Cryptoriana – The Seductiveness of Decay
2017 studio album by Cradle of Filth
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cryptoriana – The Seductiveness of Decay is the twelfth studio album by English extreme metal band Cradle of Filth. It was released on 22 September 2017 through Nuclear Blast Records.[3] It is the second and final album to feature Lindsay Schoolcraft on narration before her departure in February 2020.[6]
| Cryptoriana – The Seductiveness of Decay | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 22 September 2017 | |||
| Recorded | December 2016 – April 2017[1][2] | |||
| Studio | Grindstone Studios (Suffolk, England)[3] | |||
| Genre | Extreme metal | |||
| Length | 52:53 | |||
| Label | Nuclear Blast | |||
| Producer | Scott Atkins | |||
| Cradle of Filth chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Cryptoriana – The Seductiveness of Decay | ||||
| ||||
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 77/100[4] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [5] |
Background and promotion
Dani Filth said the album "is deeply infused with Victorian gothic horror and thus the title is a reflection of that. 'Cryptoriana' implies the Victorians' infatuation with the supernatural, the grave and the ghoulish. And the subtitle, 'The Seductiveness of Decay', further cements this attraction to death and the glittering lengthy process of self-annihilation".
The first promotional single, "Heartbreak and Seance", premiered alongside an accompanying music video on 11 July 2017.[7]
The second single, "You Will Know the Lion by His Claw", premiered together with a lyric music video on 8 August 2017.[8]
The third single, "Achingly Beautiful", was also released in conjunction with a lyric video on 15 September. Vocalist Dani Filth stated the single "has a very old-school Cradle vibe" and compared it to the song "A Gothic Romance" from the album Dusk and Her Embrace.[9]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Exquisite Torments Await..." | 2:15 |
| 2. | "Heartbreak and Seance" | 6:24 |
| 3. | "Achingly Beautiful" | 7:02 |
| 4. | "Wester Vespertine" | 7:24 |
| 5. | "The Seductiveness of Decay" | 7:38 |
| 6. | "Vengeful Spirit" (featuring Liv Kristine) | 6:00 |
| 7. | "You Will Know the Lion by His Claw" | 7:22 |
| 8. | "Death and the Maiden" | 8:48 |
| Total length: | 52:53 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 9. | "The Night at Catafalque Manor" | 7:31 |
| 10. | "Alison Hell" (Annihilator cover) | 5:01 |
| Total length: | 65:25 | |
Personnel
All information from the album booklet.[10]
Cradle of Filth
- Dani Filth – lead vocals, lyrics
- Martin "Marthus" Škaroupka – drums, keyboards, orchestration, choir vocals, score arrangements, choir and soprano arrangements
- Daniel Firth – bass
- Lindsay Schoolcraft – narration
- Richard Shaw – guitars
- Marek 'Ashok' Šmerda – guitars
Additional musicians
- Liv Kristine – vocals on "Vengeful Spirit"
- Linda Nepivodova – choir and alto vocals
- Lucie Korinkova – choir, alto and soprano vocals
- Petr Janovsky – choir and bass vocals
- Vit Starka – choir and bass vocals
- Miloš Makovský – choir vocals
- Martin Franze – choir and baritone vocals, artistic leader
- Dana Toncrová – choir and soprano vocals
- Ivan Nepivoda – choir and tenor vocals
- Jakub Herzan – choir and tenor vocals
Production
- Chris Schäfer – engineering
- Arthur Berzinsh – artwork
- Scott Atkins – producer, engineering, mixing, mastering
- Roman Jez – engineering
- Igor Mores – engineering
- Flame Hel – photography
- Dan Goldsworthy – layout
Charts
| Chart (2017) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[11] | 53 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[12] | 20 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[13] | 35 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[14] | 42 |
| Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)[15] | 17 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[16] | 111 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[17] | 8 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[18] | 110 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[19] | 15 |
| Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[20] | 32 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[21] | 31 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[22] | 24 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[23] | 50 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[24] | 14 |
| US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[25] | 15 |