Cradle of Filth - Existence is Futile (2021)

Just in time for our Halloween parties, Cradle of Filth unleashes their latest devilishly good opus with “Existence is Futile”. Aging well with time, the band in the last 10+ years has honed into their strengths and continues to deliver consistently engaging and well crafted releases. For over 70 minutes the band unleashes their signature sound filled with lush atmospherics, engaging storytelling, fierce guitar work, and the introduction of Anabelle Iratni on keyboards and female vocals, making this one of their more diverse and engaging releases to date.

After the traditional instrumental intro, “Existential Terror” sets a very dark and sinister tone with over-the-top choirs and orchestrations alongside Dani’s signature shrieks and some incisive guitar work. While the band’s sound is always familiar, and pieces like “Crawling King Chaos”, “Black Smoke Curling From the Lips of War” are staple CoF songs, we particularly love haunting tracks like “Necromantic Fantasies” with a certain “Nymphetamine” (song) vibe, but with Anabelle’s enchantress vocals spin and a more sultry tone.

The band’s storytelling in their songs has always been top notch thanks to Dani’s writing talents, and pieces like “The Dying Of The Embers'' and “How Many Tears To Nurture A Rose” really transport the listener into the band’s decadent lyrical concepts, alongside some killer guitar work by Ashok and Rich Shaw. Another one of our favorite aspects of the band has to be the precise and intense drumming of Marthus, perfectly leading the band through battle as tracks like “Suffer Our Dominion” and “Us, Dark, Invincible” deliver even more cinematic experiences.

We usually don’t get the bonus tracks in our review materials, but this time we have “Sisters Of The Mist” and “Unleash The Hellion”, two excellent additional pieces that make this release even more entertaining and diverse. Overall, “Existence is Futile” shows the band at full-strength with superbly catchy and engaging songs, brilliant instrumentation, and precise execution. As longtime fans of the band, we can say that this release directly rivals “Cruelty and the Beast” as one of our top 3 albums from the band.

Label: Nuclear Blast Records

Release: October 22nd, 2021

Genre: Gothic/Symphonic Black Metal

Country: UK