''Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa'' is the ninth

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

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 ...

. It was released on 1 November 2010 by record label

Peaceville Peaceville Records is a British independent heavy metal record label. The label was founded by Paul "Hammy" Halmshaw (of the bands Instigators and Civilised Society) in Dewsbury, England in 1987, who was also a one-time drummer of Sore Throa ...

and is a

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Some ...

centred on the demon

Lilith Lilith ( ; he, לִילִית, Līlīṯ) is a female figure in Mesopotamian and Judaic mythology, alternatively the first wife of Adam and supposedly the primordial she-demon. Lilith is cited as having been "banished" from the Garden of Ed ...

. It is Cradle of Filth's only album to feature keyboardist Ashley Ellyllon, and is also the band's final album with Dave Pybus as their bass player and James McIlroy as their second guitar player.

Background

Prior to its release the album was erroneously referred to as ''All Hallows Eve'', probably because the announced release date was close to

Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observan ...

Concept and musical style

''Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa'' is a

in the same vein as its predecessor ''

Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder ''Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder'' (subtitled ''The Life and Crimes of Gilles de Rais'') is the eighth studio album by English extreme metal band Cradle of Filth. It was released on 28 October 2008, through record label Roadrunner. It is the ba ...

'', this time centering on the demon

, the first wife of the biblical

Adam Adam; el, Ἀδάμ, Adám; la, Adam is the name given in Genesis 1-5 to the first human. Beyond its use as the name of the first man, ''adam'' is also used in the Bible as a pronoun, individually as "a human" and in a collective sense as " ...

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 ...

revealed to ''

Metal Hammer ''Metal Hammer'' is a heavy metal music magazine and website founded in 1983, published in the United Kingdom by Future, with other language editions available in numerous other countries. ''Metal Hammer'' features news, reviews and long-form ...

'' in September 2010 that it would be a "feminine" companion piece to ''Godspeed'', "which was a very masculine album, obviously due to its protagonist,

Gilles de Rais Gilles de Rais (c. 1405 – 26 October 1440), Baron de Rais (), was a knight and lord from Brittany, Anjou and Poitou, a leader in the French army, and a companion-in-arms of Joan of Arc. He is best known for his reputation and later c ...

". Unlike previous historically-based concept albums ''Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder'' and ''

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 ...

'', ''Darkly, Darkly'' tells an original story. "It's about the resurgence of Lilith into modern society as a deity", Filth said. "There's a bit of

Victoriana Victoriana is a term used to refer to material culture related to the Victorian period (1837–1901). It often refers to decorative objects, but can also describe a variety of artifacts from the era including graphic design, publications, pho ...

in there. Essentially, at heart, it's a nice

gothic horror Gothic fiction, sometimes called Gothic horror in the 20th century, is a loose literary aesthetic of fear and haunting. The name is a reference to Gothic architecture of the European Middle Ages, which was characteristic of the settings of ea ...

story." Reference to

Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities o ...

and the

Knights Templar , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

is also made, in what was referred to by the label as "a dark tapestry of horror, madness and twisted sex". At an early stage of the album's development in August 2009, Filth hinted that the album's sound was "creepily melodic, like

Mercyful Fate Mercyful Fate is a Danish heavy metal band from Copenhagen, formed in 1981 by vocalist King Diamond and guitarist Hank Shermann. Influenced by progressive rock and hard rock, and with lyrics dealing with Satan and the occult, Mercyful Fat ...

or a dark

Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harr ...

". The ''Metal Hammer'' interview also likened it to

King Diamond Kim Bendix Petersen (born 14 June 1956), better known by his stage name King Diamond, is a Danish rock musician. As a vocalist, he is known for his powerful and wide-ranging countertenor singing voice, in particular his far-reaching falsetto ...

. The core album is the band's first to not feature any instrumental tracks. The special edition bonus track "Adest Rosa Secreta Eros" ''is'' arguably an instrumental, but features extensive narrative excerpts taken from

Aleister Crowley Aleister Crowley (; born Edward Alexander Crowley; 12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947) was an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, painter, novelist, and mountaineer. He founded the religion of Thelema, identifying himself as the pr ...

's ''

The Book of the Law ''Liber AL vel Legis'' (), commonly known as ''The Book of the Law'', is the central sacred text of Thelema. Aleister Crowley said that it was dictated to him by a beyond-human being who called himself ' Aiwass'. Rose Edith Kelly, Crowley's ...

''.

Release

On 20 August 2010, a free

mp3 MP3 (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer III or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III) is a coding format for digital audio developed largely by the Fraunhofer Society in Germany, with support from other digital scientists in the United States and elsewhere. Origin ...

of the track "Lilith Immaculate" was released by the band as reward for signing up for a mailing list following the album's development. On 29 September Cradle of Filth released the first official video of the album for the track "Forgive Me Father (I Have Sinned)". ''Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa'' was released on 1 November by record label

. A Limited Edition version of the album was released, and was packaged in a hard box containing: * A second disc of bonus tracks and demos (including "Adest Rosa Secreta Eros", an exclusive track not available on any other edition of the album) * DVD – the promo video for "Forgive Me Father (I Have Sinned)" plus a documentary on the making of the video * A 64-page hardback book containing band photos, musings and artwork * An exclusive T-shirt available only in this box * A limited edition lenticular 3D image of the album cover art * Five photographic prints * An official certificate of authenticity from the band

Reception

The album received a generally favourable response from critics. Thom Jurek at

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

wrote that it "is tightly focused, employing CoF's trademark orchestral and keyboard elements to fine effect, with wildly intense... blastbeats from Marthus Skaroupka, and screaming guitars... courtesy of Paul Allender and James McEllroy. The concentration on writing and arrangement is disciplined, with a strong set of dynamics, a terrific mix, and great production".

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television ...

was very favourable, writing "With some of the best compositions of its career, the highest-quality lyrics in its history, and none of the misfires it has suffered in the past, Cradle of Filth has delivered one of the best extreme metal releases in recent memory". ''Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa'' sold 5,800 copies in its first week and debuted at position 99 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Track listing

Personnel

; Cradle of Filth *

– vocals, production *

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 ...

– lead guitar * James McIlroy – rhythm guitar * Dave Pybus – bass * Ashley Ellyllon – keyboards *

Martin Marthus Škaroupka Martin "Marthus" Škaroupka (born 20 January 1981) is a Czech extreme metal drummer. He is a member and songwriter in the British extreme metal band Cradle of Filth. Biography When he was 6, Škaroupka started attending piano and singing les ...

– drums ; Additional personnel * Mark Newby-Robson – orchestration * Andy James – additional guitars * Lucy Atkins – vocals * Dora Kemp – backing vocals and choir * Ralph Woodward – choir conductor and arranger * Ruth McCabe, Tim Cutts, Craig Miller, Philippa Mann, Anna Asbach-Cullen – choir ; Technical personnel * Scott Atkins – producer, engineer, mixing * Doug Cook – producer, engineer * Rupert Matthews – assistant engineer *

Andy Sneap Andy Sneap (born 18 July 1969) is an English guitarist, record producer and composer with over 100 albums to his name, most of which have been produced at his Backstage Recording studios in rural Derbyshire. Some of the most critically acclaime ...

– assistant engineer, mastering at Backstage Studios * Natalie Shau – cover art

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2010 albums Cradle of Filth albums Concept albums Nuclear Blast albums Peaceville Records albums