Vempire

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Customer reviews

review by: King Business date: 2008-03-26 rating:
Best album of all time!
Well, I think so anyway. I want everyone who likes metal to hear this album. Where to start?

This album sees COF at one of their two career peaks (the other being the ambitious and flawlessly executed epic Damnnation And A Day, 7 years later). Before Vempire there was The Principle Of Evil Made Flesh, another one those records that 'purists' like to pretend they like even though anyone with ears can hear that its just a badly produced 50-odd minutes of nonsense with comedy keyboards and indecipherable vocals. Post-Vempire Cradle went a different direction, firstly with the slighty-TOO-gothic Dusk... And Her Embrace, then with the self deprecating Cruelty And The Beast and From The Cradle To Enslave releases, before getting back on the right path with 2000's Midian and on to the dizzying heights of DAAD.

But why is this album their greatest achievement? Well, cracking tunes aside, I think Vempire sees COF trying their least to sound like anything, at their rawest and most bare (but not in the stupid Darkthrone sense of the word). Vempire has much less of the overexuberant flourishes of later COF albums, less of the Hammer Horror references, less of the silly female vocals that every fan secretly hates, less of the posturing and media-savvy self-awareness that nearly turned the band into a joke in the late nineties. It also shows an impressive improvement in performance from the first album, as well as an extensive lineup change. Pauls Ryan and Allender are replaced on guitar by the band's best, Stuart Anstis (here performing solo save for the mention of the fictional Jared Dementer, created and credited to maintain the ruse that the band was still a sextet). Damien Gregori takes over keyboard duties from Ben Ryan, the goat-head-wearing gimmick keyboardist from the first album. Gregori's playing certainly adds a lot of credibility to the lineup.

Vempire is a much more sonically abrasive record than TPOEMF, full of hard riffs, blistering solos, shrill (but audible) vocals and a legend-making performance from sticksman Nick Barker, who more than anyone seems much less inhibited on this, his second record. The group are more ambitious too, without indulging in excess. The album's cornerstone track "Queen Of Winter, Throned" clocks in at nearly 11 minutes, but doesn't repeat itself or feature endless guitar twiddling. Plus, the rest of the songs are killer too. Opener "Ebony Dressed For Sunset" sets the tone with an awesome blastbeat, ominous keys and a tremendously low growl from Dani Filth. This short track flows seamlessly into the second, the rebooted "The Forest Whispers My Name", a song from the first record reborn here as a classic. "Queen..." follows, then "Nocturnal Supremacy", a dark and fast number with a fantastic guitar solo and lots of breakdowns, before the simple instrumental "She Mourns A Lengthening Shadow" gives way to the full on thrash attack of "Hosannas In Extremis". The album's 40 minutes is a perfect length for a quick listen and the small amount of songs means its easier to familiarise with. The production is spot on again and better than the albums before AND after it. One criticism constantly thrown at COF over the years (by idiots) is that they're not proper "black metal". Regardless of how you want to label it, this is great music, plain and simple, and anyone so determined to pigeonhole it doesn't deserve to listen to it.

In summary, we have a band restrained and on top form, peculiar considering this album was only recorded to get out of their record deal with Cacophonous. So yes, that does mean that if you buy it they won't see a dime, but if its any consolation, it'll put a smile on my face, and a smile on yours.

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review by: mccanns23 date: 2006-06-16 rating:
one of the finest eps of all time
this is the second release from cradle of filth and was released in 1996 and was well recieved and from here their fanbase grew,its also a more polished affair than their debut which was released in 1994,that much is evident as Vempire includes a re-released version of the forest whispers my name which appeared on the principle debut.
What you get here is six songs including the standard instrumental which always adds to the cradle of filth effect rather than takes away,its an ep that some consider an album but i have never seen it that way,it was an ep that was made to fill their contractual obligations to the record label before they jumped ship,but at 36 minutes long it is well worth the money.
Like i hinted at the production is better so danis range of vocals are more audible and the keyboards flow with the guitars better than before,the drums are manic and unrelenting.Ebony dressed for sunset opens the ep brilliantly with its haunting brilliance and it is here that you see the band creating their own style as opposed to the burzum influenced debut.
Queen of winter throned is also on here so by now you can tell that this ep is quality,of course cradle aint for everyone,my great friend says she hates danis squeal and his shout and his roar so she cant be helped i guess,anyway this is a brilliant example of cradles work,and a few months after this was released we had the release of the epic and beautiful dusk and her embrace and from that point cradle ruled extreme metal.

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review by: date: 2004-07-05 rating:
The forest beckons with her nocturnal call...
My background - 3 years of extreme metal. Cradle of filth being my favourite band for the past year and a half. Ive listened to death metal like cryptopsy and exhumed, and black metal like Emperor, burzum, darkthrone etc. But cradle remained my favourite. Up until recently i had all the albums minus Principle of evil made flesh, Vempire or dark faerytales in phallustein and Bitter suites.

The first thing i noticed when i began to listen to this album with full attention was that this was the best music id ever heard. Sinister sounding bass, incredible guitarwork and the most precise and unbelievable drumming iv ever heard! I know these things are redundant without songwriting skills. But luckilly the songs are great in this album so the musicianship is a skillfull creative expression of the songwriting. Then we have the vocals.. which are the best CoF have ever done (in comparison to dusk,cruelty,midian,enslave,damnation). When i actually listened hard to the vocals not only was it amazing skill wise vocally and stamina (Dani shrieks for ages, slowly quietening down.. only to then pick up the volume and go into a new shriek on the same breath!) but i also suddenly realized how EVIL they sounded! After this album (especially cruelty onwards) the vocals are totally different, they sound much more human like. This stuff sounds like an imp or demon in the pits of hell shrieking like its dying.. its totally savage. I was questioning whether this was human! Regardless, these are the most interesting and fitting vocals CoF have ever used. Though they DO sound very genuinely evil, which most of us won't notice until focusing our attention to them. (They made me think.. omg, i listen to this all the time! why? am i evil? Is this legal?! etc!)

Finally, the production is faultless, easilly the best the band has ever done (well.. similar to dusk...). Compare it to the tinny sound of cruelty (with the high pitched bass drum).. the worst was on the midian album however.. dear the drums sound aweful on it.. for a start they don't sound like a drum kit, and secondly the symbols and hi-hat etc are completely non existent, buried under the mix; and on damnation the drums sound more brutally explosive but less raw. However on Vempire, the whole mix is perfect, the drums sound brilliant with great symbol and hi hat sounds and everything can be heard.

The tracks - The first 5 tracks are all brilliant, the final track, while good, can get monotonous because through most of the song the guitars are ripping out thrash sequences which vary a lot, and drone on a bit. That is my only negative with this album. Ebony dressed for sunset is a ripping, brilliant intro. The Forest... is one of my favourites with its groovy intro and everything else is crushing! Queen of Winter is a massive epic, the drumming is excellent throughout, but the final 2 minutes of this song are incredible, with high speed bass drumming accompanied with varied speed snare and tom fills. My other mention is Nocturnal Supremacy, which is another amazing song. If you like extreme music, you NEED this album.

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review by: date: 2004-02-19 rating:
A Nightmarish Portrait Of Vampyric Beauty
This is possibly one of the finest works by Cradle Of Filth even though it was made mainly as a result of resolving a contract deal with Cacophonous records it certainly packs a punch for just for that.

1.Ebony Dressed For Sunset
A truly cliche Cradle Song fast thrashy tremlo harmonised guitar riffing and beautiful overlaying keyboard melodies cleverly merges into...
2.The Forest Whispers My Name
A re-recorded version of the Principle Of Evil Made Flesh song and another true COF classic. Starts with a quirky little bass riff and keyboard melody then goes into something of a majestic and tragic song.
3.Queen Of Winter, Throned
This song lasts around about ten mintutes and is probally one of Cradles best songs ever. It is a truly amazing song thats all I have to say on that one.
4.Nocturnal Supremacy
The passage in Phallestien just keeps getting better! Extremely stupidly technical drumming on this an awsome song another reason to grim and necro : )
5.She Mourns A Lengthening Shadow
An instrumental, and a good one aswell very similar to a Bitter Suites To Succubi one. Has a nice feel to it long kind of chamber music thing quite cool.
6.The Rape And The Ruin Of Angels (Hosannas In Extremis)
Another quite long song, good in all way of things, some good little riffs in here a real gem of a song another reason to be grim and necro and burn angels ;) Anyway Dani's vocals are quite cool on it and its just another example of what Cradle can do!

So my conclusion is that if your not scared by the rather sadistic artwork of this album then buy it to complete your discography! Its a nice little E.P. full of the original COF Gothic Vampyric atmosphere if you want that kind of Cradle buy The Principle Of Evil Made Flesh, This one, Dusk And Her Embrace and Cruelty And The Beast! So what else can I say? What are you waiting for you prude? Get of your arse and buy it!


review by: Fury date: 2001-08-06 rating:
Amazing album! - a full album in itself
This is more than just a release in between proper albums, its an amazing album itself! It is the first album with the bands best line up, including new guitarist Stuart, (who's brilliant!) and new keyboard player Damien, whose their best. Aswell as an exelent remake of The Forest Whispers my name, the album has 5 new tracks. Queen of winter throned is an amazing epic classic, Nocturnal supremecy is a heavy classic, and she mourns a Lengthening shadow is the most beautiful track I've ever heard, and is a synthesiser only track. The other 2 new tracks are exelent aswell, and the drumming on the album is also stunning!!! This one of their best releases to date and a must for any black metal fan!!

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