Cradle Of Filth's Hammer Of The Witches (Track-by-Track Review)

Cradle Of Filth's 

Hammer Of The Witches 

(Track-by-Track Review)

Author: Brandon Defiance

Walpurgis Eve

     The album starts with a classic cradle-sounding instrumental that draws you in with a demanding violin. It has an ambiance perfect for a story built around witches. The instrumentals are better than Damnation and a Day, which I always thought had the best set of instrumentals.

Yours Immortally

     

     The album starts off with a fast and heavy track complete with female vocals and organs, which is something that Cradle’s music has been lacking for a few records. I have been missing the whole dark séance sound like on Saffron’s Curse from Midian. Lindsay Schoolcraft’s harmonizing vocals sound just as magical as some of the female vocals from Dusk and Her Embrace. The guitars are already sounding very different than past Cradle albums thanks to the two new guitarists. The guitars are so different that it comes off as a new age Cruelty and The Beast for me. They sound like classic Iron Maiden or Mercyful Fate. I didn’t hate Paul Allender’s sound, but it was becoming very monotonous over the years.

Enshrined In Crematoria

     This track is just the bare minimum of what you would expect from Cradle. When it first comes on it sounds like The Black Goddess Rises riff starting up, but then it changes. This track has some orchestral parts and Dani’s trademark long screeches. But to me, it is one of the weaker tracks, but not saying it isn’t good. Cradle of Filth are always good, but I just think it could have went more places than it did. At times it is catchy and at times it is repetitive.

Deflowering The Maidenhead, Displeasuring The Goddess

     It starts off slow, but progresses to be an epic track in the end. It is so different that I can’t compare it to any past Cradle track. Five minutes in, Dani Filth is at his best. His lyrics are woven perfectly into the music. This is one that grows on you the more you listen to it. Many tracks like this one remind you why you are a Cradle fan.

Blackest Magick In Practice 

     When it came on, I instantly knew it would be my favorite song from the album. It is one of the highlights. It begins with haunting vocals and a guitar riff that quickly hooks you in. The vocals first come off slow and personal like Absinthe with Faust from Nymphetamine. The guitar riffs are catchy. This track reminds me of what Dusk and Her Embrace might sound like if it were produced today, but this album is like Cruelty and the Beast because it has many different sectional pieces that all tie together.

The Monstrous Sabbat (Summoning The Coven) 

     Judging by the title, it sounds like it would be an aggressive track. But it’s only an instrumental. With only four songs before it, it feels too early for another instrumental. But it generates hype for what is instore. Then out of nowhere the instrumental stops and the title track, Hammer of The Witches, blasts through.  

Hammer Of The Witches

     When it comes on, you know it’s about to get serious because this is the heart of the album. I feel that the song didn’t really start until Lindsay Schoolcraft’s Dusk inspired vocals came in. Its fast and Martin’s drums are fast and just as demanding. It was sort of like Godspeed of the Devil's Thunder, the title track, it didn’t carry as much weight as it should since the album bared its name. But it is not bad, I just put more high expectations on it. Its theatrical. I just didn’t feel like it was the pinnacle of the album because I had already heard better tracks before it.

Right Wing Of The Garden Tripytch

     It starts off with Lindsay Schoolcraft’s vocals, which in this one sound very close to Sarah Jezebel Deva’s at one point. The lyrics make reference to “The Queen of Winter, Throned,” a classic cradle track, and it evokes memories of the Vempire album. I will be honest, when I first heard the track I was skeptical of the new sound, but then caught myself listening to it on repeat days afterward. This is an example of one of the songs that has many intricate sectional parts that tie in together. It’s good that they picked this track for the first single because it shows how their sound has evolved. Dani’s vocals are in their prime and they sound just as good as many of the classic albums.

Vampyre At My Side

     Judging by the title, it sounds like it would have been a track on the Devilment album. The title makes me think of Vempire. The song starts off with a raw, grungy sound compared to the other tracks before it, which adds a diversity to the set of songs. It makes me think of how Filthy Little Secret did on the Nymphetamine album. The song really breaths life when the new guitarists sound. When the new guitarists' solo parts come in, you know that it is usually a trigger for an awesome part in the song. The guitars on Hammer Of The Witches make me feel the way that Cruelty and the Beast felt when I first got the CD in my hands. 

Onward Christian Soldiers

     It starts off with Dani’s shrieking long screams. You know by the name of the title, this is going to be a good one. This is one of my top favorites next to Blackest Magick in Practice. Its the meat of the album since it makes reference to the people attempting to persecute the witches. There is more classic guitar riffs sounding like Mercyful Fate and Iron Maiden in this one. These new guitarists bring new life to the Cradle brand, and I could see this making Cradle Of Filth make more albums than they originally planned in their career. An instrumental part of the song quickly reminded me of something from the Principle of Evil Made Flesh album. This album delivers ultimate fan service for classic fans. This was an epic way to close out the album. The orchestrations and choir-work sound like its from a movie soundtrack. I can’t remember a track that closed out an album better since Midian.

Blooding the Hounds of Hell

     This instrumental is connected to the end of Onward Christian Soldiers with no real pauses between tracks. It just continues the theatrical sound and helps end the album on a high note. But judging by the title, this one could have been an epic song. The visuals behind the title are so illustrating to the imagination.

King Of The Woods & Misericord (Bonus Tracks)

     It has such an epic introduction that it doesn’t sound like it should be a B-side track, like some of those that was on the Godspeed and Manticore album. Lindsay’s vocals are perfect and begin to sound more like Sarah Jezebel speaking dark verses on Vempire. I’m not saying that B-side tracks are always horrible, but this one should have been on the main part of the album instead of Enshrined in Crematoria. The song slows down like classic cradle, and Dani speaks his ritualistic verses. The only other track that does this is Right Wing Of The Garden Tripytch. However, Misercord is just like the others I mentioned, its a weaker song. Its still heavy and holds weight. It just doesn’t add anything new to Cradle’s repertoire. I don’t blame this one for being a bonus track.

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     In conclusion, this is one of the better works in Cradle’s recent history. They have reinvented their sound. It sounds like fresh blood is pumped back into the band. And I would like to credit Schoolcraft and the new guitarists for that. Schoolcraft shows off her vocals and keys when giving the chance, but it could have been implemented more. Hammer Of The Witches kicks Manticore’s ass, which I personally think sounded like an inconsistent mess strewn together. This actually sounds like Cradle is trying to do what they say each time they release a new CD, and that is that it sounds like one of the fan favorites from old. Hammer Of The Witches never overstays its welcome like some of the recent records have done. The B-side tracks wasn’t just more of the same. And to be honest, I was going into this album thinking I was going to set it on my shelf and collect dust beside Manticore. Hammer Of The Witches is catchy. I caught myself snapping my fingers to the blastbeats of many of the tracks. For this to be Cradle's eleventh studio album, it deserves 5 out of 5 fallen stars!!!

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