Cryptoriana – The Seductiveness of Decay

Cryptoriana – The Seductiveness of Decay
Studio album by
Cradle of Filth
Released22 September 2017
RecordedDecember 2016 – April 2017[1][2]
StudioGrindstone Studios (Suffolk, England)[3]
GenreExtreme metal
Length52:53
LabelNuclear Blast
ProducerScott Atkins
Cradle of Filth chronology
Hammer of the Witches
(2015) 		Cryptoriana – The Seductiveness of Decay
(2017) 		Existence Is Futile
(2021)
Singles from Cryptoriana – The Seductiveness of Decay
  1. "Heartbreak and Seance"
    Released: 11 July 2017
  2. "You Will Know the Lion by His Claw"
    Released: 8 August 2017
  3. "Achingly Beautiful"
    Released: 15 September 2017
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic77/100[4]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]

Cryptoriana – The Seductiveness of Decay is the twelfth studio album by English extreme metal band Cradle of Filth. It was released on 22 September 2017 through Nuclear Blast Records.[3] It is the second and final album to feature Lindsay Schoolcraft on narration before her departure in February 2020.[6]

Background and promotion

Dani Filth said the album "is deeply infused with Victorian gothic horror and thus the title is a reflection of that. 'Cryptoriana' implies the Victorians' infatuation with the supernatural, the grave and the ghoulish. And the subtitle, 'The Seductiveness of Decay', further cements this attraction to death and the glittering lengthy process of self-annihilation".

The first promotional single, "Heartbreak and Seance", premiered alongside an accompanying music video on 11 July 2017.[7]

The second single, "You Will Know the Lion by His Claw", premiered together with a lyric music video on 8 August 2017.[8]

The third single, "Achingly Beautiful", was also released in conjunction with a lyric video on 15 September. Vocalist Dani Filth stated the single "has a very old-school Cradle vibe" and compared it to the song "A Gothic Romance" from the album Dusk and Her Embrace.[9]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Exquisite Torments Await..."2:15
2."Heartbreak and Seance"6:24
3."Achingly Beautiful"7:02
4."Wester Vespertine"7:24
5."The Seductiveness of Decay"7:38
6."Vengeful Spirit" (featuring Liv Kristine)6:00
7."You Will Know the Lion by His Claw"7:22
8."Death and the Maiden"8:48
Total length:52:53
Digipack, digital and vinyl version
No.TitleLength
9."The Night at Catafalque Manor"7:31
10."Alison Hell" (Annihilator cover)5:01
Total length:65:25

Personnel

All information from the album booklet.[10]

Cradle of Filth

  • Dani Filth – lead vocals, lyrics
  • Martin 'Marthus' Škaroupka – drums, keyboards, orchestration, choir vocals, score arrangements, choir and soprano arrangements
  • Daniel Firth – bass
  • Lindsay Schoolcraft – narration
  • Richard Shaw – guitars
  • Marek 'Ashok' Šmerda – guitars

Additional musicians

  • Liv Kristine – vocals on "Vengeful Spirit"
  • Linda Nepivodova – choir and alto vocals
  • Lucie Korinkova – choir, alto and soprano vocals
  • Petr Janovsky – choir and bass vocals
  • Vit Starka – choir and bass vocals
  • Miloš Makovský – choir vocals
  • Martin Franze – choir and baritone vocals, artistic leader
  • Dana Toncrová – choir and soprano vocals
  • Ivan Nepivoda – choir and tenor vocals
  • Jakub Herzan – choir and tenor vocals

Production

  • Chris Schäfer – engineering
  • Arthur Berzinsh – artwork
  • Scott Atkins – producer, engineering, mixing, mastering
  • Roman Jez – engineering
  • Igor Mores – engineering
  • Flame Hel – photography
  • Dan Goldsworthy – layout

Charts

Chart (2017) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[11] 53
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[12] 20
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[13] 35
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[14] 42
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)[15] 17
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[16] 111
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[17] 8
French Albums (SNEP)[18] 110
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[19] 15
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[20] 32
Scottish Albums (OCC)[21] 31
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[22] 24
UK Albums (OCC)[23] 50
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[24] 14
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[25] 15

References

  1. ^ "CRADLE OF FILTH To Begin Recording New Album In December". Blabbermouth.net. 12 October 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  2. ^ "Vocals finished for Cradle of Filth's 12th studio album!". Blabbermouth.net. 25 March 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  3. ^ a b "CRADLE OF FILTH to release 'Cryptoriana - The Seductiveness of Decay' Album in September". Blabbermouth.com. 16 June 2017. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  4. ^ "Reviews and Tracks for Cryptoriana: The Seductiveness of Decay by Cradle of Filth". Metacritic. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  5. ^ "Cryptoriana: The Seductiveness of Decay - Cradle of Filth". allmusic.com. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  6. ^ "CRADLE OF FILTH Parts Ways With Keyboardist Lindsay Schoolcraft". Metal Injection. 12 February 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  7. ^ "Video Premiere: CRADLE OF FILTH's 'Heartbreak And Séance'". Blabbermouth.com. 11 July 2017. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
  8. ^ "CRADLE OF FILTH: Lyric Video For New Song 'You Will Know The Lion By His Claw'". Blabbermouth.com. 8 August 2017. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  9. ^ "CRADLE OF FILTH: Official Lyric Video For New Song 'Achingly Beautiful'". Blabbermouth.com. 15 September 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  10. ^ (2017). "Cryptoriana – The Seductiveness of Decay liner notes". In Cryptoriana – The Seductiveness of Decay [CD booklet]. Nuclear Blast.
  11. ^ "ARIA Chart Watch #440". auspOp. 30 September 2017. Archived from the original on 30 September 2017. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  12. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Cradle of Filth – Cryptoriana - The Seductiveness of Decay" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  13. ^ "Ultratop.be – Cradle of Filth – Cryptoriana - The Seductiveness of Decay" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  14. ^ "Ultratop.be – Cradle of Filth – Cryptoriana - The Seductiveness of Decay" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  15. ^ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 39.Týden 2017 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  16. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Cradle of Filth – Cryptoriana - The Seductiveness of Decay" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  17. ^ "Cradle of Filth: Cryptoriana-The Seductiveness of Decay" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  18. ^ "Lescharts.com – Cradle of Filth – Cryptoriana - The Seductiveness of Decay". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  19. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Cradle of Filth – Cryptoriana - The Seductiveness of Decay" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  20. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2017. 39. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  21. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  22. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Cradle of Filth – Cryptoriana - The Seductiveness of Decay". Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  23. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  24. ^ "Cradle of Filth Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  25. ^ "Cradle of Filth Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 October 2017.