Written by Maddy Howell
There comes a point in every long-running band’s life where the past can start to feel heavier than the present.
Decades into a career, there will be certain songs people always want to hear, specific eras they cling to, and moments they refuse to let go of. Of course, it’s special to be able to build up a legacy, to know that fans think fondly of anything you’ve created, but it can also harden into expectation.
For Cradle Of Filth, though, wrestling with the idea of legacy has never been quite that simple. Across more than thirty years, Dani Filth and his ever-evolving coven have built one of heavy music’s most distinctive identities, one steeped in gothic excess, blackened extremity, and theatrical decadence.
Fourteen albums deep, the British band have reached the point where their discography is less of a straight line and more of a sprawling, blood-soaked map. Over the years, fans have entered at different gates within that realm - some drawn to the gothic sweep of Nymphetamine, others to the mid-2000s symphonic bite of Thornography - but they’ve come to see their breadth not as a burden, but as a marker of total freedom.
That spirit dominates the band’s latest album, The Screaming Of The Valkyries, a record that draws from all corners of Cradle’s history without becoming trapped by any one of them. When Dani looks back on the vision behind the record, he doesn’t spin any complex tale or grand conceptual thesis. For him, the goal was far simpler than that.
“It’s a new step, a new chapter,” he says.
“We wanted to have fun with it, and to write music that we enjoy. There was no real blueprint going into it, you just always want to write a better record than your last. We're just finishing up writing our latest record - the follow-up to Valkyries - and it's moved forward again. It's gone in even more different directions.”
That desire to push forward remains central to Cradle’s identity, and every move they make is fueled by the same restless curiosity. Not interested in simply preserving past versions of themselves, they’ve learnt to embrace the fact that - like all humans - they are changing constantly. And because of that, the art they create should never stay the same.
A band that loves to throw out curveballs to its fans, our conversation naturally finds its way to their long-teased collaboration with Ed Sheeran. A collision of worlds so unexpected it feels almost comical, Dani confirms that the track is recorded and finished and was even considered for their latest album.
“I think we announced the Ed Sheeran thing a little too early,” he admits as we talk about the growing hype around it.
“We spoke about putting it on the record, but we wanted to avoid a situation where everybody was just more interested in that collaboration. We didn’t want to overshadow what we'd written and how great the songs on this album are. The Ed Sheeran track is really great though, I'm particularly proud of it.”
In terms of what makes a ‘great’ song, for Dani, it’s relatively simple.
Whilst a sizable portion of the heavy music world still treat ‘catchy’ as a dirty word, that’s largely what it comes back to for the frontman. Maintaining that music can still be memorable without diminishing any of its extremity or power, his songwriting is geared around moments that stick in people’s heads long enough to drive them insane.
“I think that songs being catchy and memorable is what makes them work in a live environment,” he nods.
“Nobody’s gonna sing along to something if they don’t like it. Especially on this last album, we were just writing songs that we thought were catchy. That isn’t a derogatory term. You can be Napalm Death and still be extremely catchy.”
That balance between extremity and immediacy has always been part of Cradle’s magic. Their best songs are theatrical, ornate and vicious, but they also lean into moments of grandeur and decadence, never afraid to indulge their melodic instincts.
“I think most bands want to experiment a little bit within the confines of their gene pool,” Dani explains.
“After 14 albums, I don’t think we can get away with not having a nod to our past endeavours in there, but that doesn’t mean we can’t push the boundaries a little.”
That perspective seems to inform the way he views Cradle’s audience now, too. Three decades in, with a fanbase that spans across generations, Dani is fully aware that they can’t please everyone. Instead, the focus is on satisfying their own creative tendencies first, letting the wider world make of it what they will.
When it comes to the live show though, that’s an entirely different beast. As he’s watched the bar for metal show production being constantly raised over the last few years, the planning for their upcoming stage show has been at the forefront of Dani’s mind.
“It’s difficult because everybody has fire, cryo, and lasers now. You want to try and find something that’s original, but isn’t too cheesy,” he explains.
“At the very essence of a live show is the energy of the band though. You’ve got to keep that up, you can’t be just relying on trinkets and baubles to get you by… But it helps!”
Currently ripping across the US for a run of dates built around festival appearances at Welcome To Rockville and Sonic Temple, Dani has recently been faced with the task of whittling down their expansive catalogue into a cohesive setlist. It’s a challenge that, in many ways, is the strange luxury of legacy.
Well aware that there are songs they can never leave out of a set, Cradle are pretty at peace with their responsibilities as a band this far into the game. Really, the only thing that truly matters is that people still want to show up and hear these songs at all.
“If it was up to our drummer, we'd be playing for about three and a half months,” Dani laughs.
“I think we’re past feeling like we have to play up to anything. We are still creative enough to be writing new material, and we’re not just relighting old fires and relying on reunion tours. We haven’t lost our zip, as it were.”
Being able to celebrate the past without becoming dependent on it is what has allowed Dani to venture into a whole host of unexpected collaborations, too. Twiztid, The 69 Eyes, Motionless In White, Bring Me The Horizon, Tarja, and yes, eventually Ed Sheeran – all of those moments in his career have come about thanks to his confidence in Cradle’s identity.
“If I get asked to do a collaboration, or we invite someone to do one, it’s got to be something different and exciting,” he says.
“I don’t think we would have got away with some of those chalk and cheese combinations in the early years, because back then we were still forging an identity. Now, I want people to question it, but I’ll always deliver something that’s genuinely good, not just a cartoonish statement or a parody.”
You can hear the excitement as he speaks about the freedom of where Cradle are at now. Following some changes within their camp – including the arrival of a new guitarist and keyboardist - Dani sounds more energised than he has in years. That restless energy is heightened as he sheds a little bit of light on the band’s plans for 2027.
“Next year brings a new album and a few other surprises,” he smiles.
“This year is a foundation-building year. There are lots of exciting things going on. We’ve got this American tour, we’re heading to Australia and Japan later in the year, and then there are some other tours pencilled in.”
“We came off the back of some slightly troubling times last year, triflingly troubling, but troubling nonetheless. Now, we feel reborn again.”
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Cradle of Filth are currently touring the United States on the Majestic In Death tour along with special guests, Suffocation, Ghost Bath and Cultus Black.
In addition to their headlining dates, Cradle of Filth will also be making appearances at Welcome to Rockville in Daytona Beach, FL., and Sonic Temple in Columbus, OH. See the list of dates and cities below. Get tickets - HERE
