29 September 2024 – The Triffid, Brisbane – words by Alessandro Ambrosi – pictures by Bec Harbour
WOW…. has it been 21 years already?
April 2003 in Milan (yes in Italy) was my first time seeing CRADLE OF FILTH and from memory one of my first major metal concerts. I remember the excitement and anticipation of finally seeing one of the first bands that got me into the “extreme” metal side, and I was not disappointed. In the symphonic Black Metal sub-genre Cradle of Filth are second to none and countless world tours, a major label deal in the early 2000’s (SONY) plus the fact of still being around and going strong since 1991 are a testament to that and a sign of a broader audience for sure. Guided by Dani Filth (the only lasting founding member) they have been through numerous lineup changes throughout the years but almost never lost their typical sound that mixes heavy blasts and tight rhythms with gothic keyboards and melodies. A hard one to label.
Supporting the tonight are Moldovan INFECTED RAIN fronted by the eccentric Lena Scissorhands. The combination of female screaming, hard riffs and electronic samples brought to Infected Rain an individual style. It is a first for me, so the curiosity is high.
But let’s get right into it.
The venue is sold out and the concert hall is already packed with a substantial amount of people still lined up for merch outside. Melody and groove are the 2 key elements in their material. Lena’s impressive vocal range works a treat moving between soft and pained to screamed and guttural when the music gets heavier….and oh boy it does!!! Vadim on guitars is a whirlwind of dreadlocks, Alice on bass brings the wall of sound right up alongside with drummer Eugen.
The opener ‘A Second or a Thousand Years’ fires up a crowd that has been patiently awaiting. With the crowd urged to “Let’s get dancy!!” ‘Pandemonium’ comes third with a sound and a groove, especially from Alice’s bass, that reminds me of Meshuggah. ‘Vivarium’ from their 2024 album TIME brings a small but solid wall of death! First time that I’ve seen one at The Triffid!!! And for another “first time seeing it at The Triffid” the next song has Lena ask the whole venue to sit down to then jump up all together.
Infected Rain – Triffid – photos by Bec Harbour
Lena is a hell of a front woman, and the crowd is very responsive too.
‘Because I Let You’ gets the biggest pop of the night which ends with a traditional circle pit on the notes of ‘Sweet, Sweet Lies’. Group pictures with the audience horns up and an invite to meet the band at the merch stand and it’s time for a refreshing beverage. Groove meets melody meets electronic with a hint of nu metal. As you can tell there’s a lot of influences and INFECTED RAIN has mastered them all. The crowd response was huge overall. Definitely an exciting new discovery for me.
When we get back the stage has been cleared. Platforms elevate the drumkit and keyboard. After a classical intro which stopped quite abruptly the crowd is ready. The venue is packed everywhere. CRADLE OF FILTH finally makes their way to the stage on the notes of ‘The Fate of the World on our Shoulders’ with Dani wearing a black hooding reminiscent of a prisoner on his way to the gallows.
The notes of ‘Existential Terror’ set the crowd alight and while the sound mix gets progressively better the sextet from Ipswich (UK) finds their grounds on tonight’s stage. ‘Saffron’s Curse’ from MIDIAN takes us through a story of love and death with its keyboard almost music box sounding start and blastbeat heavier ending. In the words of Dani, after thanking the crowd, they are back after 5 years like a bad boomerang!
Cradle of Filth – Triffid – photos by Bec Harbour
‘She is a Fire’ does in fact set the pit alight with its thrashy tempos and ‘Principle of Evil made Flesh’ takes everyone back 30 years to their debut album and their rawest form. The audience answers back to Dani’s incitement between songs and I get the sensation that this concert has been long awaited by many, me included.
‘Crawling King Chaos’ from 2021’s EXISTENCE IS FUTILE is played before the slower ‘Nynphetamine’. The atmosphere is melancholic and finally we can hear keyboardist Zoe Marie Federoff impressive vocals while she duets with Dani. ‘Dusk and her Embrace’ is back on the faster side of a setlist that covers more or less the whole span of their career so far. With ‘Necromantic Fantasies’ we get to experience what a CRADLE OF FILTH tour is according to the band. We go back to classics with the raw and violent ‘Born In A Burial Gown’ which shows off drummer Marthus’ skills.
Cradle of Filth – Triffid – photos by Bec Harbour
A quick break and change and Cradle are back in action re-introduced by ‘A Bruise Upon the Silent Moon’. ‘The Promise of Fever’ re-ignites the crowd with its blasts and thrash symphonic mix that is Cradle Of Filth trademark. The trio of classics ‘Cruelty Brought Thee Orchids’, ‘Her Ghost in The Fog’ and ‘From the Cradle to Enslave’ bring the night to an end with Dani’s last “we are fucking Cradle Of Filth” closing the act.
20 years since I’ve first seen them and more than 30 since their formation, a score of line-up changes but the FILTH is still alive and kicking.
PS….their tour crew is affectionately named the Crewdle…NICE!
