Cradle of Filth : " Hammer of the Witches" review & Video for "Right Wing of the Garden Triptych"

I think the argument as to if Cradle of Filth is still a black metal band has been long buried and we have accepted they are like Dragon Force for Halloween. They throw around more thrashy/power metal riffs than black metal ones. It just happens that Dani Filth is singing and not some dude trying to mimic Helloween. The keyboards and symphonic elements aren't up in your face as heavily on the first few songs. For the most part " Enshrined in Crematoria" is a more tightly written song than the opener. The parts that do have some what of a blast to them don't hold the same kind of menace as they do when delivered by a real black metal band. The guitar players shredding has improved. The symphonic element do not take the spot light until midway into "Deflowering the Maidenhead". Some of Dani's shrieks seem awkward in their placement toward the end of the song.

The Andrew Loyd Weber carries over into "Practicing the Blackest Majick". His vocals seem to work better in the lower range it sounds like he more control over his voice there. This is the first song that I would say goes above dialing it in from a songwriting perspective. There is a pretty cool bass break and the thrashing riffs that follows actually strikes me as heavy. The title track slows it down into a more convincing chug, with the last minute and a half being the most interesting part, leaving the first five minutes to wade in luke warm riffs. The intro of " Right Wing of the Garden Triptych" sounds promising if not like Nightwish. Then they rely on speed which is always what they have done to some extent, here it is more obvious. The slowed bridge that sounds more like Dimmu is one of the albums best moments, but then again it might just be time for another Dimmu album, which they started in March and are shooting for an end of the year release.Aside from a few touches on "Vampyre at My Side"They really don't indulge their more Gothic side on this album, int fact that is played down in favor of the metal.

"Onward Christian Soldiers" is not the gospel camp fire song, as surprising as this may be. It does have a better groove than most of the songs here find. Then come the bonus tracks which I'll go ahead and count as part of the album as with the interludes it will make it ten songs and that makes it easier for me to score. "King of the Woods" speeds along. The best part of the song starts when the lower vocals come in before the bass break, other wise there are some parts that are too power metal,this would be really heavy Kamelot album, but for this band it's stepping in a much more mainstream meta direction. "Misericord" is one of the albums best moments not sure why it was relegated to a bonus track.

I know for a fact I can hold out til the new Dimmu and don't need this on my iPod. They get credti for becoming both better song writers and musicians its just a shame they couldn't attempt that as a black metal band. I'll around it up to an 8 as it does what the band set out to do.