Cradle Of Filth are back, and they have never sounded more self-assured or devilishly brilliant. After over three decades at the forefront of Extreme Metal, Dani Filth and his ever-evolving crew of miscreants have firmly cemented their place in the annals of heavy music, especially with the new album, The Screaming Of The Valkyries.
Cradle Of Filth – The Screaming Of The Valkyries
Release Date: 21 March 2025 (Napalm Records)
Words: Ash Nash
From the raw, unbridled chaos of The Principle Of Evil Made Flesh to the sweeping gothic grandeur of Cruelty And The Beast and Midian, they have built an empire on their unique blend of Black Metal fury and cinematic horror.
Following the success of Existence Is Futile in 2021, the band returns with The Screaming Of The Valkyries, their 14th studio album, and it is a confident step forward into bold new territories while still drawing from the dark well of their legendary past.
The album kicks off with To Live Deliciously, immediately setting the tone for the entire record. The track’s opening galloping rhythm and swirling orchestral elements are classic Cradle, but it’s the ferocity of Dani’s shriek and the album’s rich, cinematic quality that makes it unmistakably their own.
The chorus soars into darkly haunting realms, a nod to the occult vibes of Cruelty And The Beast while holding onto the modern bite of Cryptoriana. It’s an epic opening that is bold, balanced, and effortlessly powerful.
Demagoguery follows, pulling the listener deeper into Cradle Of Filth’s dark world with its relentless combination of blast beats, eerie choral voices, and razor-sharp guitar work. Marek ‘Ashok’ Smerda and Donny Burbage’s guitars interlace with precision, building a storm of sound that is as aggressive as it is atmospheric.
Federoff’s haunting harmonies add a spectral touch, contrasting beautifully with the track’s crushing intensity. It’s a masterclass in blending dark beauty with brute force, a standout piece that embodies everything Cradle does best.
Then comes White Hellebore, which bursts forth like a true anthem. The dual guitar harmonies evoke the heavy metal gods of the past, but it’s the song’s balance of melodic grandeur and blackened aggression that makes it unmistakably Cradle of Filth. A breathtaking solo that recalls the most epic moments of classic metal leads into a sweeping conclusion that feels like an overwhelming triumph, blood-soaked and undeniably powerful.
The mood shifts with Non Omnis Moriar (“I shall not wholly die”), a mournful, atmospheric dirge. The track’s slow burn, wrapped in orchestral swells and mournful guitars, carries with it a sense of grand, gothic doom that echoes the best moments of Damnation and a Day. 
Dani’s lyrics on mortality and eternity are deeply moving, especially when paired with Zoe Federoff’s ethereal vocals. It’s a track that lingers, casting a long shadow well after it’s ended.
You Are My Nautilus is a return to Cradle’s cinematic form, with a darker, sharper edge. The song feels like an apocalyptic adventure, combining the best elements of classic Cradle with an unrelenting, galloping rhythm that conjures the spirit of Her Ghost in the Fog. The dueling guitars and atmospheric elements propel the track into an epic narrative that’s both sweeping and intense.
Finally, Ex Sanguine Draculae brings the album to a fierce conclusion. A firestorm of vampiric riffs, orchestral grandeur, and unrelenting thrash, this track is an unholy homage to Dusk and Her Embrace. It channels that same nocturnal darkness while pushing the band’s sound into a more aggressive, forward-thinking territory.
“The new album is a concept record,” Dani Filth told MetalTalk last year. “I mean, it’s conceptual, but it doesn’t run concurrently. That’s because we wanted to make very catchy songs that can be fucking super fast, super heavy or an amalgam of both. But they’ve gotta be memorable.
The Screaming Of The Valkyries is a monumental work that showcases Cradle of Filth at their most confident, blending gothic grandeur with relentless, blackened aggression.
Produced by Scott Atkins at Grindstone Studios, it is an album that respects their past while embracing their future, an undeniable testament to their influence and staying power in the Extreme Metal world.
A blood-soaked masterpiece of symphonic darkness, furious energy, and gothic grandeur.
Cradle Of Filth will co-headline the 2025 edition of the North American Chaos & Carnage tour, featuring fellow co-headliners Dying Fetus, as well as Fleshgod Apocalypse, Ne Obliviscaris, Undeath, Vomit Forth and Corpse Pile. That tour runs April – May 2025.
UK fans will be able to catch Cradle Of Filth at Download Festival in June and on the Summoned In Summer Tour in July.
Summoned In Summer Tour Europe
Support: Nervosa (*on selected dates)
07.06.25 CZ – Ostrava / Barrack
09.06.25 SV – Kosice / Colosseum*
10.06.25 HU – Budapest / Barba Negra*
11.06.25 AT – Salzburg / Rockhouse*
12.06.25 DE – Stuttgart / LKA*
05.07.25 BE – Leffinge / De Zwerver
13.07.25 NL – Maastricht / Muziekgieterij*
15.07.25 DE – Dortmund / Junkyard*
16.07.25 DE – Bremen / Modernes*
18.07.25 DE – Aschaffenburg / Colosaal*
19.07.25 DE – Munich / Backstage*
21.07.25 AT – Dornbirn / Conrad Sohm*
23.07.25 SV – Bratislava / MMC*
