''V Empire or Dark Faerytales in Phallustein'' is an 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 Cradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved originally from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic metal and other metal genres. Their ly ...

, and the first release following their 1994 debut studio album ''

The Principle of Evil Made Flesh ''The Principle of Evil Made Flesh'' is the debut studio album by English extreme metal band Cradle of Filth. It was released on 24 February 1994 through Cacophonous Records, following three demos released between 1991 and 1993. The album's s ...

''. It was released on 22 April 1996, and was the band's final release for Cacophonous Records.

Recording

''V Empire'' was hastily written and recorded for Cacophonous Records as a contractual obligation before the band jumped ship to

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 in 1 ...

. As such, it is the first of two albums released in 1996, the other being '' Dusk... and Her Embrace''. Half of the band was replaced for this recording, with Stuart Anstis replacing guitarists

Paul Allender Paul Allender (born 17 November 1970) is a lead guitarist best known for his work with the British extreme metal band Cradle of Filth. He was a longtime member with stints in the band from 1992–1995 and then again from 1999–2014. Cradle of ...

and

Paul Ryan Paul Davis Ryan (born January 29, 1970) is an American former politician who served as the List of Speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 54th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019. A member o ...

and

Damien Gregori Damien Gregori (also Greg Moffitt) is an Irish musician. Cradle of Filth Damien was keyboard player with UK band Cradle of Filth from 1995 to 1997, and appeared on two of the band's albums, '' V Empire or Dark Faerytales in Phallustein'' and '' ...

replacing keyboardist

Benjamin Ryan Benjamin Ryan (brother of Paul Ryan (agent), Paul Ryan) is a keyboard player and multi instrumentalist from Sudbury, Suffolk, Sudbury, in Suffolk, England. His earliest collaborations were with his guitar playing older brother Paul Ryan, with wh ...

. All the guitars on ''V Empire'' were performed by Anstis. The name "Jared Demeter" listed as a second guitarist in the liner notes included in the booklet of the EP is just a made-up name to give the impression that there were two guitarists on the EP. Also, all keyboard duties on ''V Empire'' were handled by Keith Appleton. ''V Empire'' is the first recording to feature backing vocalist

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 ...

Content

''V Empire'' sees a step up in production from the band's debut and introduces the fast, highly technical instrumentation that would be the hallmark of the band's next few releases. It includes a re-recorded version of "The Forest Whispers My Name" from the band's first album, ''The Principle of Evil Made Flesh''.

Title

The Gospel of Filth ''The Gospel of Filth'' (variously subtitled "A Black Metal Bible" and "A Bible of Decadence & Darkness") is a book by Dani Filth and Gavin Baddeley, documenting the history of the band Cradle of Filth and its cultural influences. The official s ...

'', a definitive history of the band and its influences, written by

Gavin Baddeley Gavin Baddeley (born 28 December 1966) is an ordained Reverend in the Church of Satan, and an experienced journalist who has worked for ''The Observer'' and ''Metal Hammer''. He is the occult authority for the BBC and Channel 4, has addressed Cam ...

and

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 ...

and published in 2010, refers to this record throughout as ''V Empire''. Due to the typographic sizing and spacing of the record's cover art, however, it has been widely read as ''Vempire'' in the years since its release. References like

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 ...

and

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

continue to retain the latter spelling, while some recent interviews appear to indicate that the band also pronounce it "Vempire" in conversation.

Release

''V Empire or Dark Faerytales in Phallustein'' was released on 22 April 1996. It was reissued in 2012 by record label

The End The End may refer to: Films * ''The End'' (1953 film), a film by Christopher Maclaine * ''The End'' (1978 film), a comedy by Burt Reynolds * ''The End'' (1997 film), a Canadian film of 1997 * ''The End'' (1998 film), a skateboarding document ...

Track listing

Notes: "Queen Of Winter, Throned" repeats some elements from " A Dream of Wolves in the Snow".

Personnel

All information from the EP booklet.(1996). "''V Empire or Dark Faerytales in Phallustein'' liner notes". In ''V Empire or Dark Faerytales in Phallustein''

D booklet D, or d, is the fourth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''dee'' (pronounced ), plural ''dees''. History The ...

Cacophonous. Cradle of Filth *

–

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 ...

, lyrics * Stuart Anstis –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

s * Robin Graves –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

–

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 *

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 ...

–

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 ...

Additional musicians *

–

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 ...

* Danielle Cneajna Cottington – backing vocals * Rachel – backing vocals Production * Chris Bell – artwork * Nigel Wingrove – art direction * Frater Nihil – photography * Mags – producer * Keith Appleton – engineering * Nilesh – mastering * Eileen – succubi model * Vida – succubi model * Scarlet – succubi model * Luna – succubi model * Gabrielle – succubi model

References

External links

* {{Authority control Cradle of Filth albums 1996 EPs Death metal EPs Cacophonous Records albums