Review by Adam M on September 23, 2017.

Cradle of Filth brings a very bombastic element to their music. This is theatrical music that has the flair that is necessary to impress the listener. Though the band’s sound hasn’t changed much over the years, it is nice to hear it as vibrant and enthusiastic as it is here. The music is certainly very interesting with a lot of instruments used and Dani Filth’s vocal tirade atop it all. The band has certainly found their muse and a formula that works for them.

The music here is memorable, but really has more of an impact right out of the gates. The entertainment factor is on high throughout the length of this release and it shows very heavily in the tunes found here. The listener will be head banging along with the tracks and it’s very nice to hear this band performing as passionately as they are. There is a serious amount of fun that the band is having and it bleeds into their performances quite nicely. The songs flow into one another and make for a cohesive whole also. Really, most of the pieces come together. It’s just that this is music that Cradle of Filth has performed before and they were never the most compelling band on the block to begin with. Expect music similar to past albums and if one is a fan of the past this will definitely work in their favor.  

People who never gave this band a chance in the past will have to skip this one once again as there is nothing incredibly original on display here. Still, for fans of the band, the best foot has been put forward and the result is another solid slab of symphonic black metal that has a very accessible flair to it. Cradle of Filth have stumbled upon a winner with Cryptoriana.

Rating: 7.6 out of 10

Review by Ves on July 10, 2023.

It's been a while since I had enough focus on an album to note down my thoughts. While I am indeed scatterbrained and busy, there is a different reason for this - the new King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard album PetroDragonic Apocalypse; Or, Dawn Of Eternal Night: An Annihilation Of Planet Earth And The Beginning Of Merciless Damnation. Rolls off the tongue, doesn't it? The stupidly prolific band's 24th album is their second metal effort, the first one being the excellent thrash album Infest The Rats' Nest from the summer of 2019. While fans and other people familiar with the Gizz will know that their other 22 albums are not united by genre, ranging from jazz fusion and psychedelic rock to a spaghetti western-inspired short story, others will wonder how the hell this band managed to put out 24 albums in 13 years of existence. To that, I can only say "Yes."

PetroDragonic Apocalypse has more in common with Infest The Rats' Nest than just nasty riffs and higher tempos. The lyrical concept seems to be inspired by the impending climate catastrophe, with the evacuation of the Earth on spaceships and terraforming of other planets in the Solar system from the predecessor replaced with another story of humanity and the Earth, but also with "witches and dragons and shit" as frontman Stu Mackenzie recently explained. Where PetroDragonic Apocalypse also excells is taking the stonery-thrash approach KG&LW took on Infest and pushing it further into their own little niche within metal, with a thick fuzzy crunch, odd time signatures, lengthy cuts, and more varied vocals than on their previous metal album. I especially enjoyed the backing vocals on 'Supercell', cutting through the thick riffage and Motorhead-flavour drums. Another case of nice supplementary vocals are Ambrose's raspy declarations on 'Gila Monster'.

The album was written as a result of multiple jam sessions, with most songs written in a day, the band explains. Again, this should not surprise any KGLW fans, as the six members can probably read each other's thoughts after such a long time playing together. The tempo and time signature changes just stack on top of one another perfectly, feeling both intentional and spontaneous. For example the shift from that driving 3 against 2 polyrhythm to the 11/8 outro section and solo which flows perfectly into the 11/8 and 7/8 'Dragon', whose intro riff might be my favourite of the album. Speaking of 'Dragon', it's one of the two 9+ minute songs, the other one being the closer, 'Flamethrower'. The first track, 'Motor Spirit' is also a lengthy one, with its 8 and a half minutes of stonery thrash goodness. Even with that being the case, none of these songs feels like it overstays its welcome for even a second, and the album runs for a reasonable 48 minutes. That is, of course, if you're a plebeian like me and have only listened to the digital release. The vinyl edition has an exclusive 8th track - a 14-minute spoken word cut titled 'Dawn Of Eternal Night' - which tells the story of the Earth's demise from Gila's perspective. If you're into fantasy as much as Stu Mackenzie or myself, do not miss it.

With Infest The Rats' Nest my thrash album of 2019, it's safe to say the Gizz have followed up with another strong contender 4 years later. After the 3 album marathon last October which were all great in their own way, especially Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms And Lava, I'm happy to see the boys from Melbourne keep one-upping themselves. Can't wait for the next one and, let's be real, I probably won't have to for more than a couple of months.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Review by Jeger on September 6, 2025.

True Death Metal… Some argue that Chuck Schuldiner and his brand of gore-infused DM a la 1987's "Scream Bloody Gore" is the blueprint for Death Metal as we know it today, but for those of us who are in the know, we understand that Death Metal in its truest form is diabolical in nature, ie 1985's "Seven Churches" by Jeff Becerra's Possessed. And the bands that followed suit: Deicide, Morbid Angel and Vital Remains have all carried the torch for Satanic Death Metal with pride; stoking Hell's flame into an inferno of blasphemy and unbridled diabolical revelry; inspiring DM hordes the world over to continue on with the message of death to the Church. Over in Poland, one such band - Płock, Masovia's Kingdom emerged from the acrid smoke of inferno's scorch in 2003, and have bestowed upon us benefactions of His kind in the form of six, soon to be seven full-length studio LPs. Their forthcoming "Primeval Cult Of Strength In The Womb Of Suffer" record is scheduled to drop on September 26 via the renowned Osmose Productions.

Technical? Progressive? Fuck no… Death Metal the old-school way with abyssal grinds, pummeling riffs and driving rhythmic patterns. Deicide lovers eat your heart out! Or eat your girlfriend out to this one, you dirty dog. Satan approved and as wicked as sin is "Primeval Cult Of Strength In The Womb Of Suffer". From the choppy "Przedwieczny Kult Sily" with its gargantuan grooves to the filth-ridden "Flame Of Death" with its dual-textured vocals attack, all the way through to the epic closer, "Blood God", with its brutal Bloodbath vibes, "Primeval" is a gut-buster. A proper homage to all things Satanic and evil. And featured at the end as a hidden track? A more-than-worthy cover of the aforementioned Deicide's "Lunatic of God's Creation".

This record has depth: a myriad of different vocal techniques, a variety of riffing styles, edge-of-your-seat percussive onslaughts and ripping leads - a fucking banger through and through. Conceptual depth as well, as opposed to your typical gut-em-in-the-basement DM. Smartly crafted lyrically as a perfect compliment to such quality music. It's an enriched "Once Upon the Cross" experience. Simple shit to bang your head to, but not lacking in some jaw-dropping moments of instrumental adeptness. This is why we listen to Satanic DM - the energy here is as fiery warm as His enthralling embrace - enough to rouse you into a state of Cathedral blazing mania.

Gather up your fellow knuckleheads, binge drink whiskey and defile something sacred, all the while as you pump one of the year's best Death Metal records. "Primeval Cult Of Strength In The Womb Of Suffer" - a nasty attack of diabolical proportions executed within the land of Catholic oppression - Polska DM done the Devilish way. True fucking Death Metal… To Hell with the same overplayed gore shit. That stuff couldn't shock your grandma anymore. With "Primeval", Kingdom has created an intimidating album, a weapon of a record aimed squarely at Christendom and it just sounds great. You're not gonna have to overthink this one. This is DM for every Metalhead. Here's to The Devil! Here's to true Satanic Death Metal.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10