Cradle of Filth brought a theatrical, high-energy gothic assault to Granada

42 minutes ago

Jason Colvin,

Cradle of Filth. // photo by Jason Colvin

Cradle of Filth
with Cultus Black, Ghost Bath, and Suffocation
The Granada
Thursday, May 21

On Thursday, May 21, a dark shadow overtook the start of the summer season in Lawrence as Cradle of Filth brought their Majestic in Black tour to the Granada Theater. Along with them were opening acts Cultus Black, Ghost Bath, and Suffocation. The four bands provided a night of gothic and extreme metal to lead fans into the Memorial Day weekend.

Cultus Black. // photo by Jason Colvin

The night started as theatrical nu-metal, deathcore band Cultus Black came to the stage with intoxicating energy. Led by vocalist James Anthony Legion, who took the stage face and body covered in black and white paint, the mysterious band dropped a set that immediately drew in fans eager to serve their cult. The other band members were all wearing tight black masks over their faces. Who was on guitars, bass, and drums is anyone’s guess. Each one of the band members was playing into the dark theatrics as they moved across the stage, engaging with the fans and one another.

The musician who was playing additional percussion and providing backing vocals at one point leaped out from the stage right into the sea of fans, crowd surfing his way back to the stage. Legion let us know that no matter how many times he tells him not to do so, there is just no controlling this member’s madness. They played a seven-song set that included six songs from their 2023 debut album, Cultus Black, as well as a cover of Nirvana’s “Negative Creep.” During the final song, Legion was down at the barricade as he sang, keeping the fans energized and ready for the night of metal ahead.

Ghost Bath. // photo by Jason Colvin

Keeping that intense energy fully alive, Ghost Bath took to the stage and immediately began to deliver their hard-hitting set. Hailing from North Dakota, the band delivers metal with haunting grooves and gravestone melodies. Led by founder and vocalist Dennis Mikula (aka Nameless), they blend metal with touches of post-rock and shoegaze to form a blackgaze sound. While I cannot say I was familiar with the band before this night and thus not able to reference the songs for the set list, I can say that each song they played was a brutal emotional roller coaster. Like myself, everyone in attendance was fully engaged in the powerful sonic blasts that were moving through us. With little to no time between tracks to engage the crowd, they let their music do the talking, the dark lyrics taking us deeper into the majestic mayhem of the night.

Suffocation. // photo by Jason Colvin

The night moved on, and it was time for technical-metal pioneers Suffocation to take the stage. The New York-based band has become a metal legend since forming in 1989, as evidenced by the roaring cheers and applause when they hit the stage. They performed with perfection, their well-known, unparalleled brutality of sophisticated songwriting with complex time changes and lead and rhythm guitar acrobatics courtesy of dueling guitarists Charlie Errigo and Terrance Hobbs. Blasting beats powered their way into the audience courtesy of Derek Boyer on bass and recently added legendary metal drummer John Longstreth. On vocals, Ricky Myers provided intensely low, yet articulate guttural growls that provided just enough enunciation to allow the dark, violent lyrical themes to be understood.

As they thrashed through each song, the multi-colored stage lights flashed along with rhythmic speed. It was an all-out attack on the senses as heads banged along and fans circled and slammed into each other in the mosh pit. The intensity of their set showcased the band’s name as they stole fans’ breath away. It wasn’t until after they closed out with “Infecting the Crypts” from their debut album Effigy of the Forgotten that we could all finally breathe again.

Cradle of Filth. // photo by Jason Colvin

After taking the time during the set change to relieve the pressure in our lungs from Suffocation, the time had come for headliners Cradle of Filth to perform. Band members Donny Burbage and Joff Bailey on guitars, Daniel Firth on bass, Martin “Marthus” Skaroupka on drums, and keyboardist Kelsey Peters took to the stage to excited cheers and screams. Before long, standing back in the center of the stage, donning his signature executioner’s hood, was vocalist and band founder Dani Filth. As the symphonic intro played, they stood upon the stage like a gang of gothic terrorizers from another era. Leather, face paint, spikes—were they from a past medieval time, a post-apocalyptic future, or from the depths of hell? Either way, they were ready to strike as the intro ended and Filth revealed himself as they ripped into the song “To Live Deliciously” from their most recent album, The Screaming of the Valkyries. Their theatrical, high-energy gothic assault was underway.

Formed in Suffolk, England, in 1991, the band has a rich history of songs to pull from with a catalog of fourteen albums. Filth’s extreme, dynamic range of vocals was perfectly executed. His piercing, high-pitched screams contrasted well with scratching melodic tones and deep, guttural growls. Peters provided powerful operatic backing vocals with her haunting keys to further add to the dark theatrical sound.

Cradle of Filth’s crowd. // photo by Jason Colvin

The passionate fan base was fully under their spell through the immersive cinematic, symphonic black metal performance. Punishing blast beats kept the mosh pit alive as other fans took to the air, crowd surfing their way to the barricade. Filth balanced his time between delivering his vocals from behind a mic stand covered in bones of unholy souls and pacing the stage while engaging the fans. At one point between songs, he joked that his father’s name is Lawrence, so he had that in common with us, thus basically making him an American.

The band closed out the regular set with the epic song suite “Bathory Aria” from the 1998 album Cruelty & the Beast. The band left the stage, but the fans let them know with roars and chants that they wanted more. Before too long, the band was back on stage as another symphonic intro started the encore. Filth took a moment to excite fans even more as he let us know that a new album is in the works. They closed out the night with the classic and always highly anticipated track “Her Ghost in the Fog” from the 2000 album Midian.

With the promise of yet another new album underway for fans to eagerly await, it will only be a matter of time before they hit the road again. If and when they come back through the area, I highly recommend that any fan of metal see them live. Their live sound and macabre theatrical performance are a must-see experience.

All photos by Jason Colvin

Cradle of Filth

Cradle of Filth setlist
To Live Deliciously
Demagoguery
Nocturnal Supremacy
Malignant Perfection
The Principle of Evil Made Flesh
How Many Tears to Nurture a Rose?
Nymphetamine Fix
White Hellebore
Bathory Aria
—
The Promise of Fever
Cruelty Brought Thee Orchids
Her Ghost in the Fog

Suffocation

Suffocation setlist
Seraphim Enslavement
Pierced From Within
Effigy of the Forgotten
Thrones of Blood
Catatonia
Breeding the Spawn
Funeral Inception
Liege of Inveracity
Infecting the Crypts

Ghost Bath