Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 28 October 2008 | |||
Recorded | March–June 2008 at Backstage Studios, Derbyshire, England | |||
Genre | Extreme metal | |||
Length | 71:22 | |||
Label | Roadrunner | |||
Producer |
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Cradle of Filth chronology | ||||
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Singles from Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder | ||||
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Alternate cover | ||||
Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder (subtitled The Life and Crimes of Gilles de Rais) is the eighth studio album by English extreme metal band Cradle of Filth. It was released on 28 October 2008,through record label Roadrunner. [1] [2] [3] It is the band's fourth concept album,after Cruelty and the Beast (1998), Midian (2000),and Damnation and a Day (2003),dealing with the life of the 15th-century French baron Gilles de Rais.
The album was produced by Sabbat guitarist Andy Sneap,who had previously worked with Cradle of Filth while mixing the band's 2006 album, Thornography . Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder is Cradle of Filth's first album as a four-piece,rather than its usual six-man staple. It is also the last album to feature backing vocalist Sarah Jezebel Deva (although she briefly returned for Midnight in the Labyrinth in 2012) and the first to feature drummer Martin Škaroupka,replacing Adrian Erlandsson.
The band's official message boards revealed parts of an interview with guitarist Paul Allender,conducted by Média Matin Québec:"We already have four new songs ready and I have to say that they are... much faster than the songs on Thornography. [They] sound like old Cradle of Filth... A mixture of Midian and Dusk... ." The interview goes on to state that the album will be followed by a European and American tour. Dani Filth has described the album as,"our most extreme,dramatic and deeply disturbing album to date. The legend of Gilles de Rais has been given fresh,vampyrical life in this conceptual meisterwerk,swathed in pitch-black magic and a viciousness unsurpassed in the annals of Cradle history. Screw what our detractors say,everyone who has heard this album has bruised their jaws on the pentagram-bejewelled floor." [4]
In an interview with Blistering magazine,Filth revealed that three additional songs were recorded during the album sessions,among them an instrumental piece and a cover of Celtic Frost's "Into the Crypts of Rays". [5] On the topic of their absence from the album,Filth has stated that they "were taken out so that the album wasn't too long. They'll turn up somewhere." [5] They were ultimately included on the special edition.
In an interview published in February 2009,Dani talked about Gilles de Rais,and how his story manifests on Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder:
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]
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.
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [19] |
Blabbermouth.net | [20] |
Blistering | [21] |
ChartAttack | mixed [22] |
Chronicles of Chaos | 7/10 [23] |
IGN | 7.2/10 [24] |
Kerrang! | [25] |
Metal Storm | [26] |
PopMatters | [27] |
Terrorizer | [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]
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. | Title | Length |
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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 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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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 Filth | 6:17 |
5. | "Courting Baphomet" | Cradle of Filth | 5:17 |
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 Filth | 6:45 |
10. | "Dusk and Her Embrace" (live at Electric Factory, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 31 October 2007) | Cradle of Filth | 5:46 |
Total length: | 60:20 |
Year | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|
2008 | Finnish Albums Chart | 24 [30] |
German Albums Chart | 37 [31] | |
Australian Albums Chart | 46 [32] | |
Billboard 200 (USA) | 48 [14] | |
Swedish Albums Chart | 49 [33] | |
Ultratop Belgian Chart (Wallonia) | 50 [34] | |
Austrian Albums Chart | 53 [35] | |
GfK Dutch Chart | 53 [36] | |
Ultratop Belgian Chart (Flanders) | 55 [37] | |
Swiss Albums Chart | 56 [38] | |
French Albums Chart | 64 [39] | |
UK Albums Chart | 73 [16] | |
Oricon Japanese Albums Chart | 143 [40] |
Cradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved originally from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic metal and other metal genres. Their lyrical themes and imagery are heavily influenced by Gothic literature, poetry, mythology and horror films. The band consists of its founding member, vocalist Dani Filth, drummer Martin 'Marthus' Škaroupka, bassist Daniel Firth, guitarists Marek 'Ashok' Šmerda and Donny Burbage, and keyboardist Zoe Marie Federoff.
Damnation and a Day is the fifth studio album by English extreme metal band Cradle of Filth. It was released on 10 March 2003 and is Cradle of Filth's only album on a major label, Sony Records, after which they transferred to Roadrunner. It features the one hundred and one-piece Budapest Film Orchestra including the forty-piece Budapest Film Choir. The album is partly based on John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost.
The Principle of Evil Made Flesh is the debut studio album by English extreme metal band Cradle of Filth. It was released on 24 February 1994 through Cacophonous Records, following three demos released between 1991 and 1993. The album's sound is significantly more raw than on subsequent releases, and frontman Dani Filth's vocals differ from his later style and technique. The album is a then-unusual hybrid of gothic metal and black metal. This would be the only album featuring guitarist Paul Ryan and keyboardist Benjamin Ryan; guitarist Paul Allender also left the band at this point, but returned five years later for Midian.
Dusk... and Her Embrace is the second studio album by English extreme metal band Cradle of Filth. It was released on 28 August 1996. and is their first release on the label Music for Nations.
Cruelty and the Beast is the third studio album by English extreme metal band Cradle of Filth, released on 5 May 1998 by Music for Nations. It is a concept album based on the legend of the Hungarian "blood countess" Elizabeth Báthory and features guest narration by actress Ingrid Pitt in-character as Báthory, a role she first played in the Hammer Horror film Countess Dracula in 1971.
Daniel Lloyd Davey, known professionally as Dani Filth, is an English singer who is the lead vocalist, lyricist and founding member of the extreme metal band Cradle of Filth.
Nymphetamine is the sixth studio album by English extreme metal band Cradle of Filth. Recorded between February and July 2004, it was released on 28 September by record label Roadrunner. Nymphetamine marks the first recorded appearance of guitarist James McIlroy on a Cradle of Filth album. He would later record guitar for the band's 2010 release Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa. Nymphetamine is also the band's final album to feature keyboardist Martin Powell.
Midian is the fourth studio album by English extreme metal band Cradle of Filth. It was released on 30 October 2000, through Music for Nations. The album marks the return of guitarist Paul Allender to the band, as well as the introduction of drummer Adrian Erlandsson and keyboard player Martin Powell. It also features Doug Bradley as the narrator for various songs.
Douglas William Bradley is an English actor and author, best known for his role as the lead Cenobite "Pinhead" in the Hellraiser film series and for narration on various Cradle of Filth albums.
Sarah Jane, better known by her stage name Sarah Jezebel Deva, is an English singer. She was the female soprano vocalist for Cradle of Filth for 14 years and the frontwoman of the band Angtoria for 10 years. In 2009, Deva started her self-titled solo project, releasing two studio albums and one EP from 2010 to 2012, and in 2020 announced she would be working with former Angtoria bandmate Chris Rehn on a new project entitled Torn Between Two Worlds.
Paul James Allender is an English guitarist, best known for his work with the English extreme metal band Cradle of Filth. He was a longtime member with stints in the band from 1992 to 1995 and then again from 1999 to 2014.
Bitter Suites to Succubi is the third EP by English extreme metal band Cradle of Filth. It was released on 22 May 2001, through the band's own Abracadaver label.
Dave Pybus is an English extreme metal musician, best known as the former bass player of Cradle of Filth.
Thornography is the seventh studio album by English extreme metal band Cradle of Filth. It was released on 17 October 2006, by record label Roadrunner. It was produced by former Anthrax guitarist Rob Caggiano, engineered by Dan Turner and mixed by Andy Sneap, and once again features narration by Doug Bradley. It is Cradle of Filth's second album as a five-piece, as keyboardist Martin Powell left the band in 2005. This would also be the band's final album to feature drummer Adrian Erlandsson, and the only full-length to feature guitarist Charles Hedger.
Cradle of Filth was formed in Suffolk, England, in 1991. The band's original members consisted of vocalist Dani Filth, guitarist Paul Ryan, keyboardist Ben Ryan, bassist John Pritchard and drummer Darren Gardner. With this line-up, Cradle of Filth recorded a demo in 1992, titled Invoking the Unclean. Soon after, they recorded their second demo, Orgiastic Pleasures Foul with new guitarist Robin Eaglestone and new drummer Was Sarginson. Robin left the band shortly afterwards, but following the departure of John Pritchard, Eaglestone returned to take his place as bassist. Guitarist Paul Allender joined the band at the same time. Following these changes, another demo was recorded, titled Total Fucking Darkness. Sarginson left the band soon after, paving the way for the entry of drummer Nick Barker.
Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa is the ninth studio album by English extreme metal band Cradle of Filth. It was released on 1 November 2010 by record label Peaceville and is a concept album centred on the demon Lilith. It is Cradle of Filth's only album to feature keyboardist Ashley Ellyllon, and is also the band's final album with Dave Pybus as their bass player and James McIlroy as their second guitar player.
Total Fucking Darkness is the third demo by English extreme metal band Cradle of Filth, recorded in 1992 and released commercially in remastered form in 2014. The remastered release includes "Spattered in Faeces", the only surviving track from the band's abandoned first album Goetia, along with four tracks recorded at a rehearsal session in October 1992.
The Manticore and Other Horrors is the tenth studio album by English extreme metal band Cradle of Filth. It was released on 29 October 2012 in Europe and on 30 October in USA. It is the band's only album as a three-man group rather than its six-man staple. It was also the last release with Paul Allender on guitar, who departed the band for a second time in April 2014.
Hammer of the Witches is the eleventh studio album by English extreme metal band Cradle of Filth. It was released on 10 July 2015 and is their first release under record label Nuclear Blast. Hammer of the Witches features the band's new line-up following the departure of Paul Allender and James McIlroy, which includes new guitarists Marek 'Ashok' Šmerda and Richard Shaw and new keyboardist and female vocalist Lindsay Schoolcraft.
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