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MetalBite Review by Denis on 4/17/2003

Like it or not, you have to concede that Cradle Of Filth is not your ordinary, middle of the road, straight forward, regular metal band. Nor are they just a bunch of weirdos with funny make-up and costumes pretending to be musicians of some sort. These guys have been around for a while and I would bet you, they'll still be in for quite a long time. After all, how many bands in the metal realm had a chance to hit the jack pot and being signed to a big label like Sony? This is something big happening for them and I'm glad for Dani and his filthy bunch.

Even if I have just discovered them recently, I was struck by their special style with "Lovecraft & Witch Hearts," finding this music quite imaginative and Avant-gardist which equals a big plus in my musical book. There is a drawback in all this. The band leader is also the singer and the guy has a vocal instrument sounding more like a shriek... Big problem since this is his band after all! But the guy isn't dumb and called for some help with a greatly gifted Sarah Jezebel Deva and the Budapest choir on top of that! So, the vocal parts are in good hands if you can stand his shrieks... Musically, aside from his usual friends, the Budapest Orchestra was called in to give the opus a huge and grandiose symphonic aura that will strike you right from the opening track.

As a matter of fact, "Damnation And A Day" is a concept album separated in four parts all of which beginning with a symphonic intro joined in by the splendid choir. Between these interludes is everything you ever wanted to hear in a metal album deserving to be called a masterpiece. Countless breathtaking riffs, actually some of the best ones I ever heard such as in 'Better to Reign in Hell' or 'Doberman Pharaoh' will make you fall from your seat. Sarah and the choir are making sporadic appearances throughout the compositions giving a nice break to Dani's voice that is nevertheless taking various tonalities and styles. The guy can actually sing and on 'Thanks God for the Suffering' his low tonality is quite pleasant to hear. The musical direction is in perpetual motion and can be shifting from Black to symphonic to melodic to... The backbone remains black metal with the killing assaults of its rhythmic section. The intricacy of the musical structure is really progressive and the Avant-garde landscape is omnipresent and shines with all the spectral vibrations available. To guide you through the scenery, a very artistic booklet is going to let you in on this twisted story of human raise and fall...

Bottom Line: "Damnation And A Day" is bound to kick your ass, break your jaw and teeth but most importantly, will totally warp your mind up with its majesty and musical splendors.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 10
Originality: 10
Atmosphere: 9
Production: 9
Overall: 9

Rating: 9.4 out of 10

Submitted by Griffin on 11/25/2003

When i first bough this album, I'd only heard Cradle off my friends. So, I thought I'd buy their newest one since this is the sound of Cradle today. I hated it completely and threw it to the depths of my room. Fast forward 3 months and i just happened to be tired of all the god damn hardcore traveling around me. I picked up their cd and put it in my cd player. It hasn't come out of my car stereo since. It's an unbelievable album with amazing intro's to the different sections of the songs. Not a standard Cradle cd, because of it's slower parts- but still just as toxic.

Submitted by The Morningstar on 12/11/2003

I've been a long-time Cradle Of Filth fan. Over the years, the band has progressed dramatically. Don't buy this album unless you own their early vinyls/CDs like 'Invoking The Unclean, Orgiastic Pleasures, The Principle Of Evil Made Flesh, Vempire, Dusk And Her Embrace, and Cruelty and the Beast'.
And Midian was a big letdown, their worst album to date. COF is a great gothic/black metal band, but they tend to create music for a bigger audience this time around, and are forgetting the essence of what was once great vampyric black metal.

Submitted by Daniel on 7/1/2004

when i bought this album i thought i was in for the ride of a lifetime, when the first song started i was like cool, you know, but by the 4 song i was fucking sick and tired, this album is pure crap, few good songs, then bullshit!

Submitted by Sugar-Flavored Nymphetamine on 11/22/2004

I disagree slightly with Denis- they are a bunch of weirdos in makeup. That's what makes them so hot though... Yeah, I loved Damnation and a Day. It was one of the first dark metal CDs that worked it's way into my possession *no pun intended* *heh* and it's uber sweet. Enough said.

Submitted by Infernis Necris on 11/2/2005

Wow , i cant believe i wasted my money on this. This album is a piece of crap.

Submitted by Roland on 6/8/2006

Although this album is really good it requires all of the listener's attention to fully understand how amazing it really is.I would suggest it only to somebody who is willing to carefully listen to it.
PS:Few songs are as good as the promise of fever.

Submitted by blackdeth_lk on 6/26/2008

People become somewhat pessimistic when a band like this inks a deal with a major lable and from what I gather these bands usually tend to make the mistake of making music for a broader audience and Cradle of Filth cannot be disregarded as they have pretty much done the same as most of the others out their with “Damnation and A Day”
Cradle of Filth is a band synonymous with haunting keyboard melodies, catchy riffs and unique vocals and lyrics from none other than Dani Filth one of the people I used to look up to in the industry, but with this new record they seem to be showing signs of decline in terms on music and a steady increase in the cheques they receive.

Damnation and a Day unfolds you before you as a concept album and I must say that its bound with a set of great words and themes which can be expected from Dani, but as far as the music is concerned I have to say that the band could have done better.

The album kicks off with “A Bruise Upon the Silent Moon” the intro which says that “darkness was upon the face of the deep...” which would hardly be the set of words that I would use to describe the rest of the music on the album. The second track brings forth a Promise of Fever which you will tend to feel thanks to the somewhat monotonous drumming and the repetitive riffing. Thirdly Hurt and Virtue starts to play and I am lost in thought, It leaves me thinking what happened to Cradle of Filth… as the album unfolds I realize that the music itself is somewhat monotonous and makes you weary and the tracks seem to be unusually long (which I haven’t felt in any previous Cradle albums ) however I would like to commend the band for trying out something new if you listen to the 11th Track which is titled “Doberman Pharaoh” you will hear the sounds of a sitar (I think it is..) and that adds a bleak and melancholic feeling to the entire track, but however It doesn’t compensate the fact that this album doesn’t flow that smoothly and that listeners will at times get tired of the repetition. The musicianship is solid but I personally think that the band should have spent more time to polish out these tracks and add in some variety here and there.

But who knows you might be a hard core COF fan and you might be cursing me for this but I have to state the fact that I see a downward trend for this band from here onwards and that Gian hasn’t been replaced properly and that itself is a void to their music. Give this a coupla spins and I would be surprised if you don’t agree with me.