Cradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band from Suffolk. Formed in 1991, the group originally consisted of lead vocalist Dani Filth (real name Daniel Davey), guitarist Paul Ryan, bassist Jon Pritchard, keyboardist Benjamin Ryan (brother of Paul Ryan), and drummer Darren "Daz" Gardner. The band's current lineup includes Filth alongside drummer Martin "Marthus" Škaroupka (since 2006), bassist Daniel Firth (since 2012), guitarists Marek "Ashok" Šmerda (since 2014) and Donny Burbage (since 2022), and keyboardist and female vocalist Zoe Marie Federoff (since 2022).
Cradle of Filth (COF) was formed in 1991 by Dani Filth with Paul Ryan, Jon Pritchard, Benjamin Ryan and Daz Gardner. [1] After recording their first demo Invoking the Unclean, released in January 1992, the group added second guitarist Robin Graves (real name Robin Eaglestone) who debuted on their second demo tape Orgiastic Pleasures Foul. [2] Shortly after its release, Kennedy left and Graves switched to the role of bassist, with Paul Allender brought in to take over on second guitar. [3] The new lineup released Total Fucking Darkness at the end of 1992, after which Gardner left the group. [1] He was replaced by William "Was" Sarginson. [4] During a tour alongside Emperor in 1993, Sarginson was replaced by Nick Barker. [5] Around the same time, the band added Andrea Meyer as their first female backup vocalist. [6]
During the tour with Emperor, COF signed with new label Cacophonous Records. [5] Later in 1993, they recorded their debut full-length album The Principle of Evil Made Flesh , which was released early the next year. [7] After touring throughout 1994, COF recorded their planned second album for Cacophonous in 1995, with Sarah Jezebel Deva (real name Sarah Ferridge) taking over from Meyer and bassist Jon Kennedy joining in place of Graves. [8] However, due to legal disputes the album was not released, and the band eventually parted ways with the label, during which time the Ryan brothers, Allender and Kennedy all left the band. [9] The collection was later released as Dusk and Her Embrace: The Original Sin in 2016. [10] During the autumn, guitarist Stuart Anstis, returning bassist Graves, and keyboardist Damien Gregori all joined. [8]
With their new lineup, COF released V Empire or Dark Faerytales in Phallustein on Cacophonous and Dusk and Her Embrace on Music for Nations in 1996. [9] Gian Pyres (real name Gianpiero Piras) took over as second guitarist during the recording of Dusk and Her Embrace, but did not perform on the album. [8] In the summer of 1997, Gregori was dismissed from the group. [11] He was replaced by Les "Lecter" Smith, who debuted along with Pyres on 1998's Cruelty and the Beast . [12]
During the recording of the EP From the Cradle to Enslave , the band went through several drummer changes – in early 1999, Barker left to join Dimmu Borgir; he was initially replaced by former member Was Sarginson, followed briefly by Dave Kunt (real name Dave Hirschheimer), and finally by Adrian Erlandsson in the summer. [13] In July 1999, after the EP was recorded, Pyres left Cradle of Filth. [14] By October, Stuart Anstis and Les Smith had also parted ways with the group; the former was reportedly sacked, while the latter left. [15] Stuart Anstis passed away in August 2022 at the age of 48. [16] Shortly after their departures, a new lineup was announced including returning guitarists Paul Allender and Pyres. [17] After initially touring with Mark Newby-Robson on keyboards, [13] the band brought in Martin Powell as Smith's permanent replacement. [18]
After the band released Midian in 2000, Bitter Suites to Succubi in 2001 and Live Bait for the Dead in 2002, their next lineup change came in July 2001 when long-term bassist Robin Graves left for "personal reasons". [19] He was replaced by Dave Pybus, initially on a temporary basis but later permanently. [20] [21] Pyres left the group for a second time in August 2002. [22] After the recording of Damnation and a Day , he was replaced by James McIlroy (sometimes credited as "Germs Warfare"). [23]
Nymphetamine was released in 2004, before another string of lineup changes. First, in January 2005, Pybus left the band for "personal reasons". [24] Powell followed in May, claiming similar reasons for his departure. [25] McIlroy also left in August, with Pybus returning on bass and his replacement Charles Hedger taking over the vacated guitar role. [26] The 2006 album Thornography was recorded with former touring keyboardist Mark Newby-Robson, [27] while Rosie Smith handled keyboards on a touring basis. [28] Shortly after the release of Thornography in October 2006, Erlandsson left to focus on his work in two side projects. [29] He was replaced by Martin "Marthus" Škaroupka. [30]
COF's 2008 album Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder was recorded by the core quartet of Filth, Allender, Pybus and Škaroupka (along with Deva), as Hedger had stepped back into a touring only role. [28] Shortly after its release, Deva left the band after a series of altercations with Filth. [31] By the summer of 2009, touring members Hedger and Smith had been replaced by returning guitarist James McIlroy and new keyboardist Ashley Ellyllon (who also handled Deva's vocals), respectively. [32] Ellyllon performed on 2010's Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa , before she was replaced by Caroline Campbell in early 2011. [33] By the time the band started recording The Manticore and Other Horrors in spring 2012, Campbell had left and Pybus had been replaced by Daniel Firth. [1] [34]
During the subsequent promotional touring cycle, in early 2013 COF added Lindsay Schoolcraft as their new keyboardist and second vocalist. [35] She was made an official full-time member the following year. [36] During a co-headlining tour with Behemoth in February 2014, Allender and McIlroy were replaced by Richard Shaw and Marek "Ashok" Šmerda due to "hugely important family matters" and "serious neck surgery," respectively. [37] Upon returning from the tour, the group began working on a new record ahead of schedule, later announcing the departure of Allender in the summer. [38] McIlroy was ultimately unable to return due to ongoing problems with his neck injury, so both replacement guitarists remained in the group. [39] The new lineup released Hammer of the Witches in 2015 and Cryptoriana: The Seductiveness of Decay in 2017. [1]
In February 2020, Schoolcraft announced that she had left COF, writing in an online release that "it was the best thing to do for my well-being and mental health". [40] She was replaced by Anabelle Iratni, who performed on new album Existence Is Futile but was not unveiled until her live debut the following May. [41] On 4 May 2022, Dani Filth announced the departure of guitarist Richard Shaw [42] and keyboardist Anabelle Iratni. At the same time, Donny Burbage joined as the new guitarist with Zoe Marie Federoff as the new keyboard player. [43]
Image | Name (real name) | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
---|---|---|---|---|
Dani Filth (Daniel Davey) | 1991–present | lead vocals | all Cradle of Filth (COF) releases | |
Martin "Marthus" Škaroupka | 2006–present |
| all COF releases from Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder (2008) onwards (except Dusk and Her Embrace: The Original Sin ) | |
Daniel Firth | 2012–present | bass | all COF releases from The Manticore and Other Horrors (2012) onwards (except Dusk and Her Embrace: The Original Sin) | |
Marek "Ashok" Šmerda | 2014–present | guitars | all COF releases from Hammer of the Witches (2015) onwards (except Dusk and Her Embrace: The Original Sin) | |
Donny Burbage | 2022–present | none to date | ||
Zoe Marie Federoff |
|
Image | Name (real name) | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
---|---|---|---|---|
Paul Ryan | 1991–1995 | guitar |
| |
Benjamin Ryan | keyboards | |||
Darren "Daz" Gardner | 1991–1992 | drums |
| |
Jon Pritchard | bass |
| ||
Robin Graves (Robin Eaglestone) |
|
|
| |
Paul Allender |
| guitar |
| |
William "Was" Sarginson |
| drums | From the Cradle to Enslave (1999) | |
Nick Barker | 1993–1999 |
| ||
Andrea Meyer | 1993–1994 (died 2021) | female vocals | The Principle of Evil Made Flesh (1994) | |
Sarah Jezebel Deva (Sarah Ferridge) | 1994–2008 |
| ||
Jon Kennedy | 1994–1995 (died 2023) | bass |
| |
Stuart Anstis | 1995–1999 (died 2022) | guitar | all COF releases from V Empire or Dark Faerytales in Phallustein (1996) to From the Cradle to Enslave (1999) | |
Damien Gregori (Greg Moffitt) | 1995–1997 | keyboards |
| |
Gian Pyres (Gianpiero Piras) |
| guitar | all COF releases from Cruelty and the Beast (1998) to Live Bait for the Dead (2002) | |
Les "Lecter" Smith | 1997–1999 | keyboards |
| |
Adrian Erlandsson | 1999–2006 | drums | all COF releases from From the Cradle to Enslave (1999) to Thornography (2006) | |
Martin Powell | 2000–2005 |
| all COF releases from Midian (2000) to Nymphetamine (2004) | |
Dave Pybus |
|
| all COF releases from Damnation and a Day (2003) to Evermore Darkly (2011) | |
James McIlroy |
| guitar |
| |
Charles Hedger | 2005–2009 (touring only from 2006 onwards) |
| Thornography (2006) | |
Ashley Ellyllon (Ashley Jurgemeyer) | 2009–2011 |
| Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa (2010) | |
Caroline Campbell | 2011–2012 | Evermore Darkly (2011) | ||
Lindsay Schoolcraft | 2013–2020 |
| ||
Richard Shaw | 2014–2022 | guitars | all COF releases from Hammer of the Witches (2015) to Trouble and Their Double Lives (2023) | |
Anabelle Iratni | 2020–2022 |
| Existence Is Futile (2021) |
Image | Name (real name) | Years active | Instruments | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
Danielle Cneajna Cottington | 1994–1998 (session only) | backing vocals | Cottington appeared as a featured backing vocalist on a string of studio recordings in the 1990s. [3] | |
Rishi Mehta | 1994 (touring only) | guitar | Mehta, who was also the band's manager, briefly performed with Cradle of Filth in 1994. [44] | |
Bryan Hipp (as "Jared Demeter") | 1994–1995 (touring only) (died 2006) | Hipp and McGlone each performed on tour, portraying the character "Jared Demeter". [3] [45] | ||
Paul McGlone (as "Jared Demeter") | 1996 (touring only) | |||
Dave Kunt (Dave Hirschheimer) | 1999 (session only) | drums | Hirschheimer took over from Was Sarginson for a brief period, before Adrian Erlandsson joined. [3] | |
Darren Donnarumma (as "Jared Demeter") | 1999 (touring only) | guitar | Donnarumma performed at several shows in 1999, after the departure of Gian Pyres. [3] | |
Mark Newby-Robson |
| keyboards | Newby-Robson took over briefly from Les Smith, [13] and later became a studio contributor. [27] | |
Rosie Smith | 2005–2009 (touring only) | After Martin Powell's departure in 2005, Smith took over as COF's keyboardist for live shows. [28] |
Period | Members | Releases |
---|---|---|
1991 – early 1992 |
|
|
Early – mid-1992 |
|
|
Mid – late 1992 |
|
|
Late 1992 – summer 1993 |
| none |
Summer 1993 – late 1994 |
| |
Late 1994 – summer 1995 |
| |
Autumn – late 1995 |
| |
Late 1995 – summer 1997 |
| none |
Summer 1997 – early 1999 |
|
|
Early – spring 1999 |
|
|
Spring – summer 1999 |
| none |
June – July 1999 |
|
|
July – October 1999 |
| none |
November 1999 – early 2000 |
| |
Early 2000 – July 2001 |
|
|
July 2001 – August 2002 |
| none |
August 2002 – early 2003 |
|
|
Early 2003 – January 2005 |
|
|
January – May 2005 |
| |
May – August 2005 |
| none |
August 2005 – November 2006 |
|
|
November 2006 – November 2008 |
| |
November 2008 – spring 2009 |
| none |
Spring 2009 – early 2011 |
|
|
Early 2011 – early 2012 |
|
|
Spring 2012 – spring 2013 |
|
|
Spring 2013 – summer 2014 |
| none |
Summer 2014 – February 2020 |
|
|
Early 2020 – May 2022 |
|
|
May 2022 – present |
| none to date |
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.
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.
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.
Sarah Jane, better known by her stage name Sarah Jezebel Deva, is an English heavy metal 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.
Nicholas Howard Barker is an English extreme metal drummer best known for his work in Cradle of Filth from 1993 to 1999, Dimmu Borgir from 1999 to 2004, Brujeria from 2003 to 2005 and from 2016 to 2022, and Shining from 2022 to 2023. Currently he is the drummer for Borstal, Liquid Graveyard, Twilight of the Gods, and United Forces.
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.
V Empire or Dark Faerytales in Phallustein is the first EP by English extreme metal band Cradle of Filth, and the first release following their 1994 debut studio album The Principle of Evil Made Flesh. It was released on 22 April 1996, and was the band's final release for Cacophonous Records.
Tom Cato Visnes, better known as King ov Hell or simply King, is a Norwegian musician. He is best known as the former bassist of black metal band Gorgoroth, and as a member of Audrey Horne, Sahg, I, Ov Hell, God Seed, Abbath, Jotunspor and Temple of the Black Moon.
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.
Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder is the eighth studio album by English extreme metal band Cradle of Filth. It was released on 28 October 2008, through record label Roadrunner. 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.
Arve Isdal, also known as Ice Dale, is a Norwegian musician and producer, best known as lead guitarist for the extreme metal band Enslaved and the hard rock band Audrey Horne. He owns and runs Conclave & Earshot Studio in Bergen together with former-Enslaved band member Herbrand Larsen. In addition to working as a musician and producer, Isdal also teaches music production at Noroff.
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.
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.
Cryptoriana – The Seductiveness of Decay is the twelfth studio album by English extreme metal band Cradle of Filth. It was released on 22 September 2017 through Nuclear Blast Records. It is the second and final album to feature Lindsay Schoolcraft on narration before her departure in February 2020.
Existence Is Futile is the thirteenth studio album by English extreme metal band Cradle of Filth, released on 22 October 2021 through Nuclear Blast. It is the band's only album to feature keyboardist and female vocalist Anabelle Iratni and the last album with guitarist Richard Shaw before his departure in May 2022. This album also saw the return of Doug Bradley to provide narration for two tracks. It is the sixth Cradle of Filth release on which he appears, but the first since 2011's Evermore Darkly.