Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder

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After Joan of Arc's death, he slid into a life of debauchery, which ended up with him trying to reclaim his fortune through alchemy and witchcraft. This led him to murder and kidnapping. He was eventually arrested by the Catholic Church and tried. It's a great gothic sort of fairytale story, because he's a very pious man at the beginning, turns extremely evil... The story runs concurrently throughout the album, it's not just vague ideas orbiting a main satellite. It's a story, and the narrative is actually taken from trial transcripts that were taken down in secular court at the time of his judgement. [6]

The title of the album derives from a valediction vocalist Dani Filth once used to sign a letter. [5]

Once again, Doug Bradley provides narration for the album (as with Midian , Nymphetamine and Thornography ). The actor Tony Todd had initially been approached, but had quit the recording sessions over discomfort with the material. [7]

Promotion and release

On 21 July 2008, the band revealed the title and track listing of the new album. [8] The track "Tragic Kingdom", was made available for free download by Roadrunner Records on 27 August, [9] while 30-second samples of each track on the album were made available on Amazon.de on 27 September. [10] The track "Honey and Sulphur" was the album's first single, and has been made available for purchase on the iTunes Store. A music video for the song was filmed at the Chislehurst Caves of Kent. [11] [12] In addition, "Midnight Shadows Crawl to Darken Counsel with Life" was available for streaming on the band's official website. [13]

Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder was released on 28 October. The album peaked at number 48 on the Billboard 200 chart, [14] with sales of a little over 11,000 copies. [15] It reached number 73 in the UK Albums Chart. [16] A special edition containing a bonus disc was also released. [17]

A video for "The Death of Love" was released on 31 July 2009. [18] Andy Sneap has mixed a new version of the song for the video.

Critical reception

Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder
Cradle of Filth - Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder.jpg
Cover art by David Ho
Studio album by
Released28 October 2008
RecordedMarch–June 2008 at Backstage Studios, Derbyshire, England
Genre Extreme metal
Length71:22
Label Roadrunner
Producer
Cradle of Filth chronology
Thornography
(2006)
Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder
(2008)
Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa
(2010)
Singles from Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder
  1. "Tragic Kingdom"
    Released: 2008
  2. "Honey and Sulphur"
    Released: 2008
  3. "The Death of Love"
    Released: 2009
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [19]
Blabbermouth.net Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [20]
Blistering Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [21]
ChartAttack mixed [22]
Chronicles of Chaos 7/10 [23]
IGN 7.2/10 [24]
Kerrang! Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [25]
Metal Storm Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [26]
PopMatters Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [27]
Terrorizer Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [28]

Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder has been generally well received by critics. Terrorizer called it "A much more cohesive, consistent and convincing album than Cradle have made for ages... Too samey to justify 71 minutes, but ultimately this is cracking..." [28] Kerrang! called it "Grandiose, epic but still feral... eclipses the relatively weak Thornography... mixes scorching dynamics, atmosphere and overblown theatrics..." [25] Metal Hammer wrote that it "Ticks all the band's usual boxes, while also boasting genuine narrative depth and real emotional resonance... Cradle's heaviest album yet and their strongest set of songs..." [29]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Dani Filth; all music is composed by Paul Allender, Mark Newby-Robson and Cradle of Filth, except where indicated

No.TitleLength
1."In Grandeur and Frankincense Devilment Stirs (instrumental)"2:27
2."Shat Out of Hell"5:03
3."The Death of Love"7:13
4."The 13th Caesar"5:35
5."Tiffauges (instrumental)"2:14
6."Tragic Kingdom"5:59
7."Sweetest Maleficia"5:59
8."Honey and Sulphur"5:37
9."Midnight Shadows Crawl to Darken Counsel with Life"8:58
10."Darkness Incarnate"8:55
11."Ten Leagues Beneath Contempt"4:58
12."Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder"5:36
13."Corpseflower (instrumental)"2:41
Limited Edition bonus disc
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Balsamic and Anathema" 6:05
2."A Thousand Hands on the Maid of Ruin (instrumental)" 8:04
3."Into the Crypt of Rays" (Celtic Frost cover) Thomas Gabriel Fischer 4:10
4."Devil to the Metal"Cradle of Filth6:17
5."Courting Baphomet"Cradle of Filth5:17
6."The Love of Death" (remix) 5:13
7."The Death of Love" (demo) 7:16
8."The 13th Caesar" (demo) 5:27
9."Dirge Inferno" (live at Electric Factory, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 31 October 2007)Cradle of Filth6:45
10."Dusk and Her Embrace" (live at Electric Factory, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 31 October 2007)Cradle of Filth5:46
Total length:60:20

Personnel

Cradle of Filth
Additional personnel
Technical personnel

Charts

YearChartPosition
2008 Finnish Albums Chart 24 [30]
German Albums Chart37 [31]
Australian Albums Chart 46 [32]
Billboard 200 (USA)48 [14]
Swedish Albums Chart 49 [33]
Ultratop Belgian Chart (Wallonia)50 [34]
Austrian Albums Chart53 [35]
GfK Dutch Chart53 [36]
Ultratop Belgian Chart (Flanders)55 [37]
Swiss Albums Chart56 [38]
French Albums Chart64 [39]
UK Albums Chart 73 [16]
Oricon Japanese Albums Chart143 [40]

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