''V Empire or Dark Faerytales in Phallustein'' is an EP by English extreme metal band Cradle of Filth, and the first release following their 1994 debut studio album '' The Principle of Evil Made Flesh''. 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 i ...

. 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 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 ...

'', a definitive history of the band and its influences, written by Gavin Baddeley 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 databa ...

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 ...

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 Cacophonous. Cradle of Filth *

– lead vocals, 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 strin ...

s * Robin Graves – bass *

–

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 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 ...

* 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