- Country: UK
- Style: Symphonic black metal / Gothic metal
- Label: Nuclear Blast
- Release date: 22 October 2021
Thirteen albums in, Cradle of Filth have made one of the best records of their career. Existence Is Futile was produced by Scott Atkins, and it’s the first album with keyboardist and vocalist Anabelle Iratni, whose orchestration and clean vocals give the band a richer, more theatrical sound than they’ve had in years.
Dani Filth is in shrieking, cackling top form. After the instrumental intro “The Fate Of The World On Our Shoulders”, “Existential Terror” hits at full speed, and “Crawling King Chaos” is pure gothic black metal pageantry with a chorus that won’t leave your head. “Necromantic Fantasies” is the catchiest thing they’ve written in a long time.
The middle of the album is just as strong. “Black Smoke Curling From The Lips Of War” is dense and furious, “Discourse Between A Man And His Soul” is slower and stranger, and Doug Bradley, Pinhead himself, delivers a narration on “Suffer Our Dominion” that suits the band’s horror-film side perfectly.
It’s long, it’s over the top, and the Arthur Berzinsh cover art is gorgeous. Cradle fans who drifted away in the last decade should come back for this one.
Best tracks:
Existential Terror
Crawling King Chaos
Necromantic Fantasies
Black Smoke Curling From The Lips Of War
Suffer Our Dominion
Author’s rating: 8.7/10
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