I can’t admit to being or having been a big Cradle of Filth fan. I had a friend who didn’t like either them or Dimmu Borgir and gave me Spiritual Black Dimensions and Dusk and Her Embrace on the same day. I exclusively listened to Dimmu and didn’t really like the Cradle record at all. So I got Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa with a bit of skepticism (at best). I mean, really, when was the last time that you heard anything good about this band? A band that on the Top 100 Ways to be Black Metal list is referenced about 8 times: “Don’t be Dani Filth”.
But while Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa isn’t revolutionary and, hell, it may even be described as a rehashing of everything the band has already done, this record has some punch and pizazz. Sure, it’s melodramatic and yeah it’s cheesy, but it’s also fast, fun and with some surprisingly catchy riffs and orchestral arrangements. Instead of being embarrassing like I was expecting, it was less crappy than that, like, actually, it was good and it kinda grew on me. Now, I’m not going to say that this is high art, but for old fans who haven’t listened to the band in a long time, this might be worth checking out. There are some good songs on here (and some great ones) and a feel that will definitely appeal to anyone who was ever a fan (and to fans of melodic/orchestral black metal who have been too afraid to check the band out).
Just hide it from your real metal friends. And don’t be Dani Filth.
Highlight: ”The Nun with the Astral Habit” and “Lilith Immaculate”
