''From the Cradle to Enslave'' is the second EP by English

extreme metal Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. It has been defined as a "cluster of metal subgenres characterized by sonic, verbal, and visual tran ...

band Cradle of Filth, released on 30 October 1999 by record labels

Music for Nations Music For Nations (MFN) is a British independent record label focusing mainly on rock and metal. It was a subsidiary of the larger label distributor Zomba Records, which was a division of BMG and later Sony Music Entertainment. Launched i ...

(Europe) and

Metal Blade Metal Blade Records is an American independent record label founded by Brian Slagel in 1982. The US office for Metal Blade is located in Agoura Hills, California. It also has offices in Germany, Japan, Canada, and the UK. The label is distri ...

(US).

Recording and content

The EP was recorded during a period of upheaval for the band, with

Gian Pyres Gian Pyres (born Gianpiero Piras, 20 October 1973) is an English guitarist, best known for his work with extreme metal band Cradle of Filth for which he recorded guitars for '' Cruelty and the Beast'' (1998), ''Midian'' (2000), ''Bitter Suites t ...

and

Nicholas Barker Nicholas Howard Barker (born 1973) is an English extreme metal drummer best known as for his work in Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir. Currently he is the drummer for Brujeria and Shining. Biography Barker was born on 25 April 1973. He join ...

leaving prior to its release (Pyres would return for the recording of ''

Midian Midian (; he, מִדְיָן ''Mīḏyān'' ; ar, مَدْيَن, Madyan; grc-gre, Μαδιάμ, ''Madiam'') is a geographical place mentioned in the Hebrew Bible and Quran. William G. Dever states that biblical Midian was in the "northwest Ar ...

'') and Stuart Anstis and

Les Smith Keith Leslie Smith is a former British keyboardist, once in the bands Anathema (1996, 2001–2011) and Cradle of Filth (1998–2000). Biography He was born in 1967 in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, England. Smith undertook session work on keyboar ...

departing the band soon afterwards. ''From the Cradle to Enslave'' contains two original compositions: the title track and "Of Dark Blood and Fucking". The rest of the disc consists of

cover versions In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

and a re-recording of a track from the album '' Dusk... and Her Embrace''.

Release

''From the Cradle to Enslave'' was released on 30 October 1999 by record labels

(Europe) and

(US). It reached number 84 in the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

Reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

described the EP as "a worthy addition to any fan's collection, featuring several songs that rank with the best of their work". Dani Filth revealed his antipathy towards the title track in ''

Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one- ...

'': "We have to play it at every gig... I'd like to erase it, so I wouldn't have to play it again. After a while you just want to play something different. There's something about the

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...

that just strikes a chord of fear down my spine."

Track listing

''PanDaemonAeon''

"From the Cradle to Enslave" was the first of Cradle of Filth's songs to have an accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

. It was directed by

Alex Chandon Alex Chandon (born 3 November 1968 in North London) is a film director, writer and digital artist. Biography Directing career His early films, '' Drillbit'' and '' Bad Karma'', featured many musicians from the UK anarcho punk scene, notably B ...

, who would go on to produce further promo clips and DVD documentaries for the band, as well as the full-length feature film ''

Cradle of Fear ''Cradle of Fear'' is a 2001 British horror film, directed by Alex Chandon. It was released direct-to-video on 4 July 2001. Taking inspiration from the anthology films produced by Amicus Productions in the 1970s, it features three separate ...

''. The video features explicit images of nudity and gore and was released in two versions, one edited (supposedly to make it ''

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

''-friendly) and one uncut. Both contain a reference to the ''

Cruelty and the Beast ''Cruelty and the Beast'' is the third studio album by English extreme metal band Cradle of Filth. It is a concept album based on the legend of the Hungarian "blood countess" Elizabeth Báthory and features guest narration by actress Ingrid Pit ...

'' cover art, when a woman is seen emerging from a bathtub filling with blood. Both versions can be found on ''PanDaemonAeon'', which was released on VHS on October 5, 1999 and on DVD in 2002. The DVD also includes a "Making-of" documentary and a short live show, recorded at the London Astoria on 5 June 1998.

Astoria Show track list

# "Dusk and Her Embrace" # "Beneath the Howling Stars" # "Cruelty Brought Thee Orchids" # "Malice Through the Looking Glass"

Personnel

; Cradle of Filth *

Dani Filth Daniel Lloyd Davey (born 25 July 1973), known professionally as Dani Filth, is a British singer who is the vocalist, lyricist and founding member of the extreme metal band Cradle of Filth. He has a five-octave vocal range. Personal life Danie ...

–

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

* Stuart Anstis –

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...

–

rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...

* Robin Graves – bass * Lecter –

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

s * Was Sarginson –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

on "From the Cradle to Enslave", "Death Comes Ripping" and "Sleepless" *

Adrian Erlandsson Adrian Erlandsson (born 27 October 1970) is a Swedish heavy metal drummer who is a member of At the Gates (1990–1996, 2007–2008, 2010–), the Haunted (1996–1999, 2013–), and Nemhain (2006–). He has also been a member of H.E.A.L. ...

– drums on "Of Dark Blood and Fucking" and "Dawn of Eternity" *

– drums on "Funeral in Carpathia (Be Quick or Be Dead Version)" *

Sarah Jezebel Deva Sarah Jane (born 25 February 1977), better known by her stage name Sarah Jezebel Deva, is an English singer. She was the female soprano vocalist for Cradle of Filth for 14 years and the frontwoman of the band Angtoria for 10 years. In 2009, D ...

–

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...

; Production *Mike Exeter, Dan Spriggs - engineers on tracks 1-4, mixing on tracks 3-4 *

John Fryer John Fryer may refer to: *John Fryer (physician) (died 1563), English physician, humanist and early reformer *John Fryer (physician, died 1672), English physician *John Fryer (travel writer) (1650–1733), British travel-writer and doctor *Sir John ...

- mixing on tracks 1 and 2 *Mark Harwodd - engineer and mixing on "Funeral in Carpathia" and "Dawn of Eternity" *Damien Clarke and Lecter - remixing of "Perverts Church" *Noel Sommerville - mastering

Charts

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Cradle of Filth albums 1999 EPs Music for Nations albums Metal Blade Records EPs