Cruelty and the Beast
by Cradle of Filth
- Type: Album
- Released: 27 April 1998
- Label: Music for Nations
- Country: United Kingdom
- Length: 58:37
- Community rating: 4.12/5 from 3 ratings
Artists on this release: Lecter, Dani Filth
Album Notes & Community Reviews
A landmark concept album centered on the legend of the 'Blood Countess' Elizabeth B谩thory, 'Cruelty and the Beast' is a defining statement in symphonic and gothic metal. The record balances ferocious black metal velocity with opulent keyboard arrangements, literary lyricism, and a palpable sense of gothic horror. Despite a notoriously thin original production, the album's ambitious scope and dramatic songwriting on tracks like 'Cruelty Brought Thee Orchids' have cemented it as an enduring fan favorite.
Genres
Descriptors: theatrical, symphonic, literary, conceptual, operatic
Tracklist
- Once Upon Atrocity (1:43)
- Thirteen Autumns and a Widow (7:14)
- Cruelty Brought Thee Orchids (7:18)
- Beneath the Howling Stars (7:39)
- Venus In Fear (2:20)
- Desire In Violent Overture (4:16)
- The Twisted Nails of Faith (6:50)
- Bathory Aria (11:02)
- Portrait of the Dead Countess (2:40)
- Lustmord And Wargasm (The Lick of Carnivorous Winds) (7:30)
Credits
- Cradle Of Filth - primary artist, producer
- Robin Graves - bass [nocturnal pulse]
- Nicholas Barker - drums [zyklon beats]
- Daniel Sprigg - engineer
- Gian Pyres - guitar [carnivorous licks]
- Stuart Anstis - guitar [infernal overkill]
- Lecter - keyboards [unbiblical chords / torture chamber music]
- Dani Filth - lyrics by, vocals [oral pleasures]
- Ingrid Pitt - performer
- Jan Peter Genkel - producer
- Mike Exeter - producer [various production & eruption credits]
- Sarah Jezebel Deva - vocals [dulcet ghost laments]
- Danielle Cneajna Cottington - vocals [sapphic oration]