Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa

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Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa
Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa cover.jpg
Studio album by Cradle of Filth
Released 1 November 2010
Recorded Monkey Puzzle House Studio, Woolpit, Suffolk, England, June 2010
Genre Extreme metal
Length 62:37
Label Peaceville (Europe)
Nuclear Blast (US)
Producer Scott Atkins, Doug Cook, Dani Filth
Cradle of Filth chronology
Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder
(2008)Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder2008		 Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa
(2010)		 Evermore Darkly
(2011)
Singles from Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa
  1. "Forgive Me Father (I Have Sinned)"
    Released: 18 October 2010
  2. "Lilith Immaculate[1]"
    Released: 2011

Evermore Darkly2011

Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa is the ninth studio album by English extreme metal band Cradle of Filth. It was released on 1 November 2010 by Peaceville Records and is a concept album centred on the demon Lilith. Earlier the album was erroneously referred to as All Hallows Eve,[2] probably because the announced release date was close to Hallowe'en.

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

Concept and musical style

Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa is a concept album in the same vein as its predecessor Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder, this time centering on the demon Lilith, the first wife of the biblical Adam.[3] Dani Filth revealed to Metal Hammer 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."[4] Unlike previous historically-based concept albums Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder and Cruelty and the Beast, 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 in there. Essentially, at heart, it's a nice gothic horror story."[4] Reference to Greek mythology and the Knights Templar is also made, in what was referred to by the label as "a dark tapestry of horror, madness and twisted sex".[5] 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 or a dark Iron Maiden".[6] The Metal Hammer interview also likened it to King Diamond.[4]

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's The Book of the Law.

Release

On 20 August 2010, a free mp3 of the track "Lilith Immaculate" was released by the band as reward for signing up for a mailing list following the album's development.[7] On 29 September 2010 Cradle of Filth released the first official video of the album for the track "Forgive Me Father (I Have Sinned)".[8]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 3/5 stars[9]
Metal Hammer (GER) 5/7 stars[10]
Rock Sound 9/10 stars[11]
PopMatters 8/10 stars[12]
Sonic Seducer (favourable)[13]
Metal Storm (7.3/10)[14]
Record Collector 3/5 stars[15]
Loud Online 9/10 stars [16]
Thrash Hits 4/6 stars [17]

The album received mainly good reviews. Thom Jurek at Allmusic said 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".[9] Pete Withers at Rock Sound rated it 9 out of 10 and said "Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa displays a masterful control over the multi-faceted Cradle of Filth sound; brutal vocal gymnastics, skull-rattling double-kicks, symphonic flourishes, dramatic narrative and balls-out axe-slinging all make their presence known, but in a manner which routinely serves to bolster the coherency of the greater whole".[11] Joel McIver of the British music magazine Record Collector in his positive review finds that the atmosphere of the album "is one of refined sophistication rather than confrontation", showing the band not "resting on their laurels", but "taking some unexpected musical diversions".[15]

Track listing

All lyrics written by Dani Filth, all music composed by Cradle of Filth and Mark Newby-Robson.

No. Title Length
1. "The Cult of Venus Aversa"   7:07
2. "One Foul Step from the Abyss"   4:53
3. "The Nun with the Astral Habit"   4:55
4. "Retreat of the Sacred Heart"   3:56
5. "The Persecution Song"   5:34
6. "Deceiving Eyes"   6:43
7. "Lilith Immaculate"   6:12
8. "The Spawn of Love and War"   6:19
9. "Harlot on a Pedestal"   5:09
10. "Forgive Me Father (I Have Sinned)"   4:33
11. "Beyond Eleventh Hour"   7:16
Total length:
 62:37

Limited Fan Edition

This limited edition comes packaged in a deluxe hard box containing:

  • 2CDs – the album plus a 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
Limited Fan Edition bonus disc
No. Title Length
1. "Beast of Extermination"   5:32
2. "Truth & Agony"   5:56
3. "Adest Rosa Secreta Eros"   7:25
4. "Mistress from the Sucking Pit"   7:00
5. "Behind the Jagged Mountains"   5:44
6. "The Cult of Venus Aversa" (demo version) 6:48
7. "The Nun with the Astral Habit" (demo version) 4:58
8. "Deceiving Eyes" (demo version) 6:44

Personnel

Cradle of Filth

Additional Personnel

  • Mark Newby-Robson – orchestration
  • Andy James – additional guitars
  • Lucy Atkins – vocals
  • Dora Kemp – backing vocals & choir
  • Ralph Woodward – choir conductor & arranger
  • Ruth McCabe, Tim Cutts, Craig Miller, Philippa Mann, Anna Asbach-Cullen – choir

Production

  • Scott Atkins - producer, engineer, mixing
  • Doug Cook - producer, engineer
  • Rupert Matthews - assistant engineer
  • Andy Sneap - assistant engineer, mastering at Backstage Studios
  • Natalie Shau - cover art

Charts

Year Chart Position
2010 Top Independent Albums (USA)[18] 7
Top Hard Rock Albums (USA)[18] 10
Finnish Albums Chart[19] 18
Top Rock Albums (USA)[18] 19
German Albums Chart[20] 43
Austrian Albums Chart[21] 50
French Albums Chart[22] 55
Swiss Albums Chart[23] 61
Ultratop Belgian Chart (Flanders)[24] 64
GfK Dutch Chart[25] 83
Australian Albums Chart[26] 89
UK Albums Chart[27] 95
Ultratop Belgian Chart (Wallonia)[28] 97
Billboard 200 (USA)[18] 99
Oricon Japanese Albums Chart[29] 240

References

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  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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