Search - Cradle of Filth :: Vempire Or Dark Faerytales

Epic... Dramatic...

Mr_Grim | Bay Area, CA | 12/25/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"That is all I can say. Though it is not nearly as dark as Dusk, it does posess a lot of energy, and the last song, The Rape And Ruin Of Angels (Hossannas In Extremis) along with Queen Of Winter, Throned knocked my eardrums out and were epic opuses. Now, if you don't like melodic BM or such, don't listen. And also, don't review. When you review CD's, you don't review the genre, you review the CD, and sometimes the band. Like one review, where the guy said that Dani's screeching is unintelligible and he prefers to listen to GNR, Velvet Revolver, The Darkness, and ACDC, and that all DM and BM sucks. That's nice, but the point is to review the CD, or maybe the band, but definitely not the genre. That is very disingenuous if you do that. Onto the review:



1. Ebony dressed for sunset: (8/10) Not the worlds best song, but worth the extra effort to get, because it is only included on "Vempire or Dark Faerytales In Phallustein" not "Vempire." Also, it leads into Forest Whispers My Name.



2. Forest Whispers My Name: (9/10) A faster remake of the TPOEMF song, it may be better/worse suited to your taste. However, I feel that there are songs on TPOEMF that are better suited to be remade, like Of Mist And Midnight Skies, as the latter had so much more emotion and darkness than Forest Whispers My Name. Oh well, it is a very well done remake, though.



3. Queen Of Winter, Throned: (10/10) A 10 minute long epic, it takes a bit of a while to develop, but once it does, it is quite dramatic. While it contains references to several TPOEMF songs, it does have a personality of its own. Not only that, but it features a lot of sections where Dani isn't "vocalizing," as in COF's later works, Dani screeches through the whole song, and it leaves no room for development or musicality.



4. Nocturnal Supremecy: (8/10) A weak point in the album, it has a lot of filler in it, though the middle of the song is quite dramatic and haunting, it still doesn't stand up to the standard set by the other songs.



5. She Mourns A Lengthening Shadow: (10/10) The only instrumental I have ever given a score higher than 8/10, this one blows them all away. It posesses the most dramatic and melancholy view of the previous 4 songs, and lets the listener rest his ears as we head into the closer. Not only that, but it is incredibly well written, and could make a great song if guitars, drums etc... were added.



6. The Rape And Ruin Of Angels (Hossannas In Extremis): (10/10) The most dramatic and epic of them all, this one is almost 9 minutes long. While the ending sucks, the rest of it more than makes up for it. There is a dramatic urgency to the melodic sections of it, and an uncompromising, blistering feel to the more brutal section of it. It appropriately conveys the sense of, as the title said, raping angels. In fact, that's what most of the album is like.



As for the justification for my 4/5 score for the album as a whole, I must say, that if one were to release an EP, he/she would have to make sure that all of the songs were top notch, as there are only 3-7 songs on the CD. In addition, the amount of filler would have to be dramatically reduced, and if one were to do a remake, the remake should remake a pretty damn good song. Preferably, in this genre, the remade song should be dramatic, epic, and convey lots of emotion and feeling. As Cradle did remake a song, I feel the selection is not really what I would have done. Also, I though that Nocturnal Supremecy should have had more time dovoted to creating a dark and haunting epic, as the name is Nocturnal Supremecy. Though this EP did have its strong points, it is not the perfection that everybody makes it out to be. However, it is a good listen, and is worth finding the time to pick up the rarer version, Vempire Or Dark Faerytales In Phallustein."

Inspired to mortal nightmare...

Omega | Kansas City, MO, USA | 10/01/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Amazing, awesome. Such a huge step up from Principal...not necessarily in song writing but in quality. This is black metal at its best. It includes two tracks from their first album, amped up on demonic amphetamines. More shredding than some of their later releases (Midian, Damnation & a day), with V Empire, Cradle rose above the rest and set the bar for excellence. It is an experience to see them live just to hear The Forest Whispers my name. This is also the only release you can find The Rape and Ruin of Angels...an incredible song words cannot describe. Unfortunately to this day Dani is the only remaning member of this lineup, but this is essential Cradle listenening. If you only hear one album by Cradle, hear this one!"