Artist: Cradle of Filth
Label: Roadrunner Records
Release Date: 9/28/04
Abyss's Review:
Cradle of Filth are probably the most review-proof band in the metal scene today. Granted, they're not as big as the Metallicas or the Slipnots of the world, but everyone has pretty much made up their mind about them. You either love Cradle of Filth or you hate them. Anyone who has visited this site with any frequency probably already knows that I love this band, and in all honesty I don't really understand how their detractors can hate them so much. I mean, what's not to love? Sure their theatrics are over the top, but the music comes from the heart and the whole shebang is done seriously enough to maintain integrity while remaining tongue-in-cheek enough to remind you that this whole thing is supposed to be fun.And that's the beauty of Cradle of Filth. You can take it seriously, even when you can't take it seriously. With that in mind, Nymphetamine is a solid outing by a band that pretty much always puts out solid outings. I personally was surprised by some of the lackluster reviews I had read from critics and fans alike regarding their last album, Damnation and a Day. I thought that album was brilliant, taking the classic CoF sound and mixing it with an older school metal vibe. Granted it was a bit of a departure from the overly gothic Midian, but it brought the guitars into the forefront and relied much more heavily on riff rather than atmosphere, which I thought was a very good thing.
"Cradle of Filth remain one of the most compelling bands in metal." Many will be happy that they've reverted a little to their previous sound, as this new album reminds me of a cross between the last two albums - having plenty of gothic atmosphere, but also paying attention to the guitars and letting the music carry a bit more of the workload. The album isn't perfect, however, it starts off a little slow and predictable, but continuously improves. The female vocals are much more accessible and warm than on many of the previous albums and I really like how they sound here.
So, like I said before, I've always been a fan of this band and I guess I always will. Nymphetamine is the latest chapter in a sound that doesn't really get old for me. This band is able to continuously tinker with their sound without forsaking their overall vision, which is pretty amazing considering the revolving door line-ups and label changes. Cradle of Filth remain one of the most compelling bands in metal. One word review: Filthy
Death's Review:
Cradle of Filth make their debut on Roadrunner Records with Nymphetamine, and this time, the band exhibits the true evolution in focus and in sound that many had expected to hear on 2003's Damnation and a Day. That album was good, but it was not really any kind of sea change for Dani Filth and Co., it was pretty much more of the same. Nymphetamine is different, and the differences are both better and worse. Better because the production - both the mix and the tones of the instruments themselves - is fantastic; better because the songs are focused. Worse because there are obvious attempts at commercial appeal, including a seeming attempt to capitalize on the goth-metal, male/female vocal thing a la Lacuna Coil.
The bottom line, however, is good news for Cradle of Filth fans: if you liked them before, you'll like them here. If you're a bit more mainstream-minded and you didn't get Cradle of Filth before because they were not accessible enough for you, then you've got a shot that you might "get" them better here, although the differences are not too dramatic for those who really were way off from liking this band in the past. Of course, if you are part of the self-anointed "black metal elite" (do any such metalheads still really exist?) who always thought this band was silly and commercial, you'll hate them as much as you have for years. But if you are just an average, Headbanger's Ball-watching, Revolver-reading, Ozzfest-going metalhead looking for good music to jam out to, there's a good chance you're really going to like this a lot.
"This time, the band exhibits the true evolution in focus and in sound that many had expected to hear on 2003's Damnation and a Day."
Hel's Review:
Cradle of Filth return once again in their never-ending quest to make it big in the U.S. This time around they are on Roadrunner, yet the naked chick is still missing from the cover. Never fear, there are still plenty of naked women to be found, you just actually have to exert the effort and open the book. On every album, the band seems to tweak their sound just a bit, but never strays very far from the formula that they perfected years ago.
"Whether or not you are a diehard Cradle of Filth fan, Nymphetamine is worth your time." Nymphetamine, for the most part, is exactly the album I expected from Cradle of Filth. The change in female vocalists is noticeable, but is a pleasant one overall, because she is a more solid singer than their last, and is able to contribute in a more meaningful way. The fact that they are exploiting this by remixing the title track with her more prominently placed to try and garner more commercial attention is slightly annoying, but I suppose they really cannot be blamed for doing so.
The truth is that if you love Cradle of Filth, you will probably love this album too. My issue is that, personally, I have been getting progressively more bored with Cradle as time goes by. Black metal, whether it is "true" or the more "commercial" type such as this, has just never really been my thing. So even if a band puts out a consistently high quality product, as Cradle undeniably has, I am simply less in love with it than if it were in a genre I adored. Even so, as a fan of metal, it is impossible not to appreciate their epic songwriting style and the immaculate production that this band invariably brings to the table. So whether or not you are a diehard Cradle of Filth fan, Nymphetamine is worth your time.
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