Abyss's Review (7/19/01 Hammerstein Ballroom, New York, NY):
…And the Cradle Will Rock or: The Show Just Started, So Why the Hell is that Fat Lady Singing?
Imagine your parents fucking. There. Just by writing that I made you cringe because you were forced to envision something you didn’t want to. You were helpless to resist. Now picture finding a condom at the bottom of the jar of mayonnaise that you just finished. Oops! I did it again. I played with your mind. Now before I go off into a Britney Spears song, you probably want to know why I’m putting you through this. So what’s the purpose of this exercise? Well, it’s an exercise in imagery. Especially disturbing imagery. We all know our parents had to have had sex (or else we wouldn’t be here), but what should be considered normal and healthy seems perverse and disgusting to us, and no amount of rationalization is going to change that. Of course, if I picture your parents having sex (and I do you know… Well, at least your mom) I don’t find the idea the least bit objectionable. My point being that perception and imagery are hopelessly intertwined.
Cradle of Filth
Photos by CYNWhy is this important you ask? Well, it’s not… Hell, this is a metal site, nothing we write about is all that important in the grand scheme of things, but it helps to illustrate my story. A friend of mine from high school, I’ll call him Dave (cause that’s his name, and he gets irritated when I call him jackass), listened to metal in our youth, but he drifted away while in college, and now the CDs that fill his time are no longer Overkill, Metallica, and Slayer, but Morphine, The Allman Brothers, and Phish. So when he said he was interested in going to this show, I thought it was a great idea. Now metal has obviously evolved quite a bit since he last showed any interest, but that was something that I didn’t realize at the time, and it was interesting to see his reaction to the spectacle that now lay before him. As we stood at the merchandise table, I stood pondering if I was going to buy a shirt. My friend pondered things a little differently. He stood agape, saying, “Jesus is a what?” And it was at that point where I remembered that while he was in no way offended by the imagery of Slayer back in the eighties, Cradle of Filth are on a far different plane. What now appeared mundane and commonplace to me, danced upon his mind and overloaded his senses. It reminded me how powerful Cradle’s imagery is, and I’m grateful of that because it resulted in me enjoying the show so much more.
Some say Cradle of Filth’s elaborate stage presence distracts or compensates for the music in much the same way Kiss and Marylyn Manson have. I completely disagree, I personally think the music stands out on its own, and I find myself going back to their CDs as often as I do with Emperor and Enslaved and others. But what I’ve forgotten due to my immersion in just the music, is that it’s all part of an elaborate vision. I know they’re just a bunch of wankers in make-up and costumes with lights and a portly woman singing the high parts, but on stage everything complements everything else, coming across as a twisted opera, more than just a mere rock show. I know the woman dancing about the stage has stilts connected to her hands and legs, but it’s much more fun to embrace her as a dangerous arachnid, hovering over her dwarfed colleagues. She proved to be a summation of the entire spectacle. Graceful and awkward, disturbing, yet sexual. An amalgam of contradictions that appear justified, and even necessary. Now that they are signed to a major label (Sony) and presumably many more will be introduced to this beautiful blasphemy, I wonder if they’ll get passed the shock of it all, and see this for what it is…theater. Great theater. Like a great play, the soundtrack is just part of the product, and while it can stand on it’s own, it can be appreciated even more if you witness it in action. That is the magic of a Cradle of Filth show. Of course, maybe I just had a great time because I got loaded.
God Forbid
Nile also played this show and I was actually surprised they were billed over God Forbid. Not that they don’t deserve it, mind you, I’m just used to death metal acts getting no respect. Their roster rotation seems to have had no effect of their live show, but that might just be that the sound at this venue is on a much higher scale than the tiny clubs I usually see them in. It was also nice to see them get a good response from a decent sized crowd that I assumed was more interested in the easily digested grooves of V.O.D. than anything overly brutal. I hope this exposure lends them the success they deserve. They’re picking up the reigns were Morbid Angel left off and are a proud display of what American Death Metal can be.
Vision of DisorderGod Forbid opened the show with a nice metalcore groove that made it fun to drink beers and get psyched for a night of metal. While the crowd seemed a little unresponsive at first, they eventually won most of them over, as the pits were frenzied for many of the songs. Their set went off well, but they had the only hitch of the night, with a little technical difficulty. But it’s all good.
Vision of Disorder was the only let down for me, but that’s just because I don’t really like them all that much to begin with. The also seemed a little out of place on the bill, and sapped the energy I had been building all night. They sounded good for what they are, however. And while it didn’t seem that everyone was uniformly entertained like with most of the other acts, they did have large pockets of admirers up front.
This was a great night all around, and I sure hope that more of these sorts of acts are able to play this venue, because it’s a great place to see a show.
Death's Review (7/19/01 Hammerstein Ballroom, New York, NY):
From the moment I heard about this show, I knew it would be a milestone for extreme music in this city. Cradle of Filth was to headline Hammerstein Ballroom, a 3600 capacity venue just behind Madison Square Garden (34th Street between 8th and 9th Aves.) in midtown Manhattan, the same place Pantera played when they first rolled through New York in support of Reinventing the Steel. The same place Iron Maiden played when they returned to New york with Bruce and Adrian for Ed Hunter. The same place Fear Factory played last month and Rammstein the night before.
The opportunity to showcase in such a venue is big news for underground metal. Even better: the opening acts were to constitute one of the most creative metal billings I've witnessed in 2001: regular tour openers Nile (representing the death metal contingent) and God Forbid (representing the hardcore-thrash). Added specially for this show were Ozzfest-veterans and current TVT Records artists Vision of Disorder. What better cross-section of the current heavy metal universe were you going to find on a Thursday night in July? None.
NileWe got there on time. That's right: on fucking time. Something like twelve of us met up out front and proceeded to immediately go inside and buy three beers each in rapid succession just as God Forbid (or as they so ridiculously say on WSOU, "G" Forbid) took the stage. God Forbid delivered the goods as always and inspired one of the most serious pits I've seen a fourth-to-last band whip up at an "arena show".
Next up was Nile, who, by opening up with the borderline-anthemic "Black Seeds of Vengeance," showed that the new lineup retains the potency of old. During their set I took a walk up to the back bar area and marveled over the rail at the site of a giant room drenched in colored stage lighting, covered with a thick haze of smoke, and filled with 2,000+ metalheads pumping their fists in the air and headbanging to Nile. It was beautiful.
I drank though V.O.D. I don't really know the band, but they had a strong legion of followers and definitely fit in: I realized that they were much more extreme than I had remembered, vocally comparable to God Forbid, Diecast, Lamb of God and the like. Still, I needed to spend some time mingling in the crowd, drinking with my heavy metal brothers and sisters and celebrating metal. It felt good to be alive this summer night.
Cradle of FilthAnd then somewhere admist the Heinekens (and, ridiculously, several packages of chips and cheese doodles that the bartenders were forceably "giving" away with every beer purchase), the intro sounds of Cradle beckoned my attention toward the stage. With gothic statues, leather-clad dancers, a full-time female backing vocalist and a devil-woman running around the stage like Iron Maiden's Eddie wreaking havoc at critical moments throughout the show, C.O.F. put on one of the most viscerally entertaining and theatrical sets of black/extreme metal I've witnessed in some time. Dani Filth is a wonderful frontman, dishing out equal doeses of sarcastic English puns and clever verbal jabs at American musical tastes ("This next one's called Oops, I Did it Again. That's what you're into here in America, isn't it?"). Cradle is a band who truly must be experienced live before you can gain a true understanding of their overall value.
In the end, underground metal did get to rise into the bigger mainstream venues this night, although the place only ended up about 2/3's full (by comparison, Pantera/Soulfly/Morbid Angel sold out three straight nights). Still, metal looked strong, and one can only imagine the effect the Sony promotional machine will have on attendance next time around. For now, if the Extreme Steel Tour was the mainstream's "true metal Ozzfest", the Cradle tour was the underground fan's answer to Extreme Steel. In many ways, it was a historic night for New York metal. And for me, it was a memory that will always be accompanied by a second memory: that of the nasty little Friday-at-the-office-hangover that I had to contend with all afternoon the next day.
God ForbidIt was worth it.
Hel's Review (7/19/01 Hammerstein Ballroom, New York, NY):
A highly anticipated event indeed - a metal extravaganza at what is arguably the best venue in New York. While CBGBs will probably always be my personal favorite, Hammerstein Ballroom has more genteel charms, such as fairly clean ladies bathrooms. Rarely, however, do I get to see bands that I really enjoy play at this venue. So I was psyched to see God Forbid, Nile, and Cradle of Filth play together in this setting.
God Forbid hit the stage mere moments after I arrived, and kicked things off with a bang. They played the energetic kind of set I have come to expect from them, and handled their first band duties with rare professionalism. The vocalist was continually working the crowd, trying his best to raise the level of metal fervor in the room. At one point, the drummer apparently busted his snare, and there was a delay between songs while it was replaced. The only reason this is even worth mentioning in this case is to commend the band on the amazingly smooth and professional way they dealt with the situation. The singer kept up his chatter with the crowd while there rest of the band sort of just jammed. The set picked right back up where it had paused, and I believe most people simply forgot about it. They were able to turn what could have become an ugly moment into a non-issue, and I think the crowd liked them more after it was over. A nice beginning to the evening.
Cradle of FilthNile was up next. This occasion would mark the first time I would witness them post-Chief Spires' exit. While I couldn't help but miss the big redheaded lug, his replacement did an admirable job of filling the gap. From time to time, it would be obvious that he was new, certain places where the trio used move as a unit, he didn't - that kind of thing. Overall, however, I would have to say it was a very successful showing for the band. Some of the crowd seemed unfamiliar with Nile and stood stock-still, but it was clearly from the dazzling display of death metal glory being enacted before them. Unlike Pantera fans being confronted by the brutality of Morbid Angel, these Cradle of Filth fans took to it by the end of the set, and were rather enthusiastic overall. At the end of their set, I looked out over the crowd of black and it warmed my darkened soul to see so many people gathered to hear the music that I love.
Unfortunately, my night was destined for a downturn. Vision of Disorder was next on tonight's bill - a special add-on just for the New York show. While conceptually, I suppose, this band fit in, as none of the bands this particular evening encroached on the other's sub-genres, but still… It was a painful, endless set for me. I do not like V.O.D. I do not like them with God Forbid, I do not like them with Nile, I do not like them with Cradle of Filth. I do not like V.O.D.
Finally, at long, long last, Cradle of Filth came to play. I saw this band live for the first time a couple of years ago, at the now-defunct hole-in-the-wall club, Tramps. At the time, I didn't know COF very well, and I remember having to be practically torn away at about 2:30 in the morning because it was a week night. Tramps was notorious for its late shows, and at 2:30, Cradle's set showed no signs of ending. The next time I saw them was during their headline stint at Milwaukee Metalfest XIII. As anyone who's been to a Koshick event can attest to, these are invariably endurance tests, and by the time the headliner goes on that last day, the audience is fairly exhausted. So while it was a performance comparable to the previous one, the audience didn't have a lot of energy to share. It was an entirely different story at Hammerstein Ballroom. Dani Filth is no stranger to large crowds, and immediately took command of the scene. Playing in front of a vast backdrop featuring the cover artwork of Bitter Suites to Succubi, the band was accompanied by a female vocalist, two "dancers" (who played a much smaller role in the show than in tours past, appearing for only two songs), and a crazy stilted lady-creature who ran about the stage on all fours, towering above the band, mocking and fucking with them during her stay. The finale featured both the dancers and the crazy stilted lady-creature, who ran about on only two legs this time! All in all, it was just the kind of theatrical bombast that so nicely accompanies Cradle's happy black metal.
NileAt the end of the evening, I was pleased with the outcome. I happily walked away from the show with a new Nile t-shirt, and a whole new metal story to tell. Now that I have done so, I hope that those of you who still have the opportunity to go see this tour are already clicking over to make arrangements to be there. Were it not for the presence of V.O.D., this would have been a solid 5 skulls, but that's a chunk of my life that I'll never get back, and I can't pretend otherwise. But all the more reason for the rest of you go - and celebrate on my behalf the moment when Cradle of Filth takes the stage right after Nile, the way satan intended.
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