Cradle of Filth is not a band I normally have much interest in, and I would have never listened to this album had I not heard a fair amount of hype surrounding it. I've never really had a problem with their music, but I do find their absurd image pretty offensive. That said, while this album doesn't depart radically from their more recent work, there is quite a bit to enjoy here.
The band has apparently been going through lineup changes out the wazoo, with this new album featuring the first appearances of two (!) new guitarists as well as female vocalist/keyboardist Lindsey Schoolcraft. Without knowing anything about the internal politics of the band (although I imagine it's the Dani Filth show 24/7), I'm willing to credit these new additions with something of a revitalization of the band's sound, which has certainly stagnated ever since they definitively shifted from black metal to some vaguely marketable black-metalish hybrid. Their last album in particular was boring as all hell. This, however, manages to be generally not boring, although it does fizzle out a bit towards the end. Schoolcraft, in particular, shakes things up in a welcome way; her vocals are mercifully underused, making her appearance consistently surprising and attention-grabbing. She's also credited with playing the harp, which I guess makes her some kind of goth Joanna Newsom???
But the cheese. Oh god the cheese. The album starts up with cheesy bombast from the opening track and doesn't really let up. I had forgotten that this band was this cheesy. Not that I mind cheese, in principle, but this band really does overdo it. The lyrics are pure goth word-salad, the use of the word 'bodice' in particular being a real giggle-grabber. Some people don't like Dani Filth's vocals, which come out in a tortured, if maybe a bit weak-sounding, shriek, but I found them generally quite engaging in this case. The combination of Dani's shriek and Schoolcraft's clean vocals reminds me somehow of (gasp!) Peste Noire, albeit without the artistic integrity or creepy fascist undertones. No one tell Dani Filth, he'll start going for 'Nazi sheik', and god knows we don't need that.
Musically, the album is serviceable. No really standout riffs, but the band's new guitar duo do seem to bring them on thicker and heavier than on their last couple albums, which is always good. One standout track is 'Deflowering the Maidenhead, Displeasuring the Goddess', which seems to be about global warming (!?!), although it's hard to tell underneath the goth word-salad. Schoolcraft's vocals come in for a nice chorus type thing, and the whole band sounds like it actually cares! Imagine that. Serious bonus points for incorporating the word 'bodice' in to a song about global warming, as well.
If you've ever been a Cradle of Filth fan, then I think you'll find a lot to like on Hammer of the Witches. Then again, I've never been a Cradle of Filth fan, so I may be talking out of my ass. In fact, if you can stand listening to an album made by a bunch of people that look in all earnestness like the goth from The IT Crowd, then I think the average black metal fan could even find something to enjoy on this album. The art is pretty cool too. Just don't look at the band photos. Oh god the horror.
3 impeccably applied corpse-paints out of 5
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