The Principle of Evil Made Flesh

Up there with Carcass' Necrotism and Anathema's Serenades, if you do not have this album your collection has an almighty gap in it.


Dark and sinister, Cradle at their best!   July 12, 2003
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

This is how Cradle should sound. The aggresion and brutality of this record make it an instant classic, the highlights being:

The Principle Of Evil Made Flesh - True classic. Great riffs, great screaming vocals. Brilliant. Although recorded again for 'Bitter Suites To Succubi', I believe that the rawness of it on this record makes it the classic that it is.

The Forest Whispers My Name - Amazing. A more melodic track, but it's still very brutal in places. Outstanding.

The Black Goddess Rises - The best of them all. Fast, brutal, black metal. A true masterpiece. Originally taken off COF's 'Total F**king Darkness' demo, it has been made a bit more mainstream than it was, but still incredible.

This is COF's best ever record in my opinion. But be careful if you've only heard Cradle's newer stuff, because this is amazingly different.


1 of their best !!!!   April 24, 2003
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Cradle of filth's first album is definetely 1 of their best. Ever since i first got this album I have been listening to it for ages. Veteran COF fans will notice that Dani's vocals are different-they are more raspy and menacing than his later work. here are a run-down of the songs :

1.Darkness our bride(jugular wedding)= A nice opener but a bit weak as far as COF intros are concerned.
2.The principle of evil made flesh= 1 of the best on here. heavy-as-hell !!
3.The forest whispers my name= a hauntingly good song with a chilling keyboard riff
4.Iscariot= A so-so instrumental but, again, not quite up to regular COF standards
5. The black goddess rises= Another standout track on the album. was later redone on "bitter suites to succubi" and made better but the original is still good
6.One final graven kiss= Absolutely BEAUTIFUL !! the best instrumental on the album
7. A crescendo of passion, bleeding= Brilliantly fast guitar riffage and an interesting mix of tempos throughout the song
8. To eve the art of witchcraft= An intersting song, this one. It starts off mixing organ melodies with thrash guitar riffs and in the middle of the song, the fury breaks down into a sweetly erotic tune...absolutely hypnotic. One of my favs on the album
9. Of mist and midnight skies= A huge organ intro at the start followed by guitars playing, this is perhaps one of the darkest songs on this album, not that the rest arent
10. In secret love we drown= Not a very good instrumental. in my opinion, this is the worst song on the album. its ok but is a bit naff
11. A dream of wolves in the snow= Starts off with a line quoted from Dracula and follows with a slow guitar riff and keyboard tune. This is one of the more melodic songs
12. Summer dying fast= The finishing number. This song has been appropriately put at the end as it is very dramatic and changes a lot during the song

So, overall, id reccommend this album to COF fans and newcomers alike as it contains some mindblowing heavyness and hypnotic, catchy melodies. Doesnt quite compare to cruely and the beast, midian etc. but is better than Bitter suites to succubi.

Buy this NOW !!!!