Cradle Of Filth

Cradle Of Filth’s Australian tour starts next week and there’s plenty for fans to get excited about with fans being able to hear live songs off the relatively new album Cryptoriana – The Seductiveness Of Decay. Bass player Daniel Firth answers a few questions about the tour for Hi Fi Way: The Pop Chronicles.

Congratulations on the release of Cryptoriana – The Seductiveness of Decay. What’s the feeling like when you know it’s done and dusted and you can’t do anything further?
Thank you! It’s a great feeling to finally finish a project that you’ve invested so much time and effort in. Knowing that it can’t be altered from that point might sometimes be worrisome, but we were very thorough in our preparations going in to the recording, plus we have a very attentive producer in Scott Atkins. He wouldn’t let anything sub-par make it on to the finished album, and we were all very happy with the results.

What did you think when you played the final mix back for the first time?
I was blown away when I first heard the final mix. Scott made it sound absolutely huge, and did a great job of balancing the many different parts. It’s a busy album, so that was no mean feat. That initial listen was also the first time I heard everyone’s best performances put together as one, so that was very enjoyable.

How do you see the difference between Cryptoriana – The Seductiveness of Decay and Hammer Of The Witches, and what influences that change sonically between albums?
I think they actually tread quite similar ground, musically. We approached the writing in much the same way, and I see Cryptoriana as being a more dense and refined sister album to Hammer. I think most bands are reluctant to repeat themselves though, and there were certain things we consciously decided on doing to mix things up with Cryptoriana. We added in the live choir, which Martin expertly took charge of, and eschewed the usual orchestral album opener in favour of a short, full band track. When it comes to the next album though, we intend approach it from a completely different angle altogether. We haven’t quite decided what form this will take yet, but we have some exciting ideas floating about.

Have you been stoked by the fan reaction to the album?
The fan reaction has been excellent, so we’re pleased about that. With Cradle having such a diverse back catalogue, deciding what the band represents in modern times is largely down to our own interpretations and preferences, so we’re glad that our vision in this regard has struck a chord with a majority of the fans.

What was the thought process behind the awesome Annihilator cover of Alison Hell?
It was Dani’s idea to cover Alison Hell, and he’s wanted to do it with Cradle for years. We were all fans of the song though, and agreed it would work well as a cover. Jeff Waters was actually in touch with Dani after hearing it, and said something along the lines of it being the best Annihilator cover he’s heard. That’s about the highest praise we could have hoped for!

Are there plenty of ideas floating around for album thirteen and where you might take it?
There are already ideas floating around indeed. I think most of us have riffs and the like waiting in the bank, so it’ll be a case of deciding what direction the album will take and how we intend to bring the best of those ideas together. Personally, I’d like to take a more concise song writing approach, but with a unifying theme across the album.

Is Australia the best place on Earth to tour?
I love touring Australia. I’ve only been there once before, back in 2013, and had an amazing time. The fans were really appreciative and everyone was very friendly. Having unfortunately missed out on visiting the country when touring Hammer, we’re all very excited to be making it there this time. More than one member has mentioned that they’re dying to hold a koala.

With an expansive back catalogue how are you going to fit everything in?
You’ve hit on a real problem that we’re facing these days. When we came up with the first draft of our set list for this touring cycle it was easily two hours long, and had to be trimmed down. We want to represent every era of the band’s long existence, but it’s also important that we showcase the new material. I think we’ve struck a pretty good balance on this tour, except that we could be playing more from Cryptoriana. However, with the 20th anniversary of Cruelty and the Beast being this year, and a remix and remaster being released, we felt it was necessary to give some extra time to that album as well. It’s tough, but also good that we’re so spoilt for choice. I think we already have a few neglected gems in mind for adding to the next set list. I certainly do!

With a thirty year anniversary approaching is there much planned there in terms of celebrations?
There hasn’t been much specific talk about 30th anniversary celebrations. ‘An Evening with Cradle of Filth’ might allow us to overcome our setlist woes and finally do a show that faithfully represents the whole back catalogue, but it’s more likely that we’ll continue to tour in support of new albums. Also, I wouldn’t be surprised if Dani would rather not dwell on the fact that the band will soon be 30 years old!

Interview by Rob Lyon

Catch Cradle Of Filth on the following dates…