Thornography

Infobox Album |
Name = Thornography
Type = studio
Artist = Cradle of Filth

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Released = October 17 2006
Recorded = 2006
Genre = Extreme metal
Length = 64:44
Label = Roadrunner Records
Producer = Rob Caggiano
Reviews =
* Allmusic Rating|3.5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:gcfrxqedldde link]
* Sputnikmusic Rating|4|5 [http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?albumid=13092 link]
* Rock Something Rating|4|5 [http://www.rocksomething.com/reviews/reviewCradleofFilth.html link]
Last album = "Nymphetamine"
(2004)
This album = "Thornography"
(2006)
Next album = "Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder"
(2008)
Misc = Extra album cover
Upper caption = Alternate Cover
Background = lightsteelblue


Lower caption = Limited edition "First Day" cover

"Thornography" is the seventh full-length studio album by Cradle of Filth released through Roadrunner Records in October, 2006. The album is produced by Anthrax guitarist Rob Caggiano and mixed by Andy Sneap, and once again features narration by Doug Bradley (as with "Midian" and "Nymphetamine").

Background

Dani Filth explained the album's title thus: "This title represents mankind's obsession with sin and self. The thorn combines images of that which troubled Christ, the Crown of Thorns, thus intimating man's seeming desire to hurt God and also, of the protecting thorn and the need to enclose a secret place or the soul from attack. An addiction to self-punishment or something equally poisonous. A mania. Twisted desires. Barbed dreams. A fetish. An obsession with cruelty. Savage nature. Paganism over Christianity. The title can also represent a sexual attraction to religious iconography as in the case of the 'possessed' Loudun nuns. I like the title because to me it invokes images of a darker, sexier pre-Raphaelite scene wherein Sleeping Beauty's castle is won and she is awoken by a poisonous kiss. A darker, more adult fairytale." [http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com.au/artists/CradleOfFilth/] ]

Paul Allender told "Terrorizer" magazine, "There are quite a few guitar solos on this album. To be honest, I've never really classed myself as a lead player as such, but this is the first time I've sat down and seriously practiced lead work. I've been so involved in actually writing new material and coming up with song structures that I haven't had time to practice all the frilly things that go on top of it. Up 'till now, there hasn't really been much room for guitar solos as such. The riffs we write, they're not riffs that are meant to be soloed on top of. They're melodic within themselves. But I'm a great believer that less is definitely more. I love listening to all the shreddy, widdly stuff, but I have no interest in playing it. This new album is quite guitar-orientated. The last album was, but this is definitely more melodic. Dare I say it, there are quite a lot of typical Maiden-esque harmonies in there."

In news posted on the official Cradle of Filth website in mid May 2006, it was revealed that the planned artwork for "Thornography" had been vetoed by Roadrunner Records. A replacement was soon forthcoming (see box), although numerous CD booklets had already been printed with the original image. Dani Filth stated in an interview with "Metal Hammer" that the controversy was over the nakedness of the female figure's legs on the original cover: "When we put the original next to the new version, it was "so" slightly changed... The nymph's skirt was a little longer. It was like a game of spot the difference". Charles Hedger told "Gothtronic.com" that the new cover "is practically the same... A lot of Americans are really religious and Roadrunner were basically saying that Wal-Mart was not going to take Cradle albums with that on the cover. But Wal-Mart never takes Cradle albums anyhow, so it doesn’t make any difference." [ [http://www.gothtronic.com/?page=23&change_lang=2&interviews=941 Gothtronic | Music | Interviews ] ]

Three cover versions were recorded during the album's sessions, namely Samhain's "Hallowe'en 2", Shakespears Sister's "Stay", and Heaven 17's "Temptation". "Hallowe'en 2" (renamed "HW2") was released on the ' soundtrack, and is the first Cradle track to feature clean vocals by Dani. It is included as a bonus track on the Japanese release of the album. "Temptation" is part of "Thornographys finalised track listing, and features vocals by Dirty Harry. Harry also stars in the promo video for the track, which was released a week before the album as a digital single. "Stay" surfaced in early 2008 on the "Harder, Darker, Faster" re-release (see below). Press releases by both Liv Kristine and Cradle themselves [ [http://www.cradleoffilth.com/cof/studio_update2.htm] Dead link|date=March 2008] announced that "Stay" would be Kristine's second guest vocal spot with the band (following "Nymphetamine"). Adrian Erlandsson later confirmed however that the duet never actually took place, although versions "were" recorded with both Harry and Sarah Jezebel Deva. [ [http://www.cradleoffilth.nl/interviews.htm Cradle Of Filth Nederland | © | Official Dutch Cradle Of Filth Website ] ] The latter is the version included on the re-release.

Early reports during the album's production process mentioned a track called "The Flora of Nightfall, The Fauna of War". [eg. http://musica.mustdie.ru/en/band/cradle_of_filth/] It is unknown which track this was the working title for, although the words appear as a lyric in "Cemetery and Sundown".

The album was leaked to p2p and torrent internet sources a month before its official release date.

Thornography debuted at #66 on the Billboard Top 200 chart selling nearly 13,000 copies. [cite web|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=60942|title=AEROSMITH, CRADLE OF FILTH First-Week Sales Revealed |date=2006-10-25|publisher=blabbermouth.net|accessdate=2006-10-25]

Press reviews

*"...Nails the formula they've been banging away at since 1999's "From the Cradle to Enslave" EP: sharp, slick, elegant, focused, catchy, accessible heavy gothic metal, with the dark romantic schtick still present, but reined in and more explicitly parodic..." (Chris Chantler, "Terrorizer" issue 150, November 2006)
*"...The black magic for which they're usually so dependable is in short supply... If there was a word to sum "Thornography" up, it would be "incomplete"..." (Nick Ruskell, "Kerrang!" issue 1130, October 21 2006)
*"...Undoubtedly their heaviest and most guitar-dominated record in many years... "Temptation" is ridiculous and best avoided..." (Dave Ling, "Metal Hammer" issue 159, November 2006)

Track listing

# "Under Pregnant Skies She Comes Alive Like Miss Leviathan" (Instrumental) – 1:40
# "Dirge Inferno" – 4:53
# "Tonight in Flames" – 5:55
# "Libertina Grimm" – 5:51
# "The Byronic Man" [ft. Ville Valo] – 5:03
# "I Am the Thorn" – 7:06
# "Cemetery and Sundown" – 5:37
# "Lovesick for Mina" – 7:00
# "The Foetus of a New Day Kicking" – 3:43
# "Rise of the Pentagram" (Instrumental) – 7:02
# "Under Huntress Moon" – 6:58
# "Temptation" (Heaven 17 cover) [ft. Dirty Harry] – 3:47
#"HW2" (Samhain cover) (Japanese release only) - 3:38

*All lyrics by Dani Filth
*All music except track 9 composed by Cradle of Filth
*Track 9 composed by Paul Allender

Harder, Darker, Faster: Thornography Deluxe

*Release Date: UK: February 4 2008; USA: February 5 2008 [cite web
url=http://international.cradleoffilth.it/newsblog/
title=Release date for Harder, Darker, Faster
publisher=www.cradleoffilth.com (archived on archive.org)
accessdate=2008-01-26] In a September 2007 interview from the band's official MySpace page, Dani Filth revealed details of a forthcoming "Thornography" special edition. "Harder, Darker, Faster: Thornography Deluxe" is a CD/DVD package; the original album in standard format and DVD Audio, with the following additional bonus tracks:
# "Murder in the Thirst" - 1:17
# "The Snake-Eyed And the Venomous" - 5:47
# "HW2 (Samhain Cover)" - 3:36
# "Courting Baphomet" - 5:20
# "Stay" - 4:55
# "Devil to the Metal" - 6:20

*All lyrics by Dani Filth, except for tracks 3 and 5
*All music by Cradle of Filth, except for tracks 3 and 5
*Music and lyrics of track 3 by Glenn Danzig of Samhain
*Music and lyrics of track 5 by Marcy Levy, Dave Stewart and Siobhan Stewart of Shakespeare's Sister

"Thornography Deluxe" also includes the entire album in mp3 format, live footage taken from Philadelphia and Worcester, a mixing feature for the tracks "Lovesick For Mina" and "Under Huntress Moon", and the promotional videos for "Temptation", "Tonight in Flames" and "The Foetus of a New Day Kicking". [ [http://www.hmv.co.uk/hmvweb/displayProductDetails.do?ctx=281;1;-1;-1&sku=754074 HMV.com: albums: Thornography/Harder Darker Faster: Dvd Audio: Includes Cd (2008) ] ] Original plans to include "Mater Lachrymarum" from the soundtrack to Dario Argento's "The Mother of Tears" were scrapped due to rights issues.

On November 06, 2007, Dani Filth spoke about the new tracks in the magazine BW&BK:

“ [they] were written during the "Thornography" session, but actually finished slightly later... There’s "Murder in the Thirst" - that’s one of our classic intros. The title was stolen from the lyrics of "Cemetery And Sundown". "The Snake-Eyed And the Venomous" is sort of an anti-critic song; it’s metaphorical. "Halloween 2" (a Samhain cover) has been remixed and remastered, so it sounds a bit better than it did on the "" soundtrack – which was the only place it was available prior to this. "Courting Baphomet" is another fable-type song in the vein of "Her Ghost in the Fog". Again, it’s metaphorical. "Stay" is a track by Shakespears Sister that we’ve bastardized. Now it sounds a bit more like a symphonic "Nymphetamine". "Devil to the Metal" is a celebration of everything dark and nasty really. It could have come off "Vempire"; it’s really fast and brutal. It’s got some really nice drop-downs and weird bits.” [ [http://www.bravewords.com/news/77117 Bravewords.com > News ] ]

Personnel

Chart positions

References

[ cite web|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=60942|title=Amazon |accessdate=2006-10-25 |work=Blabbermouth.net ] [ cite web|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=60942|title=Blabbermouth|accessdate=2006-10-25 ]