Hump Day Hot Ticket: Cradle of Filth “Heartbreak and Seance”

Band photo

One of the premier names in extreme metal, Cradle of Filth has been going strong for nearly 3 decades and shows absolutely no signs of slowing down. Their unique blend of gothic, horror, and symphonic elements fused into a black metal visage, Cradle of Filth has survived every musical trend and silly fad, without ever compromising their trademark sound. Now embarking on their 12th album—Cryptoriana: The Seductiveness of Decay—Cradle of Filth is roaring back on the scene with that dramatic flair that is distinctly their own.

For the band's latest video (and Cryptoriana's first single), “Heartbreak and Seance”, there is no question you are watching a Cradle of Filth video from the start. The dark imagery that they are known for is all there: death and mourning to a snowy backdrop. Dani Filth's piercing scream cuts right through you, as he stands before a mic stand that looks like a cross between withered tree branches and antlers. A somber group of bereaved mourners stand beside a still and bloodied figure. Female vocalist Lindsay Schoolcraft is wearing a headdress fashioned like a skull, as she provides her heavenly vocals in contrast to Dani's harshness. More imagery of skulls and naked bodies, as the departed person is covered by a heavy black cloak and the grieving friends start playing on a Ouija board; all while a raven mentioned in the lyrics unobtrusively holds court.

The song's title is “Heartbreak and Seance”, so the theme of the video is plain to see. The attempt of the mourners to contact their departed loved one is not only shown with the Ouija board scene, but also with images of two naked bodies wrapped around a skeleton, and snakes slithering around the prostrate form of a woman in a white dress. The deceased returns again, this time painted completely in black—showing his ghostly state—holding the lifeless body of one of the grief-stricken women in his arms, as if offering a sacrifice.

For more information on Cradle of Filth, visit their official website.

Special thanks to Lindsay Schoolcraft.

Mini-review: Schoolcraft “The Dead of Winter” (single) (2015)

“The Dead of Winter” single cover

If the name Lindsay Schoolcraft rings a bell, most likely it is due to her role as keyboardist and female vocalist for the gothic black-metal outfit Cradle of Filth, but Lindsay has been creating her own music before and since joining the Filth; much of which is described as gothic or symphonic rock. While her new band certainly takes up a lot of her time these days, Lindsay always finds time to compose new original material; just last year, her Cradle of Filth cohort Dani Filth was featured as a guest vocalist on the Schoolcraft track “Fading Star”. Although the band is currently hard at work making a new album, Lindz found some time to record a couple of new songs and a cover tune. At the stroke of midnight on March 6th, Lindsay revealed her latest single on the official Schoolcraft Bandcamp page. After just a couple of hours, I felt inclined to write down my thoughts on the new tunes from the new 3-track single, “The Dead of Winter”.

“The Dead of Winter”

A slow, haunting piece that starts off with pianos and builds up to guitars that are strong but not overpowering the gentle melodies. Lindsay's voice sounds so mournful on the verse “I can't remember from October to December”, and her vocals are clear and pure throughout. There is a heaviness to the song, but it never tries to upstage the song's softer, more orchestral elements; such as the gorgeous cello part in the middle of the song. A captivating song that you can just immerse yourself into as its magic carries you away.

“Frozen”

A cover of the Madonna song from the late ’90s, I just completely fell in love with Lindsay's version. The original is great, and has always been a song that has been begging to be given a symphonic rock makeover. Lindz meets the demand perfectly; her voice just as hypnotic on the chanting parts as Madonna's was, and the music with just as much grandeur and theatrical ambiance as the original. Add in the romantic, dark, and dramatic elements of Lindsay's music and vocals, and you've got an electronic pop classic turned into an operatic-goth masterpiece.

“Solstice Day”

The final track of the 3-song single, the shortest song of the three reminds me, musically, of the “Summer Wine” cover by Ville Valo and Natalia Avelon; that same slow and melodic, yet infectiously catchy sort of tune. Lindsay has a way of drawing you into this sort of other world through her voice, with nothing more than a few descriptive lyrics and some emotional vocal harmonies and chants. Absolutely gorgeous in its stunning simplicity.

Overall opinion: If you are a fan of gothic rock, symphonic metal, classical components in heavier music, or the female voice, then Schoolcraft is just the music for you. Lindsay is neither the over-the-top operatic voices that dominate the femme-metal scene these days; nor is she the tough or abrasive “rocker chick” voice that encompasses the other side of the coin when it comes to female voices in metal music. She has a gentler voice, but one that conveys strength and passion. If you listen to “The Dead of Winter”, perhaps you will begin to understand just what it is about her voice that made Cradle of Filth choose her as their female vocalist simply by just coming across her music online. She has that ability to make you stop dead in your tracks and listen, without ever coming across as too bombastic or too aggressive. While it will probably be some time before another full-length Schoolcraft album comes our way, “The Dead of Winter” shows so much promise as to what we can expect from Lindz once she has the chance to give us more music!

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Thanks to Lindsay Schoolcraft for giving me the chance to hear this song a few hours earlier than everyone else, thus giving me more time to process the music and write down my thoughts!