[ATTENDED: October 24, 2026] Cradle of Filth
I’ve known of Cradle of Filth for decades (they have been around since 1991). I always assumed they were a hard to listen to growly band not unlike Napalm Death (who I have seen and loved). I just never really thought about seeing them. Then I read a review that notes that
The band’s style evolved from black metal to a cleaner and more “produced” amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic metal and other genres. Their lyrics and imagery are influenced by Gothic literature, poetry, mythology and horror films.
So I listened to a few songs and I found out that lead Filth man Dani Filth is in corpse paint and it’s all theatrical and crazy and I’m so in. I picked this Allentown show instead of Starland Ballroom for a couple of reasons. The date. The opportunity to check out Archer Music Hall and because a metal show at Starland would be insane.
So Archer Music Hall is pretty nice. Relatively easy to get to and I got $5 parking directly across the street.
When Blackbraid ended, they brought out a microphone stand which was a statue of a person in agony. There was a much longer wait than expected (technical issues with the keys I believe) and then the band came out. There have been dozens of people in the band since the 90s, but the current lineup has been around for a bit. Dani Filth – lead vocals (1991–), Martin “Marthus” Škaroupka – drums (2006–), Daniel Firth – bass (2012–), Donny Burbage – guitars (2022–), Joff Bailey – guitars (2026–present). I’m not sure which of the guitarists was the new guy. One had a full beard and some corpse paint. The other had half shaved/half really long hair and pretty good spooky makeup. He also had an amazing angry face and was actually kind of scary from the barrier.
Although Dani Filth wasn’t. I hate to say it, but I must. Dani Filth is really short and he had on an excessive amount of leather with huge spokes. It was certainly comical more than scary. But it worked with the over the top nature of the band. Nevertheless, he is a great frontman–funny when speaking, intense when singing and constantly hitting interesting shrieking notes.
So the show was not as extreme death metal as I feared but it also wasn’t as gothic metal as I expected. They were definitely heavy but with lots of synths and operatic female vocals peppering some of the songs. And I really enjoyed it.
And when the lyrics started and they “wished to live deliciously” I got a smile on my face that didn’t really erase for the show. Not knowing much of what they were playing I was really impressed by a lot of the show–the fantastic guitar solos (usually played by both guitarists) which were really melodic and lovely. And the usage of a woman (whose name I do not know) on keys and backing vocals. She added a great operatic quality to these, yes, operatic songs.
Most of the songs are quite long with several parts. The first three songs were from the new album, and each was over 5 minutes long.
Then he told us that they would be playing songs from their 1996 album Dusk and Her Embrace. People were pretty psyched about that, too.
The next four songs were from that album. And while they were stylistically different, they weren’t radically different. Dani’s voice was more demonic and strangled sounding on the record, but not really live. The songs still had multiple parts and Heaven Torn Asunder pushed 7 minutes and gave Daniel Frith a moment to shine on bass. I really enjoyed the way all of the guys in the band walked around the stage, giving everyone their attention.
I thought there might be more of a stage “show,” antics and whatnot. But come on, everyone in corpse paint, singing songs of Gothic Romance and Malice through the Looking Glass. Surely that’s enough.
They played the title track from the fantastically named Nymphetamine and then ended the set with one more track from the latest album. Dani told us they were working on a new album that should be out next year.
I have to say that I though the crowd was really lame. I was in the front row and when they asked for reactions, I felt like the audience was really tepid. It’s possible that the crowd was pretty small (I think it was) but I was surprised how quiet the reactions were–especially since everyone around me was really enjoying the show. Maybe the acoustics are weird in there. If I go to another show I’ll see if the crowd is quiet as well. I’ve heard people complain about the sound but it was better than expected on the barrier.
After an encore break in which I considered they might not come back out since we were so lame, they returned looking like they might have toweled off some (smudged makeup). The first song was the fascinatingly named Gilded Cunt (this from a band whose reverse side of one of their shirts says Jesus is a Cunt).
The encore was about fifteen minutes long and they ended the show with two songs from near the turn of the century. Dani took of his big leather jacket and I thought looked a bit more menacing in his ripped black shirt. How about that.
I really enjoyed the set a lot and would happily see them again, perhaps on their next tour.
I considered getting the shirt pictured below, because a shirt that just says Wanker on the back is hilarious. But I didn’t like the front image. Oh well.
- To Live Deliciously ∇
- Demagoguery ∇
- Malignant Perfection ∇
- Heaven Torn Asunder ♠
- A Gothic Romance (Red Roses for the Devil’s Whore) ♠
- Malice Through the Looking Glass ♠
- Dusk and Her Embrace ♠
- Nymphetamine (Fix) ⊗
- White Hellebore ∇
Encore - Gilded Cunt ⊗
- Cruelty Brought Thee Orchids Ø
- Her Ghost in the Fog ≅
∇ The Screaming of the Valkyries (2025)
⊗ Nymphetamine (2004)
≅ Midian (2000)
Ø Cruelty and the Beast (1998)
♠ Dusk…and Her Embrace (1996)
Leave a Reply