Cradle of Filth are a genre onto their own, fitting in where they like on the ever changing landscape of music. Over the years they have managed to maintain a legion of loyal fans the world over. Ahead of their Australian tour we caught up with them to discuss all things music.
Your music has been described as all kinds of genres, what genre do you best think it fits?
I wouldn’t like to say, seeing as most people have their own opinion about what we are. For example some people hate to think of us as being black metal, as if it’s a slur on the scene, despite us being one of the originators.
It would preferable to be known solely as Cradle Of Filth. Just in the same respect that Iron Maiden are known for their name and not as a NWOBHM band.
2. Lindsay, you play both keys and harp, which is your fave instrument to play & why?
I honestly prefer the harp. It’s new to me a challenge. I chose to learn the piano to help me better understand my voice and write music. I feel the piano is a good map to showing you how to navigate through vocal ranges and chord options. But I would like to focus more on the harp over the next few years.
3. Dani, how have you seen the music industry change over the years?
The industry has broadened in variety and acceptability, but unfortunately due to the onset of social media platforms and the ease in which music is available to download, the music industry has seen a catastrophic slump in physical album sales. This has led to the need for bands to tour much more in order to make ends meet, which sometimes makes for a over-saturated live market.
4. Richard & Ashok who would you say are the most influential guitar players & why?
Richard; I have so many influences in all kinds of styles but the players who spring to mind are my earliest heroes. Starting off with Prince, Brian May, Jimi Hendrix, James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett, David Gilmour, Brian Robertson and Scott Gorham, Gary Moore, Dan Donegan, Jim Root and Mick Thomson, Jimmy Page, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Slash, Joe Perry and then getting into more technical players like John Petrucci, Dimebag Darrell, Steve Vai, Nuno Bettencourt and countless more.
What drew me to those players was that their solos had feeling and added to the music, not just soloing for soloing’s sake. There’s so much melody in those influences I’ve named, but also bags of musicality and class. A lot of onus is put on a guitarist’s solos, whereas there have to be good songs for the solos to be put in. All the names I mentioned had great songs first and foremost.
Ashok;
Hard question as there always have been so many great players. Basically anyone who put his soul into playing can be inspiration for me and it does not necessary be famous name or even guitar player!
So here are just few names which recently came into my mind as all time fav inspirations: Miloš Makovský, Steve Lukather, Vito Bratta, Jimmy Page, Eddie Van Halen, Georgui Encev, Steve Vai, Kee Marcello, Adrian Smith, Robert Fripp, Miles Davis, Jens Johansson, Steve Stevens, Michael Schenker, Alan Holdsworth, Matt Guillory, Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix and many, many more ….
5. What inspired you the most when writing this latest record?
We took ourselves to Brno in the Czech Republic (home of Martin and Ashok)for a week and a half prior to a festival for a writing session in 2016 with the sole intention of collating ideas for the new album. But so prolific was everybody’s contribution to the writing process that we had about eighty percent of the album written there and then and so it was thrust upon me a lot earlier than I expected to write the lyrics.
At the time I was reading a lot of Victorian horror anthologies and somehow, by the grace of God, the music and this particular subject matter gelled perfectly.
6. You speak about monsters being very real on this album, what monsters (if any) are you most afraid of?
The only monsters I am afraid of are megalithic sharks and people. Especially the dreaded tax man!
7. Lindsay, there aren’t many metal bands with female vocalists, do you find any challenges in the music industry because of this?
Yes, absolutely. But I do my best to take the higher road and rise above them.
8. What is it about Victorian Gothic horror that inspires you so much?
The quality of the storytelling that has survived to become some enigmatic in recent cinematic terms, the richness of the language and the genuine creepiness of the subject matter. Authors such as E.F Benson, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Oscar Wilde, Arthur Machen, Algernon Blackwood, H. Rider Haggard, Bram Stoker and Robert Louis Stevenson are perfect examples of this…..
9. Who is your favourite historical figure from history?
I would have to say Elizabeth Bathory. In 1998 we wrote a concept album about the Hungarian Bloòd Countess entitled ‘Cruelty.. And The Beast’, which survives as one of our most influential albums to date. I like the whole vampiric mythology that has grown up around her lineage and find the accusations levelled against her fascinating, if not a little disturbing.
10. Martin, your drums are very prevalent in the music, tell us what got you into music?
Well, I guess it was mainly my parents, who got me into music. As I remember being surrounded by music since I was a kid. So it must definitely be their fault, that I’m a musician now. 🙂
11. What places do you like to tour the most?
Everywhere to be honest, but the more exotic the better, so Australia is definitely up there for us!
We are still hoping to play Iceland, Turkey, China, New Zealand, South Africa and R’yleh to name but a smattering…
12. What can fans expect on this tour?
To see Cradle Of Filth live onstage doing what we do best. Playing a smorgasbord of tracks from right across our extensive back catalogue with ferocity and gusto. Australia marks the culmination of a whole world tour, so we will be pretty adept at giving a fantastic show by this juncture.
13. What is the craziest thing that’s ever happened on stage?
Aside from shitting myself in Israel and Martin having to feign an impromptu drum solo to cover my hasty exit? We have had electrocutions, a broken ankle, aerial acrobatics and plenty of weird and wonderful fan paraphernalia thrown onto the stage during our twenty-four year career.
14. What do you enjoy the most about being on stage?
The energy of the audience and of course, playing raucous, razor-sharp, enigmatic heavy metal at a dizzying velocity and volume!
15. What’s next for Cradle of Filth?
We have some shows in Greece and then the infamous Download festival in the UK, the With Full Force festival in Europe and then we will endeavor to start the writing process for the next album whilst preparing for Winter festivals at the back end of this year and a slew of Summer festivals next year.
Make sure to get your tickets to Cradle of Filth here http://www.destroyalllines.com/tour/cradle-of-filth/
