[DID NOT ATTEND: October 17, 2026] Cradle of Filth / Black Satellite / Blackbraid / Worm
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 in.
But I decided to see them in Allentown next week instead of at Starland.
I didn’t know Worm, but apparently I should have if this review from Metal Hammer is to be believed.
the band’s frontman/founder Phantom Slaughter and guitarist Wroth Septentrion [are] one of heavy music’s wackiest new bands. Mr Slaughter, whose real name remains a mystery to us, founded Worm as a solo project in 2012, after being inspired by the documentary Until The Light Takes Us and its depiction of Norwegian black metal. He channeled all of the infamous scene’s excess and kitsch (minus the church burnings and murder) into his own music, putting on corpse paint and writing screeching, frost-bitten songs that often soared past the 10-minute mark. Necropalace, their fourth album, is the purest distillation of Worm’s ludicrousness. The 12-minute title track and its music video tell you everything you need to know, opening with devastating chords and lead guitars, then breaking into a sprint of whirlwind drums and quasi-symphonic keyboards. The visuals look like a snuff-film-slash-giallo-horror dug up in the Scandinavian wilderness, with Phantom wearing gauntlets and wielding a sword for no reason. But, the most maximalist bit doesn’t come until eight minutes in, when Wroth nails a solo so over-the-top that it would leave Yngwie Malmsteen bug-eyed. It’s batshit brilliance, turning black metal up to 11 before tearing the knob off.
Initially I didn’t care that they won’t be at my show in Allentown, but now I’m really bummed. (more…)
