard CoF rip offs that sounded more like CoF than Dani on "Thornografy". Arrangemens are weak, melodies are unworthy, keyboards(the main concept of CoF) not existing.

(Anthelion - Bloody Matrimony (A CoF ripoff))

It wasn't as bad as I expected when i saw two chick half naked on the tank and Dani singing. Album was weak, raw and uninspiring. Also made for US market, which made it distant to European audience with new Disturbed wanna be riffs.
Also my girlfriend, who is eight years younger than me, likes the "Thornography". So, my dislike towards "Thornography" is maybe caused by generation gap. Nevertheless, great bands don't change their sound every time the trend changes.
But in their defence, the new stuff sounds good(f.i "Honey and Sulphur", "Lilith Immaculate"). So there is hope that they still could produce the new "Midian".

Grade 3.1