A good introduction to black metal!, 27 Jan 2007
The first Cradle of Filth album I bought was 'Midian', which I was very impressed by. After reading some reviews I decided to buy 'Cruelty And The Beast'. However, due to a mix up I received this album instead. So I thought "What the hell? I might aswell listen to it!". Little did I know that my taste in music would be changed so dramatically by this album.

The first thing I noticed was the contrast between the production on this album and on Midian. The "wall of sound" on Midian is replaced by a sparse sonic landscape. The guitars are fuzzy, the bass cold, the drums tight; all backed by keyboards, brimming with elegance. The vocals Dani produced on this album are raw, more true to the 'black metal' that was beginning to surface in Norway.

The songs themselves are brutal yet still elegant. Ranging from the harsh 'Princible of Evil Made Flesh' to the dreamy, floating imagery of 'In Secret Love We Drown'. There is something here for most extreme metal fans.
This album does lack the maturity of the ensuing albums but in my opinion contains an energy that the others lack. It is one of my favourite albums and will remain so. I cannot reccomend it more.

If you like this album and wish to experience more black metal then I reccomend 'In The Nightside Eclipse' by Emperor and 'Pure Holocaust' by Immortal. By these albums, you shant regret it.

I love..., 07 Jan 2006
...Dusk and Her Embrace and Cruelty and the Beast, but this will always be the first and the best. Of Mist and Midnight Skies, To Eve the Art of Witchcraft, The Forest Whispers my Name, Summers Dying Fast, Black Goddess Rises, each and every song of this is at once both haunting and ear burningly brutal. I have to agree with the other comments I have read, a completely outstanding album

many have passed but it's still the best, 17 Oct 2003
Take it from a man who has listened to not just all types of metal, but all types of music, intensely, for many many years..... this is one of the best albums you will find.

Up there with Carcass' Necrotism and Anathema's Serenades, if you do not have this album your collection has an almighty gap in it.

Dark and sinister, Cradle at their best!, 12 Jul 2003
This is how Cradle should sound. The aggresion and brutality of this record make it an instant classic, the highlights being:

The Principle Of Evil Made Flesh - True classic. Great riffs, great screaming vocals. Brilliant. Although recorded again for 'Bitter Suites To Succubi', I believe that the rawness of it on this record makes it the classic that it is.

The Forest Whispers My Name - Amazing. A more melodic track, but it's still very brutal in places. Outstanding.

The Black Goddess Rises - The best of them all. Fast, brutal, black metal. A true masterpiece. Originally taken off COF's 'Total F**king Darkness' demo, it has been made a bit more mainstream than it was, but still incredible.

This is COF's best ever record in my opinion. But be careful if you've only heard Cradle's newer stuff, because this is amazingly different.

1 of their best !!!!, 24 Apr 2003
Cradle of filth's first album is definetely 1 of their best. Ever since i first got this album I have been listening to it for ages. Veteran COF fans will notice that Dani's vocals are different-they are more raspy and menacing than his later work. here are a run-down of the songs :

1.Darkness our bride(jugular wedding)= A nice opener but a bit weak as far as COF intros are concerned.
2.The principle of evil made flesh= 1 of the best on here. heavy-as-hell !!
3.The forest whispers my name= a hauntingly good song with a chilling keyboard riff
4.Iscariot= A so-so instrumental but, again, not quite up to regular COF standards
5. The black goddess rises= Another standout track on the album. was later redone on "bitter suites to succubi" and made better but the original is still good
6.One final graven kiss= Absolutely BEAUTIFUL !! the best instrumental on the album
7. A crescendo of passion, bleeding= Brilliantly fast guitar riffage and an interesting mix of tempos throughout the song
8. To eve the art of witchcraft= An intersting song, this one. It starts off mixing organ melodies with thrash guitar riffs and in the middle of the song, the fury breaks down into a sweetly erotic tune...absolutely hypnotic. One of my favs on the album
9. Of mist and midnight skies= A huge organ intro at the start followed by guitars playing, this is perhaps one of the darkest songs on this album, not that the rest arent
10. In secret love we drown= Not a very good instrumental. in my opinion, this is the worst song on the album. its ok but is a bit naff
11. A dream of wolves in the snow= Starts off with a line quoted from Dracula and follows with a slow guitar riff and keyboard tune. This is one of the more melodic songs
12. Summer dying fast= The finishing number. This song has been appropriately put at the end as it is very dramatic and changes a lot during the song

So, overall, id reccommend this album to COF fans and newcomers alike as it contains some mindblowing heavyness and hypnotic, catchy melodies. Doesnt quite compare to cruely and the beast, midian etc. but is better than Bitter suites to succubi.

Buy this NOW !!!!

A good introduction to black metal!, 27 Jan 2007
The first Cradle of Filth album I bought was 'Midian', which I was very impressed by. After reading some reviews I decided to buy 'Cruelty And The Beast'. However, due to a mix up I received this album instead. So I thought "What the hell? I might aswell listen to it!". Little did I know that my taste in music would be changed so dramatically by this album.

The first thing I noticed was the contrast between the production on this album and on Midian. The "wall of sound" on Midian is replaced by a sparse sonic landscape. The guitars are fuzzy, the bass cold, the drums tight; all backed by keyboards, brimming with elegance. The vocals Dani produced on this album are raw, more true to the 'black metal' that was beginning to surface in Norway.

The songs themselves are brutal yet still elegant. Ranging from the harsh 'Princible of Evil Made Flesh' to the dreamy, floating imagery of 'In Secret Love We Drown'. There is something here for most extreme metal fans.
This album does lack the maturity of the ensuing albums but in my opinion contains an energy that the others lack. It is one of my favourite albums and will remain so. I cannot reccomend it more.

If you like this album and wish to experience more black metal then I reccomend 'In The Nightside Eclipse' by Emperor and 'Pure Holocaust' by Immortal. By these albums, you shant regret it.

I love..., 07 Jan 2006
...Dusk and Her Embrace and Cruelty and the Beast, but this will always be the first and the best. Of Mist and Midnight Skies, To Eve the Art of Witchcraft, The Forest Whispers my Name, Summers Dying Fast, Black Goddess Rises, each and every song of this is at once both haunting and ear burningly brutal. I have to agree with the other comments I have read, a completely outstanding album

many have passed but it's still the best, 17 Oct 2003
Take it from a man who has listened to not just all types of metal, but all types of music, intensely, for many many years..... this is one of the best albums you will find.

Up there with Carcass' Necrotism and Anathema's Serenades, if you do not have this album your collection has an almighty gap in it.

Dark and sinister, Cradle at their best!, 12 Jul 2003
This is how Cradle should sound. The aggresion and brutality of this record make it an instant classic, the highlights being:

The Principle Of Evil Made Flesh - True classic. Great riffs, great screaming vocals. Brilliant. Although recorded again for 'Bitter Suites To Succubi', I believe that the rawness of it on this record makes it the classic that it is.

The Forest Whispers My Name - Amazing. A more melodic track, but it's still very brutal in places. Outstanding.

The Black Goddess Rises - The best of them all. Fast, brutal, black metal. A true masterpiece. Originally taken off COF's 'Total F**king Darkness' demo, it has been made a bit more mainstream than it was, but still incredible.

This is COF's best ever record in my opinion. But be careful if you've only heard Cradle's newer stuff, because this is amazingly different.

1 of their best !!!!, 24 Apr 2003
Cradle of filth's first album is definetely 1 of their best. Ever since i first got this album I have been listening to it for ages. Veteran COF fans will notice that Dani's vocals are different-they are more raspy and menacing than his later work. here are a run-down of the songs :

1.Darkness our bride(jugular wedding)= A nice opener but a bit weak as far as COF intros are concerned.
2.The principle of evil made flesh= 1 of the best on here. heavy-as-hell !!
3.The forest whispers my name= a hauntingly good song with a chilling keyboard riff
4.Iscariot= A so-so instrumental but, again, not quite up to regular COF standards
5. The black goddess rises= Another standout track on the album. was later redone on "bitter suites to succubi" and made better but the original is still good
6.One final graven kiss= Absolutely BEAUTIFUL !! the best instrumental on the album
7. A crescendo of passion, bleeding= Brilliantly fast guitar riffage and an interesting mix of tempos throughout the song
8. To eve the art of witchcraft= An intersting song, this one. It starts off mixing organ melodies with thrash guitar riffs and in the middle of the song, the fury breaks down into a sweetly erotic tune...absolutely hypnotic. One of my favs on the album
9. Of mist and midnight skies= A huge organ intro at the start followed by guitars playing, this is perhaps one of the darkest songs on this album, not that the rest arent
10. In secret love we drown= Not a very good instrumental. in my opinion, this is the worst song on the album. its ok but is a bit naff
11. A dream of wolves in the snow= Starts off with a line quoted from Dracula and follows with a slow guitar riff and keyboard tune. This is one of the more melodic songs
12. Summer dying fast= The finishing number. This song has been appropriately put at the end as it is very dramatic and changes a lot during the song

So, overall, id reccommend this album to COF fans and newcomers alike as it contains some mindblowing heavyness and hypnotic, catchy melodies. Doesnt quite compare to cruely and the beast, midian etc. but is better than Bitter suites to succubi.

Buy this NOW !!!!

BATTLE METAL CLASSIC!, 22 Jun 2008
Great 1996 album, with a real medieval feel! Absoluteley, totally heavy with a real focus on battles and the Apocalypse.
Production is strong and it's a full on assault of riffs & drums that batter into submission. Satyr's vocals are brutal, and yet always easy to understand. The album has some of THE best use of keyboards within Black Metal, on classics such as Mother North. And there's plenty of clear, audible bass guitar as well, to back up the insaneley heavy guitar work.
Great drums, fast & heavy, sometimes really tribal from the legend that is Frost.
I defy anyone to put forward a heavier track than Forhekset!
There's lyrics written in both English & the band's native Norwegian. Always dark, violent & up for a fight!
There's also lots of great 'battle/army' style sound fx on such tracks as
The Dawn Of A New Age & Transcendental Requiem Of Slaves. The latter is an instrumental, that sounds ancient & evil.
This is more 'old world' in feel than Now Diabolical, but it's an ESSENTIAL for Black Metal fans.
Very much a Lord Of The Rings/Pathfinder/13th Warrior vibe, and not as satanic as some BM is, more of a pagan/Norse theme. Fans of Immortal or Viking Era Bathory will really like this!


you may like more than you think, 03 Jan 2007
satyricons third album proper is now 11 years old and its influence is again unquestioned,while the leader of symphonic black metal would always be emperor,satyricon brought a fierce and melodic take on the genre that made them recognisable as well to be truthful and nemesis divina is a 42 minute treat of medieval black metal with beauty thrown in,less folky than before this album deserves all the plaudits for containing one of the greatest black metal songs ever in mother north,a truly chilling,haunting,melodic and startling 5 mins of music if ever i have heard.
The title track is also a real belting tune and with one of the greatest drummers in frost as the backbone its no wonder than satyricons are highly regarded as they are,worth checking out on many levels.

Nemesis Divina, 04 Nov 2006
Upon purchasing this album i had only heard the Satyricon album (Now, Diabolical) so i was sceptical as to what to expect given that it is one of their earlier albums and black metal production values can be less than brilliant. Well i am pleased to say that it would seem satyricon do not seem to have been bothered as to what is expected by them in the black metal community. The album is full of rich layers of guitar, fantastic vocals and completely amazing lyrics. Not to mention the outstanding drumming of Frost who i personally believe is the best drummer in black metal. All in all, the band combine use of strong black metal ethics with crisp production values and amazing string arrangements to create one of the most captivating albums i have heard in a long time.

Sublime!, 26 Apr 2003
This is my favourite Satyricon album. The tunes and vocals are brutal, but very complex and melodic at the same time. This album is worth buying for "Mother North" alone - a masterpiece which conveys the powerful image of vikings sailing forth. A clasic of black metal.

Black Metal Hell, 16 Apr 2003
This is by far my favourite album of all time. It combines harsh black metal elements along with melodic and medieval splender. Frost's drumming is spectacular and Satyr's vast musical talent and spot on vocals make this one of the all time classics!

They've had their share of jibes, but the days that saw Cradle Of Filth dismissed as a Black Metal novelty turn are long dead. Nymphetamine, you see, finds Dani Filth and his diabolic army on fine form: easing up on the grandiose but sometimes over-egged orchestral edge pioneered on 2003's major label effort Damnation And A Day, the likes of "Gilded Cunt" and "Coffin Fodder" find the Filth reaffirming their dark pledges to extremity, hammering out pitch-black sheets of dark metal as barbed and ornate as Samurai battle armour.

A new emphasis on melody will inevitably alienate some of the hardcore end of Cradle's fanbase, but it's hard to deny this shift is behind some of this record's most intriguing moments - see, for instance, "Nymphetamine Overdose", a duet with Live Kristine, formerly of Norwegian gothic metal veterans Theatre Of Tragedy. Indeed, Nymphetamine offers further proof that COF are not a band for the Black Metal snobs: they're the rare band who've succeeded in reconciling the musical extremity of their genre with the narrow tastes of the mainstream rock marketplace. Long may their devilish schemes bear rotten fruits. --Louis Pattison

A good introduction to black metal!, 27 Jan 2007
The first Cradle of Filth album I bought was 'Midian', which I was very impressed by. After reading some reviews I decided to buy 'Cruelty And The Beast'. However, due to a mix up I received this album instead. So I thought "What the hell? I might aswell listen to it!". Little did I know that my taste in music would be changed so dramatically by this album.

The first thing I noticed was the contrast between the production on this album and on Midian. The "wall of sound" on Midian is replaced by a sparse sonic landscape. The guitars are fuzzy, the bass cold, the drums tight; all backed by keyboards, brimming with elegance. The vocals Dani produced on this album are raw, more true to the 'black metal' that was beginning to surface in Norway.

The songs themselves are brutal yet still elegant. Ranging from the harsh 'Princible of Evil Made Flesh' to the dreamy, floating imagery of 'In Secret Love We Drown'. There is something here for most extreme metal fans.
This album does lack the maturity of the ensuing albums but in my opinion contains an energy that the others lack. It is one of my favourite albums and will remain so. I cannot reccomend it more.

If you like this album and wish to experience more black metal then I reccomend 'In The Nightside Eclipse' by Emperor and 'Pure Holocaust' by Immortal. By these albums, you shant regret it.

I love..., 07 Jan 2006
...Dusk and Her Embrace and Cruelty and the Beast, but this will always be the first and the best. Of Mist and Midnight Skies, To Eve the Art of Witchcraft, The Forest Whispers my Name, Summers Dying Fast, Black Goddess Rises, each and every song of this is at once both haunting and ear burningly brutal. I have to agree with the other comments I have read, a completely outstanding album

many have passed but it's still the best, 17 Oct 2003
Take it from a man who has listened to not just all types of metal, but all types of music, intensely, for many many years..... this is one of the best albums you will find.

Up there with Carcass' Necrotism and Anathema's Serenades, if you do not have this album your collection has an almighty gap in it.

Dark and sinister, Cradle at their best!, 12 Jul 2003
This is how Cradle should sound. The aggresion and brutality of this record make it an instant classic, the highlights being:

The Principle Of Evil Made Flesh - True classic. Great riffs, great screaming vocals. Brilliant. Although recorded again for 'Bitter Suites To Succubi', I believe that the rawness of it on this record makes it the classic that it is.

The Forest Whispers My Name - Amazing. A more melodic track, but it's still very brutal in places. Outstanding.

The Black Goddess Rises - The best of them all. Fast, brutal, black metal. A true masterpiece. Originally taken off COF's 'Total F**king Darkness' demo, it has been made a bit more mainstream than it was, but still incredible.

This is COF's best ever record in my opinion. But be careful if you've only heard Cradle's newer stuff, because this is amazingly different.

1 of their best !!!!, 24 Apr 2003
Cradle of filth's first album is definetely 1 of their best. Ever since i first got this album I have been listening to it for ages. Veteran COF fans will notice that Dani's vocals are different-they are more raspy and menacing than his later work. here are a run-down of the songs :

1.Darkness our bride(jugular wedding)= A nice opener but a bit weak as far as COF intros are concerned.
2.The principle of evil made flesh= 1 of the best on here. heavy-as-hell !!
3.The forest whispers my name= a hauntingly good song with a chilling keyboard riff
4.Iscariot= A so-so instrumental but, again, not quite up to regular COF standards
5. The black goddess rises= Another standout track on the album. was later redone on "bitter suites to succubi" and made better but the original is still good
6.One final graven kiss= Absolutely BEAUTIFUL !! the best instrumental on the album
7. A crescendo of passion, bleeding= Brilliantly fast guitar riffage and an interesting mix of tempos throughout the song
8. To eve the art of witchcraft= An intersting song, this one. It starts off mixing organ melodies with thrash guitar riffs and in the middle of the song, the fury breaks down into a sweetly erotic tune...absolutely hypnotic. One of my favs on the album
9. Of mist and midnight skies= A huge organ intro at the start followed by guitars playing, this is perhaps one of the darkest songs on this album, not that the rest arent
10. In secret love we drown= Not a very good instrumental. in my opinion, this is the worst song on the album. its ok but is a bit naff
11. A dream of wolves in the snow= Starts off with a line quoted from Dracula and follows with a slow guitar riff and keyboard tune. This is one of the more melodic songs
12. Summer dying fast= The finishing number. This song has been appropriately put at the end as it is very dramatic and changes a lot during the song

So, overall, id reccommend this album to COF fans and newcomers alike as it contains some mindblowing heavyness and hypnotic, catchy melodies. Doesnt quite compare to cruely and the beast, midian etc. but is better than Bitter suites to succubi.

Buy this NOW !!!!

BATTLE METAL CLASSIC!, 22 Jun 2008
Great 1996 album, with a real medieval feel! Absoluteley, totally heavy with a real focus on battles and the Apocalypse.
Production is strong and it's a full on assault of riffs & drums that batter into submission. Satyr's vocals are brutal, and yet always easy to understand. The album has some of THE best use of keyboards within Black Metal, on classics such as Mother North. And there's plenty of clear, audible bass guitar as well, to back up the insaneley heavy guitar work.
Great drums, fast & heavy, sometimes really tribal from the legend that is Frost.
I defy anyone to put forward a heavier track than Forhekset!
There's lyrics written in both English & the band's native Norwegian. Always dark, violent & up for a fight!
There's also lots of great 'battle/army' style sound fx on such tracks as
The Dawn Of A New Age & Transcendental Requiem Of Slaves. The latter is an instrumental, that sounds ancient & evil.
This is more 'old world' in feel than Now Diabolical, but it's an ESSENTIAL for Black Metal fans.
Very much a Lord Of The Rings/Pathfinder/13th Warrior vibe, and not as satanic as some BM is, more of a pagan/Norse theme. Fans of Immortal or Viking Era Bathory will really like this!


you may like more than you think, 03 Jan 2007
satyricons third album proper is now 11 years old and its influence is again unquestioned,while the leader of symphonic black metal would always be emperor,satyricon brought a fierce and melodic take on the genre that made them recognisable as well to be truthful and nemesis divina is a 42 minute treat of medieval black metal with beauty thrown in,less folky than before this album deserves all the plaudits for containing one of the greatest black metal songs ever in mother north,a truly chilling,haunting,melodic and startling 5 mins of music if ever i have heard.
The title track is also a real belting tune and with one of the greatest drummers in frost as the backbone its no wonder than satyricons are highly regarded as they are,worth checking out on many levels.

Nemesis Divina, 04 Nov 2006
Upon purchasing this album i had only heard the Satyricon album (Now, Diabolical) so i was sceptical as to what to expect given that it is one of their earlier albums and black metal production values can be less than brilliant. Well i am pleased to say that it would seem satyricon do not seem to have been bothered as to what is expected by them in the black metal community. The album is full of rich layers of guitar, fantastic vocals and completely amazing lyrics. Not to mention the outstanding drumming of Frost who i personally believe is the best drummer in black metal. All in all, the band combine use of strong black metal ethics with crisp production values and amazing string arrangements to create one of the most captivating albums i have heard in a long time.

Sublime!, 26 Apr 2003
This is my favourite Satyricon album. The tunes and vocals are brutal, but very complex and melodic at the same time. This album is worth buying for "Mother North" alone - a masterpiece which conveys the powerful image of vikings sailing forth. A clasic of black metal.

Black Metal Hell, 16 Apr 2003
This is by far my favourite album of all time. It combines harsh black metal elements along with melodic and medieval splender. Frost's drumming is spectacular and Satyr's vast musical talent and spot on vocals make this one of the all time classics!

3.5 stars actually - not their best...but pretty good., 02 Mar 2007
It's a bit softer than their other albums, and the songs aren't as fun to listen to either. And the lyrics can be weak at points, but other songs (Guilded C*nt, Nymphetamine Fix, English Fire) make up for that. However, overall, it is not as good as their previous albums or their newest ones. If you're just getting into Cradle, though, this might be a good one to get if you're not accustomed to really thrashy stuff. Then, after this, you can get Thornography and work your way back from Damnation & A Day. So...yeah. This is a good introduction to metal and COF, but if you're already a fan of both, it's got it's strong points and it's (very) weak points...

nymphetimine, 29 Oct 2006
this album is quite good. nyphetimine is obviously like the best song on the album, maybe the bands actual best song. english fire is a cool song aswel.

A Magic Album, 29 Aug 2006
Nyphetamine is probably the best C O F album to date, it's absolutely brilliant. There isn't one track I dislike. Listen out for the echoes on Absinthe with fraust, filthy little secret and mother of abominations, fantastic!
Fans will notice Dani's vocals are a little tamer than usual, but don't let this put you off. A magic album, I want to give it 10/10. C O F can do no wrong

Better Than 'Damnation & A Day', 13 May 2006
Buy this album if your into mainstream metal and 'gothic' music or your a Die Hard CoF fan, but do not get if your expecting black metal...
This album is much better than 'DAD' but is completely different from early releases- cleaner vocals and instruments. It is rather catchy album and is good, but lacking atmosphere and feels a bit empty. Except on the begginning track which brings a gothic feel to it... But that ends once into the 1st track... All the tracks are good, but just amazingly different from the old CoF.
BUY THIS if you want fun, but not if your excpeting something amazing...



WOTS THIS?? MUSIC?! I DONT THINK SO....., 22 Feb 2006
I HATE THIS BAND AND THIS ALBUM. I HAVE SEEN A LIVE SHOW AND IT WAS BORING AS HELL. ALL THEY DID WAS STAND THERE WITH THAT IDIOT SINGER SPOUTING OUT INCOMPREHENSIBLE LYRICS. TAKE MY ADVICE AND STAY AWAY FROM THIS BAND AND ANYTHING RELATED TO IT.

A good introduction to black metal!, 27 Jan 2007
The first Cradle of Filth album I bought was 'Midian', which I was very impressed by. After reading some reviews I decided to buy 'Cruelty And The Beast'. However, due to a mix up I received this album instead. So I thought "What the hell? I might aswell listen to it!". Little did I know that my taste in music would be changed so dramatically by this album.

The first thing I noticed was the contrast between the production on this album and on Midian. The "wall of sound" on Midian is replaced by a sparse sonic landscape. The guitars are fuzzy, the bass cold, the drums tight; all backed by keyboards, brimming with elegance. The vocals Dani produced on this album are raw, more true to the 'black metal' that was beginning to surface in Norway.

The songs themselves are brutal yet still elegant. Ranging from the harsh 'Princible of Evil Made Flesh' to the dreamy, floating imagery of 'In Secret Love We Drown'. There is something here for most extreme metal fans.
This album does lack the maturity of the ensuing albums but in my opinion contains an energy that the others lack. It is one of my favourite albums and will remain so. I cannot reccomend it more.

If you like this album and wish to experience more black metal then I reccomend 'In The Nightside Eclipse' by Emperor and 'Pure Holocaust' by Immortal. By these albums, you shant regret it.

I love..., 07 Jan 2006
...Dusk and Her Embrace and Cruelty and the Beast, but this will always be the first and the best. Of Mist and Midnight Skies, To Eve the Art of Witchcraft, The Forest Whispers my Name, Summers Dying Fast, Black Goddess Rises, each and every song of this is at once both haunting and ear burningly brutal. I have to agree with the other comments I have read, a completely outstanding album

many have passed but it's still the best, 17 Oct 2003
Take it from a man who has listened to not just all types of metal, but all types of music, intensely, for many many years..... this is one of the best albums you will find.

Up there with Carcass' Necrotism and Anathema's Serenades, if you do not have this album your collection has an almighty gap in it.

Dark and sinister, Cradle at their best!, 12 Jul 2003
This is how Cradle should sound. The aggresion and brutality of this record make it an instant classic, the highlights being:

The Principle Of Evil Made Flesh - True classic. Great riffs, great screaming vocals. Brilliant. Although recorded again for 'Bitter Suites To Succubi', I believe that the rawness of it on this record makes it the classic that it is.

The Forest Whispers My Name - Amazing. A more melodic track, but it's still very brutal in places. Outstanding.

The Black Goddess Rises - The best of them all. Fast, brutal, black metal. A true masterpiece. Originally taken off COF's 'Total F**king Darkness' demo, it has been made a bit more mainstream than it was, but still incredible.

This is COF's best ever record in my opinion. But be careful if you've only heard Cradle's newer stuff, because this is amazingly different.

1 of their best !!!!, 24 Apr 2003
Cradle of filth's first album is definetely 1 of their best. Ever since i first got this album I have been listening to it for ages. Veteran COF fans will notice that Dani's vocals are different-they are more raspy and menacing than his later work. here are a run-down of the songs :

1.Darkness our bride(jugular wedding)= A nice opener but a bit weak as far as COF intros are concerned.
2.The principle of evil made flesh= 1 of the best on here. heavy-as-hell !!
3.The forest whispers my name= a hauntingly good song with a chilling keyboard riff
4.Iscariot= A so-so instrumental but, again, not quite up to regular COF standards
5. The black goddess rises= Another standout track on the album. was later redone on "bitter suites to succubi" and made better but the original is still good
6.One final graven kiss= Absolutely BEAUTIFUL !! the best instrumental on the album
7. A crescendo of passion, bleeding= Brilliantly fast guitar riffage and an interesting mix of tempos throughout the song
8. To eve the art of witchcraft= An intersting song, this one. It starts off mixing organ melodies with thrash guitar riffs and in the middle of the song, the fury breaks down into a sweetly erotic tune...absolutely hypnotic. One of my favs on the album
9. Of mist and midnight skies= A huge organ intro at the start followed by guitars playing, this is perhaps one of the darkest songs on this album, not that the rest arent
10. In secret love we drown= Not a very good instrumental. in my opinion, this is the worst song on the album. its ok but is a bit naff
11. A dream of wolves in the snow= Starts off with a line quoted from Dracula and follows with a slow guitar riff and keyboard tune. This is one of the more melodic songs
12. Summer dying fast= The finishing number. This song has been appropriately put at the end as it is very dramatic and changes a lot during the song

So, overall, id reccommend this album to COF fans and newcomers alike as it contains some mindblowing heavyness and hypnotic, catchy melodies. Doesnt quite compare to cruely and the beast, midian etc. but is better than Bitter suites to succubi.

Buy this NOW !!!!

BATTLE METAL CLASSIC!, 22 Jun 2008
Great 1996 album, with a real medieval feel! Absoluteley, totally heavy with a real focus on battles and the Apocalypse.
Production is strong and it's a full on assault of riffs & drums that batter into submission. Satyr's vocals are brutal, and yet always easy to understand. The album has some of THE best use of keyboards within Black Metal, on classics such as Mother North. And there's plenty of clear, audible bass guitar as well, to back up the insaneley heavy guitar work.
Great drums, fast & heavy, sometimes really tribal from the legend that is Frost.
I defy anyone to put forward a heavier track than Forhekset!
There's lyrics written in both English & the band's native Norwegian. Always dark, violent & up for a fight!
There's also lots of great 'battle/army' style sound fx on such tracks as
The Dawn Of A New Age & Transcendental Requiem Of Slaves. The latter is an instrumental, that sounds ancient & evil.
This is more 'old world' in feel than Now Diabolical, but it's an ESSENTIAL for Black Metal fans.
Very much a Lord Of The Rings/Pathfinder/13th Warrior vibe, and not as satanic as some BM is, more of a pagan/Norse theme. Fans of Immortal or Viking Era Bathory will really like this!


you may like more than you think, 03 Jan 2007
satyricons third album proper is now 11 years old and its influence is again unquestioned,while the leader of symphonic black metal would always be emperor,satyricon brought a fierce and melodic take on the genre that made them recognisable as well to be truthful and nemesis divina is a 42 minute treat of medieval black metal with beauty thrown in,less folky than before this album deserves all the plaudits for containing one of the greatest black metal songs ever in mother north,a truly chilling,haunting,melodic and startling 5 mins of music if ever i have heard.
The title track is also a real belting tune and with one of the greatest drummers in frost as the backbone its no wonder than satyricons are highly regarded as they are,worth checking out on many levels.

Nemesis Divina, 04 Nov 2006
Upon purchasing this album i had only heard the Satyricon album (Now, Diabolical) so i was sceptical as to what to expect given that it is one of their earlier albums and black metal production values can be less than brilliant. Well i am pleased to say that it would seem satyricon do not seem to have been bothered as to what is expected by them in the black metal community. The album is full of rich layers of guitar, fantastic vocals and completely amazing lyrics. Not to mention the outstanding drumming of Frost who i personally believe is the best drummer in black metal. All in all, the band combine use of strong black metal ethics with crisp production values and amazing string arrangements to create one of the most captivating albums i have heard in a long time.

Sublime!, 26 Apr 2003
This is my favourite Satyricon album. The tunes and vocals are brutal, but very complex and melodic at the same time. This album is worth buying for "Mother North" alone - a masterpiece which conveys the powerful image of vikings sailing forth. A clasic of black metal.

Black Metal Hell, 16 Apr 2003
This is by far my favourite album of all time. It combines harsh black metal elements along with melodic and medieval splender. Frost's drumming is spectacular and Satyr's vast musical talent and spot on vocals make this one of the all time classics!

3.5 stars actually - not their best...but pretty good., 02 Mar 2007
It's a bit softer than their other albums, and the songs aren't as fun to listen to either. And the lyrics can be weak at points, but other songs (Guilded C*nt, Nymphetamine Fix, English Fire) make up for that. However, overall, it is not as good as their previous albums or their newest ones. If you're just getting into Cradle, though, this might be a good one to get if you're not accustomed to really thrashy stuff. Then, after this, you can get Thornography and work your way back from Damnation & A Day. So...yeah. This is a good introduction to metal and COF, but if you're already a fan of both, it's got it's strong points and it's (very) weak points...

nymphetimine, 29 Oct 2006
this album is quite good. nyphetimine is obviously like the best song on the album, maybe the bands actual best song. english fire is a cool song aswel.

A Magic Album, 29 Aug 2006
Nyphetamine is probably the best C O F album to date, it's absolutely brilliant. There isn't one track I dislike. Listen out for the echoes on Absinthe with fraust, filthy little secret and mother of abominations, fantastic!
Fans will notice Dani's vocals are a little tamer than usual, but don't let this put you off. A magic album, I want to give it 10/10. C O F can do no wrong

Better Than 'Damnation & A Day', 13 May 2006
Buy this album if your into mainstream metal and 'gothic' music or your a Die Hard CoF fan, but do not get if your expecting black metal...
This album is much better than 'DAD' but is completely different from early releases- cleaner vocals and instruments. It is rather catchy album and is good, but lacking atmosphere and feels a bit empty. Except on the begginning track which brings a gothic feel to it... But that ends once into the 1st track... All the tracks are good, but just amazingly different from the old CoF.
BUY THIS if you want fun, but not if your excpeting something amazing...



WOTS THIS?? MUSIC?! I DONT THINK SO....., 22 Feb 2006
I HATE THIS BAND AND THIS ALBUM. I HAVE SEEN A LIVE SHOW AND IT WAS BORING AS HELL. ALL THEY DID WAS STAND THERE WITH THAT IDIOT SINGER SPOUTING OUT INCOMPREHENSIBLE LYRICS. TAKE MY ADVICE AND STAY AWAY FROM THIS BAND AND ANYTHING RELATED TO IT.

BLACK METAL.........., 31 Jul 2007
Venoms finest moment is here on this fine re-issue of a true classic black metal album. the singer is not good, the guitar is rubbish and the bass is awful but its venom, true metal. easily the best black metal album ever, no competition............CLASS

Black Metal was invented in Newcastle not Norway., 01 Jul 2007
Venom invented black metal, lets get that straight. You coin the term and therefore you decide how it sounds, ok? It doesn't have to sound like Mayhem or whatever to be black metal, because simply put if you invent something then you decide how it sounds. Now all you Marduk fans can sod off, Satanic Judas Priest? Well first of all that sounds absolutely killer... but as simply as I can put it, Venom is black metal and `Black Metal' is one of the all time greatest heavy metal albums.

Fuelled by Newcastle Brown and Stottie cakes Venom proceeded to absolutely kick the metal worlds bottom in 1982 with what frankly can be considered a more refined a approach in contrast to the `washing machine full of bricks' subtly of `Welcome to Hell'. `Black Metal' was probably the heaviest, fastest and most over the top metal about in the early 80's, and not only is it a triumph in extremity but also in terms of song writing, atmosphere and general all round "hail satanic majesty" goodness.

Lets get this out of way, do not expect musical prowess here, there is no shredding. Mantas is not a great technician and some of his solos are sketchy. Abaddon is not a great drummer, do not expect 44/872 time, this isn't Dream Theater. Cronos, however actually is a great vocalist and not many people had this kind of snarling vocal in 1982, so again Venom were ground breaking and as a bassist he does all that's required with a nasty buzzing tone like a less refined Lemmy (not that Lem's tone is refined).

There isn't much doubt in the quality of `Black Metal', all the songs here are metal classics expect `Teachers Pet' which is just a bit of smutty fun, but if your looking for all out satanic malevolent metal you can always skip this one (and probably the whole album as I may have to explain to you if your from Scandinavia, Mainland Europe...or assorted other humourless nations this is all very tongue in cheek you see). `Black Metal' is a lovely piece of speed metal, not too dissimilar from Judas Priest's `Rapid Fire' in places but a whole lot more evil and for further metal brownie points it starts with a chainsaw going through a door. `To Hell and Back' is simplistic, with some lovely filthy pitched harmonic riffs which are quite sludgy due to the fact that this album was in C# tuning and the production is very muddy, it's not the best song here but still fun and oh so metal. `Buried Alive' is a grand achievement in atmosphere and features the rather homemade effect of dirt being heaped upon a microphone to give a certain authenticity. This is seminal Venom, one of the bands best known and best loved songs eschewing speed metal for a slower more menacing pace, it's practically a Venom ballad. `Raise the Dead' is another speedy number with fairly standard NWOBHM riffs, but it's the lyrics which make this one;
`I hear the star of the Necromancer
my blood is black and my heart doth bleed' yes this isn't a Job For a Cowboy album! `Leave me in Hell' is a Venom classic, with yet more great lyrics...Torment? Bestial Sex? If you must Cronos. `Sacrifice' displays a distinct Motörhead influence, not that it's not prevalent in the rest of the album its just this one reminds me of `Over the Top'. `Countess Bathory' would prove highly influential as it's the first metal song (well at least that I've heard of) to deal with the blood countess and a song from which Bathory would take their namesake. It's a corker of a song with some excellent riffs; Mantas is a bit bad at times but he has some awesome riffs. Next up; `Don't Burn the Witch' corker! Best Venom song ever. That almighty heretical riff and Cronos' occult imagery really shines hear. I freaking love lyrics on the occult! `At War with Satan (preview)' is a strange way to end an album, but interesting nonetheless and I suppose it made sense contextually.

Also of note is that on these Venom reissues the bonus tracks are actually worth listening to, which really is a startling rarity. You get some nice radio sessions and killer Venom songs which never actually appeared on albums, singles I believe, remember them?

Looking to drink the vomit of priests? Fancy pulling a dying whore? Giving blood to the beast? Can't find your key to death's door? (have you checked in the plant pots?) Well anyway, here's a album you must own. Buy `Black Metal' and open the seven gates of heck!

This ain't no Bon Jovi album! 666/10!

lay down your soul to the gods rock and roll!!, 21 Jan 2007
BLACK METALL!!! Yes their supposedly best album, but I rate the debut higher, this is still an excellent album and worthy of the legendary 'Black Metal' genre it spawned...

The title track opens up with a chainsaw and is a fantastic piece of fast proto-thrash, from the start you can tell the production values of this album have improved (albeit only slightly), the whole album is slightly less buried in distortion and you can hear Cronos' bass a lot clearer. There are some classics on here such as the 2 part 'Buried alive/raise the dead'(the demo on the debut was slightly better though), but its the fact that Venom have slightly slowed down and produced more menacing songs in the vein of 'In Legue With Satan' that I like about this release.

The last 3 songs rank among my all-time favourate outputs from Venom, Countess Bathory is a dark and slighty gothic song about the legendary Countess who bathed in virgin's blood, the black metal band 'Bathory' even named themselves after this song! 'Don't Burn the witch' is probibly my fave song on the album and one of Mantas' best riffs, again, Slayer took great influence and this woundn't be out of place on their debut! Plus the preview of 'At War with Satan' that takes up 20 minutes of their next album demostrates a better guitar sound than the one on that album. Listening to these and say a more traditional black metal band such as Iuvenes you can tell the beginnings of something new and unique.

The bonus stuff is a somewhat welcome return to the fast (very fast) Venom thats missing from the main album, and there are some really good tunes here, but their all kinda similar and after a while sound very samey. Still, an essential release just for the last 3 tracks of the original album alone, which are all true black metal (the genre) classics.

A History lesson, 02 Dec 2006
One of those albums that you simply must own to be able to join a conversation about rock music. Pure Cult.
Debate still rages about their commitment to the Dark Arts, and their musical ability, but that misses the point. Venom neither take themselves too seriously, not care what you think, so if singing about Satan is what they fancy on a given morning, that is what they will do.
The wall of feedback intro sets the tone of the album, which is a cross between chaos, genius, and uptempo british Heavy Metal. Cronos once described Abbadon's drumming as sounding like he was falling down the stairs, and Cronos himself could be playing anything on his bass for all you can tell. Mantas' guitar is the cement which holds it all together, and the riffs are instant, heavy and enduring.
Don't get too excited about the bonus tracks, although Bloodlust and Die Hard could easily have made their way on to the original album.
This obviously sounds nowhere near as extreme now as it was to ears in 1982, but that it has lasted this long should tell you how good it is.

the one, 24 Oct 2003
this is the album that started it.it gave birth to a new ,dark ,imaginative and violent music.a new genre.
black metal.
because of it ,we got the horrors of mayhem,the epics of emperor and the mysteries of dark throne.plus phil anselmo.
remastered.my favourite are buried alive,with it's scary sound effects ,from inside a casket , countess bathory-you should know her already if you into metal music- and to hell and back.
but teachers pet may tell us something about their credibility,my least favourite, it's about a school boy puberty dreams of his female teacher.but hey ,it's from 1982.
the bonus tracks are from the (friday rock show) sessions,black metal,nightmare,too loud for the crowd and blood lust.plus new versions,bursting out+2,die hard , acid queen and a hounds of hell outake.
do trust phil anselmo's daste,and buy it.

A good introduction to black metal!, 27 Jan 2007
The first Cradle of Filth album I bought was 'Midian', which I was very impressed by. After reading some reviews I decided to buy 'Cruelty And The Beast'. However, due to a mix up I received this album instead. So I thought "What the hell? I might aswell listen to it!". Little did I know that my taste in music would be changed so dramatically by this album.

The first thing I noticed was the contrast between the production on this album and on Midian. The "wall of sound" on Midian is replaced by a sparse sonic landscape. The guitars are fuzzy, the bass cold, the drums tight; all backed by keyboards, brimming with elegance. The vocals Dani produced on this album are raw, more true to the 'black metal' that was beginning to surface in Norway.

The songs themselves are brutal yet still elegant. Ranging from the harsh 'Princible of Evil Made Flesh' to the dreamy, floating imagery of 'In Secret Love We Drown'. There is something here for most extreme metal fans.
This album does lack the maturity of the ensuing albums but in my opinion contains an energy that the others lack. It is one of my favourite albums and will remain so. I cannot reccomend it more.

If you like this album and wish to experience more black metal then I reccomend 'In The Nightside Eclipse' by Emperor and 'Pure Holocaust' by Immortal. By these albums, you shant regret it.

I love..., 07 Jan 2006
...Dusk and Her Embrace and Cruelty and the Beast, but this will always be the first and the best. Of Mist and Midnight Skies, To Eve the Art of Witchcraft, The Forest Whispers my Name, Summers Dying Fast, Black Goddess Rises, each and every song of this is at once both haunting and ear burningly brutal. I have to agree with the other comments I have read, a completely outstanding album

many have passed but it's still the best, 17 Oct 2003
Take it from a man who has listened to not just all types of metal, but all types of music, intensely, for many many years..... this is one of the best albums you will find.

Up there with Carcass' Necrotism and Anathema's Serenades, if you do not have this album your collection has an almighty gap in it.

Dark and sinister, Cradle at their best!, 12 Jul 2003
This is how Cradle should sound. The aggresion and brutality of this record make it an instant classic, the highlights being:

The Principle Of Evil Made Flesh - True classic. Great riffs, great screaming vocals. Brilliant. Although recorded again for 'Bitter Suites To Succubi', I believe that the rawness of it on this record makes it the classic that it is.

The Forest Whispers My Name - Amazing. A more melodic track, but it's still very brutal in places. Outstanding.

The Black Goddess Rises - The best of them all. Fast, brutal, black metal. A true masterpiece. Originally taken off COF's 'Total F**king Darkness' demo, it has been made a bit more mainstream than it was, but still incredible.

This is COF's best ever record in my opinion. But be careful if you've only heard Cradle's newer stuff, because this is amazingly different.

1 of their best !!!!, 24 Apr 2003
Cradle of filth's first album is definetely 1 of their best. Ever since i first got this album I have been listening to it for ages. Veteran COF fans will notice that Dani's vocals are different-they are more raspy and menacing than his later work. here are a run-down of the songs :

1.Darkness our bride(jugular wedding)= A nice opener but a bit weak as far as COF intros are concerned.
2.The principle of evil made flesh= 1 of the best on here. heavy-as-hell !!
3.The forest whispers my name= a hauntingly good song with a chilling keyboard riff
4.Iscariot= A so-so instrumental but, again, not quite up to regular COF standards
5. The black goddess rises= Another standout track on the album. was later redone on "bitter suites to succubi" and made better but the original is still good
6.One final graven kiss= Absolutely BEAUTIFUL !! the best instrumental on the album
7. A crescendo of passion, bleeding= Brilliantly fast guitar riffage and an interesting mix of tempos throughout the song
8. To eve the art of witchcraft= An intersting song, this one. It starts off mixing organ melodies with thrash guitar riffs and in the middle of the song, the fury breaks down into a sweetly erotic tune...absolutely hypnotic. One of my favs on the album
9. Of mist and midnight skies= A huge organ intro at the start followed by guitars playing, this is perhaps one of the darkest songs on this album, not that the rest arent
10. In secret love we drown= Not a very good instrumental. in my opinion, this is the worst song on the album. its ok but is a bit naff
11. A dream of wolves in the snow= Starts off with a line quoted from Dracula and follows with a slow guitar riff and keyboard tune. This is one of the more melodic songs
12. Summer dying fast= The finishing number. This song has been appropriately put at the end as it is very dramatic and changes a lot during the song

So, overall, id reccommend this album to COF fans and newcomers alike as it contains some mindblowing heavyness and hypnotic, catchy melodies. Doesnt quite compare to cruely and the beast, midian etc. but is better than Bitter suites to succubi.

Buy this NOW !!!!

BATTLE METAL CLASSIC!, 22 Jun 2008
Great 1996 album, with a real medieval feel! Absoluteley, totally heavy with a real focus on battles and the Apocalypse.
Production is strong and it's a full on assault of riffs & drums that batter into submission. Satyr's vocals are brutal, and yet always easy to understand. The album has some of THE best use of keyboards within Black Metal, on classics such as Mother North. And there's plenty of clear, audible bass guitar as well, to back up the insaneley heavy guitar work.
Great drums, fast & heavy, sometimes really tribal from the legend that is Frost.
I defy anyone to put forward a heavier track than Forhekset!
There's lyrics written in both English & the band's native Norwegian. Always dark, violent & up for a fight!
There's also lots of great 'battle/army' style sound fx on such tracks as
The Dawn Of A New Age & Transcendental Requiem Of Slaves. The latter is an instrumental, that sounds ancient & evil.
This is more 'old world' in feel than Now Diabolical, but it's an ESSENTIAL for Black Metal fans.
Very much a Lord Of The Rings/Pathfinder/13th Warrior vibe, and not as satanic as some BM is, more of a pagan/Norse theme. Fans of Immortal or Viking Era Bathory will really like this!


you may like more than you think, 03 Jan 2007
satyricons third album proper is now 11 years old and its influence is again unquestioned,while the leader of symphonic black metal would always be emperor,satyricon brought a fierce and melodic take on the genre that made them recognisable as well to be truthful and nemesis divina is a 42 minute treat of medieval black metal with beauty thrown in,less folky than before this album deserves all the plaudits for containing one of the greatest black metal songs ever in mother north,a truly chilling,haunting,melodic and startling 5 mins of music if ever i have heard.
The title track is also a real belting tune and with one of the greatest drummers in frost as the backbone its no wonder than satyricons are highly regarded as they are,worth checking out on many levels.

Nemesis Divina, 04 Nov 2006
Upon purchasing this album i had only heard the Satyricon album (Now, Diabolical) so i was sceptical as to what to expect given that it is one of their earlier albums and black metal production values can be less than brilliant. Well i am pleased to say that it would seem satyricon do not seem to have been bothered as to what is expected by them in the black metal community. The album is full of rich layers of guitar, fantastic vocals and completely amazing lyrics. Not to mention the outstanding drumming of Frost who i personally believe is the best drummer in black metal. All in all, the band combine use of strong black metal ethics with crisp production values and amazing string arrangements to create one of the most captivating albums i have heard in a long time.

Sublime!, 26 Apr 2003
This is my favourite Satyricon album. The tunes and vocals are brutal, but very complex and melodic at the same time. This album is worth buying for "Mother North" alone - a masterpiece which conveys the powerful image of vikings sailing forth. A clasic of black metal.

Black Metal Hell, 16 Apr 2003
This is by far my favourite album of all time. It combines harsh black metal elements along with melodic and medieval splender. Frost's drumming is spectacular and Satyr's vast musical talent and spot on vocals make this one of the all time classics!

3.5 stars actually - not their best...but pretty good., 02 Mar 2007
It's a bit softer than their other albums, and the songs aren't as fun to listen to either. And the lyrics can be weak at points, but other songs (Guilded C*nt, Nymphetamine Fix, English Fire) make up for that. However, overall, it is not as good as their previous albums or their newest ones. If you're just getting into Cradle, though, this might be a good one to get if you're not accustomed to really thrashy stuff. Then, after this, you can get Thornography and work your way back from Damnation & A Day. So...yeah. This is a good introduction to metal and COF, but if you're already a fan of both, it's got it's strong points and it's (very) weak points...

nymphetimine, 29 Oct 2006
this album is quite good. nyphetimine is obviously like the best song on the album, maybe the bands actual best song. english fire is a cool song aswel.

A Magic Album, 29 Aug 2006
Nyphetamine is probably the best C O F album to date, it's absolutely brilliant. There isn't one track I dislike. Listen out for the echoes on Absinthe with fraust, filthy little secret and mother of abominations, fantastic!
Fans will notice Dani's vocals are a little tamer than usual, but don't let this put you off. A magic album, I want to give it 10/10. C O F can do no wrong

Better Than 'Damnation & A Day', 13 May 2006
Buy this album if your into mainstream metal and 'gothic' music or your a Die Hard CoF fan, but do not get if your expecting black metal...
This album is much better than 'DAD' but is completely different from early releases- cleaner vocals and instruments. It is rather catchy album and is good, but lacking atmosphere and feels a bit empty. Except on the begginning track which brings a gothic feel to it... But that ends once into the 1st track... All the tracks are good, but just amazingly different from the old CoF.
BUY THIS if you want fun, but not if your excpeting something amazing...



WOTS THIS?? MUSIC?! I DONT THINK SO....., 22 Feb 2006
I HATE THIS BAND AND THIS ALBUM. I HAVE SEEN A LIVE SHOW AND IT WAS BORING AS HELL. ALL THEY DID WAS STAND THERE WITH THAT IDIOT SINGER SPOUTING OUT INCOMPREHENSIBLE LYRICS. TAKE MY ADVICE AND STAY AWAY FROM THIS BAND AND ANYTHING RELATED TO IT.

BLACK METAL.........., 31 Jul 2007
Venoms finest moment is here on this fine re-issue of a true classic black metal album. the singer is not good, the guitar is rubbish and the bass is awful but its venom, true metal. easily the best black metal album ever, no competition............CLASS

Black Metal was invented in Newcastle not Norway., 01 Jul 2007
Venom invented black metal, lets get that straight. You coin the term and therefore you decide how it sounds, ok? It doesn't have to sound like Mayhem or whatever to be black metal, because simply put if you invent something then you decide how it sounds. Now all you Marduk fans can sod off, Satanic Judas Priest? Well first of all that sounds absolutely killer... but as simply as I can put it, Venom is black metal and `Black Metal' is one of the all time greatest heavy metal albums.

Fuelled by Newcastle Brown and Stottie cakes Venom proceeded to absolutely kick the metal worlds bottom in 1982 with what frankly can be considered a more refined a approach in contrast to the `washing machine full of bricks' subtly of `Welcome to Hell'. `Black Metal' was probably the heaviest, fastest and most over the top metal about in the early 80's, and not only is it a triumph in extremity but also in terms of song writing, atmosphere and general all round "hail satanic majesty" goodness.

Lets get this out of way, do not expect musical prowess here, there is no shredding. Mantas is not a great technician and some of his solos are sketchy. Abaddon is not a great drummer, do not expect 44/872 time, this isn't Dream Theater. Cronos, however actually is a great vocalist and not many people had this kind of snarling vocal in 1982, so again Venom were ground breaking and as a bassist he does all that's required with a nasty buzzing tone like a less refined Lemmy (not that Lem's tone is refined).

There isn't much doubt in the quality of `Black Metal', all the songs here are metal classics expect `Teachers Pet' which is just a bit of smutty fun, but if your looking for all out satanic malevolent metal you can always skip this one (and probably the whole album as I may have to explain to you if your from Scandinavia, Mainland Europe...or assorted other humourless nations this is all very tongue in cheek you see). `Black Metal' is a lovely piece of speed metal, not too dissimilar from Judas Priest's `Rapid Fire' in places but a whole lot more evil and for further metal brownie points it starts with a chainsaw going through a door. `To Hell and Back' is simplistic, with some lovely filthy pitched harmonic riffs which are quite sludgy due to the fact that this album was in C# tuning and the production is very muddy, it's not the best song here but still fun and oh so metal. `Buried Alive' is a grand achievement in atmosphere and features the rather homemade effect of dirt being heaped upon a microphone to give a certain authenticity. This is seminal Venom, one of the bands best known and best loved songs eschewing speed metal for a slower more menacing pace, it's practically a Venom ballad. `Raise the Dead' is another speedy number with fairly standard NWOBHM riffs, but it's the lyrics which make this one;
`I hear the star of the Necromancer
my blood is black and my heart doth bleed' yes this isn't a Job For a Cowboy album! `Leave me in Hell' is a Venom classic, with yet more great lyrics...Torment? Bestial Sex? If you must Cronos. `Sacrifice' displays a distinct Motörhead influence, not that it's not prevalent in the rest of the album its just this one reminds me of `Over the Top'. `Countess Bathory' would prove highly influential as it's the first metal song (well at least that I've heard of) to deal with the blood countess and a song from which Bathory would take their namesake. It's a corker of a song with some excellent riffs; Mantas is a bit bad at times but he has some awesome riffs. Next up; `Don't Burn the Witch' corker! Best Venom song ever. That almighty heretical riff and Cronos' occult imagery really shines hear. I freaking love lyrics on the occult! `At War with Satan (preview)' is a strange way to end an album, but interesting nonetheless and I suppose it made sense contextually.

Also of note is that on these Venom reissues the bonus tracks are actually worth listening to, which really is a startling rarity. You get some nice radio sessions and killer Venom songs which never actually appeared on albums, singles I believe, remember them?

Looking to drink the vomit of priests? Fancy pulling a dying whore? Giving blood to the beast? Can't find your key to death's door? (have you checked in the plant pots?) Well anyway, here's a album you must own. Buy `Black Metal' and open the seven gates of heck!

This ain't no Bon Jovi album! 666/10!

lay down your soul to the gods rock and roll!!, 21 Jan 2007
BLACK METALL!!! Yes their supposedly best album, but I rate the debut higher, this is still an excellent album and worthy of the legendary 'Black Metal' genre it spawned...

The title track opens up with a chainsaw and is a fantastic piece of fast proto-thrash, from the start you can tell the production values of this album have improved (albeit only slightly), the whole album is slightly less buried in distortion and you can hear Cronos' bass a lot clearer. There are some classics on here such as the 2 part 'Buried alive/raise the dead'(the demo on the debut was slightly better though), but its the fact that Venom have slightly slowed down and produced more menacing songs in the vein of 'In Legue With Satan' that I like about this release.

The last 3 songs rank among my all-time favourate outputs from Venom, Countess Bathory is a dark and slighty gothic song about the legendary Countess who bathed in virgin's blood, the black metal band 'Bathory' even named themselves after this song! 'Don't Burn the witch' is probibly my fave song on the album and one of Mantas' best riffs, again, Slayer took great influence and this woundn't be out of place on their debut! Plus the preview of 'At War with Satan' that takes up 20 minutes of their next album demostrates a better guitar sound than the one on that album. Listening to these and say a more traditional black metal band such as Iuvenes you can tell the beginnings of something new and unique.

The bonus stuff is a somewhat welcome return to the fast (very fast) Venom thats missing from the main album, and there are some really good tunes here, but their all kinda similar and after a while sound very samey. Still, an essential release just for the last 3 tracks of the original album alone, which are all true black metal (the genre) classics.

A History lesson, 02 Dec 2006
One of those albums that you simply must own to be able to join a conversation about rock music. Pure Cult.
Debate still rages about their commitment to the Dark Arts, and their musical ability, but that misses the point. Venom neither take themselves too seriously, not care what you think, so if singing about Satan is what they fancy on a given morning, that is what they will do.
The wall of feedback intro sets the tone of the album, which is a cross between chaos, genius, and uptempo british Heavy Metal. Cronos once described Abbadon's drumming as sounding like he was falling down the stairs, and Cronos himself could be playing anything on his bass for all you can tell. Mantas' guitar is the cement which holds it all together, and the riffs are instant, heavy and enduring.
Don't get too excited about the bonus tracks, although Bloodlust and Die Hard could easily have made their way on to the original album.
This obviously sounds nowhere near as extreme now as it was to ears in 1982, but that it has lasted this long should tell you how good it is.

the one, 24 Oct 2003
this is the album that started it.it gave birth to a new ,dark ,imaginative and violent music.a new genre.
black metal.
because of it ,we got the horrors of mayhem,the epics of emperor and the mysteries of dark throne.plus phil anselmo.
remastered.my favourite are buried alive,with it's scary sound effects ,from inside a casket , countess bathory-you should know her already if you into metal music- and to hell and back.
but teachers pet may tell us something about their credibility,my least favourite, it's about a school boy puberty dreams of his female teacher.but hey ,it's from 1982.
the bonus tracks are from the (friday rock show) sessions,black metal,nightmare,too loud for the crowd and blood lust.plus new versions,bursting out+2,die hard , acid queen and a hounds of hell outake.
do trust phil anselmo's daste,and buy it.

Hellishly Good, 21 Jan 2007
After sampling 'In Legue with Satan' off the great lightnin' to the nations compliaton CD I imediatly bout the first 3 Venom albums and I have to say their debut is the best of the 3 and an absolute classic slab of metal!

Now everyone says Venom are notorious for bad production and they are right, but I have a feeling it was semi-diliberate to try and achieve the heaviest sound they could muster and it pays off, this is a brutal album and must of sounded like pure noise back in 1981(!).

The album opens up on a surprisingly weak song 'Sons of Satan' but dont let that put you off, the title track is a stonecold classic, so much that Iron Maiden completly ripped off the main riff for one of their best songs '2 minutes to midnight', compare it, theres only one note different!

The whole album is chock full of classics, 'Poison' is a tale of sleeping with a hooker riddled with STD's, and the more satanic offerings such as 'Live Like an Angel', the absolute classic 'Witching hour' and the dark shoutout anthem 'In Legue With Satan' are all some of my favorate songs on the album.

The bonus tracks are all extremely invaluable, these hard to find singles and demos are some of Venom's best work such as their first single 'Angel Dust' and various versions of album songs. A particular non-album cut worth mentioning is 'In Nomine Satanas' (which happens to be my favourate song on the album) which is clearly proto-Slayer, that riff is a killer and when you check out some of Slayer's work you can clearly tell they were influenced by Venom.

All in all a classic essential peice of heavy metal history.

could you ask for a more evil album!?, 01 Dec 2005
Evil's the word for Venom. The brutal attack of heavily (and i mean heavily) distorted guitars and quick drums would be good enough for Satan's house band. It's N.W.O.B.H.M at its most raw and it truly does worship at the feet of the devil. 1000 days of sodom, welcome to hell, in league with satan, its full of the classics. My hat goes off the venom for their no holds barred assault. I can't recommend this album enough, its devil worshipping good fun, heavy as you like and rockin hard and fast. BUY IT NOW!

One *hell* of an album..., 08 Aug 2003
Venom almost defy description. A cornerstone of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, but also considered to be a first-generation black metal band, this trio of rowdy Geordies exploded on to the music scene in the early 1980s -- and the word 'exploded' is used advisedly, bearing in mind their love of extravagant pyrotechnics at their stage shows, which they insisted on headlining.

Revered by the 80s rock touchstone Sounds, worshipped across southern Europe (Hellenic fans being especially devoted, I've always found), Venom's technical abilities were stretched to their very limits with each successive release, but this endeared them to their audience as every proto-headbanger imagined themselves playing along to Mantas' screeching guitar lines. High energy, low pretence, classic heavy metal. When the early Motorhead-esque 'Sons of Satan' erupts from your speakers, the mayhem Venom created is evident from the very start and will continue to rattle your cranium until the end of the album, believe me. I'll refrain from calling this album a 'timeless work of genius', but I certainly won't refrain from exhorting you to buy it forthwith!

Finally: this is a wonderful package, as befits an album with one of the coolest album covers of all time. Excellent liner notes with lots of contemporary press clippings (it's quite a chunky booklet), a generous collection of previously hard to find demos, outtakes and bonus tracks, and an attractive spine which forms the first part of the Venom logo. I can't understand the current vogue for wrapping reissues in a cardboard sleeve, however; if you're like me, this goes straight in the bin. Who wants to take this off every time you play the CD?

You could do a lot worse than order their second and third albums at the same time ('Black Metal', 'At War With Satan') and die-hards may want #4, 'Possessed', too but be warned -- the Venom war machine veered violently off the rails after this.

Heads Down!, 21 Mar 2002
Nasty rock anthems with riffs to die for, what a record. Every song a scorcher, a metal classic! 21 Years after its original release "Welcome to Hell" still kicks ass.

Made me realise what I've been missing!, 15 Mar 2002
I bought this album and "Black Metal" from Amazon for a few reasons: 1) I'd bought a lot of metal recently and Venom were recommended by Amazon's automatic system; 2) I was craving yet more things to listen to; 3) The CDs were cheap.

My first reaction was: "How could I have been so unaware of this band?" I had never before heard of Venom and I bought the CDs not knowing what to expect. "Welcome to Hell" is wonderful. The CD is as full as it can get with tracks, although I do think that the extra bonus tracks are mostly unnecessary. My favourite tracks so far are "Welcome to Hell", "Live Like an Angel" and "Sons of Satan". Wonderful, fast, frantic, crunching music. Not really as evil-sounding as the song titles suggest, but they have everything that a metal fan could need.

The one thing which astounds me about Venom is that their first album (this one) was released in 1981!! This album has been around for over 20 years and I didn't know about it... at least now I can appreciate what I've been missing. The second album "Black Metal" is, in my opinion, not as good as this first offering because it seems somehow a little slowed/toned down. Once I manage to stop listening to this album, I'll write a review for the other one, too.

A good introduction to black metal!, 27 Jan 2007
The first Cradle of Filth album I bought was 'Midian', which I was very impressed by. After reading some reviews I decided to buy 'Cruelty And The Beast'. However, due to a mix up I received this album instead. So I thought "What the hell? I might aswell listen to it!". Little did I know that my taste in music would be changed so dramatically by this album.

The first thing I noticed was the contrast between the production on this album and on Midian. The "wall of sound" on Midian is replaced by a sparse sonic landscape. The guitars are fuzzy, the bass cold, the drums tight; all backed by keyboards, brimming with elegance. The vocals Dani produced on this album are raw, more true to the 'black metal' that was beginning to surface in Norway.

The songs themselves are brutal yet still elegant. Ranging from the harsh 'Princible of Evil Made Flesh' to the dreamy, floating imagery of 'In Secret Love We Drown'. There is something here for most extreme metal fans.
This album does lack the maturity of the ensuing albums but in my opinion contains an energy that the others lack. It is one of my favourite albums and will remain so. I cannot reccomend it more.

If you like this album and wish to experience more black metal then I reccomend 'In The Nightside Eclipse' by Emperor and 'Pure Holocaust' by Immortal. By these albums, you shant regret it.

I love..., 07 Jan 2006
...Dusk and Her Embrace and Cruelty and the Beast, but this will always be the first and the best. Of Mist and Midnight Skies, To Eve the Art of Witchcraft, The Forest Whispers my Name, Summers Dying Fast, Black Goddess Rises, each and every song of this is at once both haunting and ear burningly brutal. I have to agree with the other comments I have read, a completely outstanding album

many have passed but it's still the best, 17 Oct 2003
Take it from a man who has listened to not just all types of metal, but all types of music, intensely, for many many years..... this is one of the best albums you will find.

Up there with Carcass' Necrotism and Anathema's Serenades, if you do not have this album your collection has an almighty gap in it.

Dark and sinister, Cradle at their best!, 12 Jul 2003
This is how Cradle should sound. The aggresion and brutality of this record make it an instant classic, the highlights being:

The Principle Of Evil Made Flesh - True classic. Great riffs, great screaming vocals. Brilliant. Although recorded again for 'Bitter Suites To Succubi', I believe that the rawness of it on this record makes it the classic that it is.

The Forest Whispers My Name - Amazing. A more melodic track, but it's still very brutal in places. Outstanding.

The Black Goddess Rises - The best of them all. Fast, brutal, black metal. A true masterpiece. Originally taken off COF's 'Total F**king Darkness' demo, it has been made a bit more mainstream than it was, but still incredible.

This is COF's best ever record in my opinion. But be careful if you've only heard Cradle's newer stuff, because this is amazingly different.

1 of their best !!!!, 24 Apr 2003
Cradle of filth's first album is definetely 1 of their best. Ever since i first got this album I have been listening to it for ages. Veteran COF fans will notice that Dani's vocals are different-they are more raspy and menacing than his later work. here are a run-down of the songs :

1.Darkness our bride(jugular wedding)= A nice opener but a bit weak as far as COF intros are concerned.
2.The principle of evil made flesh= 1 of the best on here. heavy-as-hell !!
3.The forest whispers my name= a hauntingly good song with a chilling keyboard riff
4.Iscariot= A so-so instrumental but, again, not quite up to regular COF standards
5. The black goddess rises= Another standout track on the album. was later redone on "bitter suites to succubi" and made better but the original is still good
6.One final graven kiss= Absolutely BEAUTIFUL !! the best instrumental on the album
7. A crescendo of passion, bleeding= Brilliantly fast guitar riffage and an interesting mix of tempos throughout the song
8. To eve the art of witchcraft= An intersting song, this one. It starts off mixing organ melodies with thrash guitar riffs and in the middle of the song, the fury breaks down into a sweetly erotic tune...absolutely hypnotic. One of my favs on the album
9. Of mist and midnight skies= A huge organ intro at the start followed by guitars playing, this is perhaps one of the darkest songs on this album, not that the rest arent
10. In secret love we drown= Not a very good instrumental. in my opinion, this is the worst song on the album. its ok but is a bit naff
11. A dream of wolves in the snow= Starts off with a line quoted from Dracula and follows with a slow guitar riff and keyboard tune. This is one of the more melodic songs
12. Summer dying fast= The finishing number. This song has been appropriately put at the end as it is very dramatic and changes a lot during the song

So, overall, id reccommend this album to COF fans and newcomers alike as it contains some mindblowing heavyness and hypnotic, catchy melodies. Doesnt quite compare to cruely and the beast, midian etc. but is better than Bitter suites to succubi.

Buy this NOW !!!!

BATTLE METAL CLASSIC!, 22 Jun 2008
Great 1996 album, with a real medieval feel! Absoluteley, totally heavy with a real focus on battles and the Apocalypse.
Production is strong and it's a full on assault of riffs & drums that batter into submission. Satyr's vocals are brutal, and yet always easy to understand. The album has some of THE best use of keyboards within Black Metal, on classics such as Mother North. And there's plenty of clear, audible bass guitar as well, to back up the insaneley heavy guitar work.
Great drums, fast & heavy, sometimes really tribal from the legend that is Frost.
I defy anyone to put forward a heavier track than Forhekset!
There's lyrics written in both English & the band's native Norwegian. Always dark, violent & up for a fight!
There's also lots of great 'battle/army' style sound fx on such tracks as
The Dawn Of A New Age & Transcendental Requiem Of Slaves. The latter is an instrumental, that sounds ancient & evil.
This is more 'old world' in feel than Now Diabolical, but it's an ESSENTIAL for Black Metal fans.
Very much a Lord Of The Rings/Pathfinder/13th Warrior vibe, and not as satanic as some BM is, more of a pagan/Norse theme. Fans of Immortal or Viking Era Bathory will really like this!


you may like more than you think, 03 Jan 2007
satyricons third album proper is now 11 years old and its influence is again unquestioned,while the leader of symphonic black metal would always be emperor,satyricon brought a fierce and melodic take on the genre that made them recognisable as well to be truthful and nemesis divina is a 42 minute treat of medieval black metal with beauty thrown in,less folky than before this album deserves all the plaudits for containing one of the greatest black metal songs ever in mother north,a truly chilling,haunting,melodic and startling 5 mins of music if ever i have heard.
The title track is also a real belting tune and with one of the greatest drummers in frost as the backbone its no wonder than satyricons are highly regarded as they are,worth checking out on many levels.

Nemesis Divina, 04 Nov 2006
Upon purchasing this album i had only heard the Satyricon album (Now, Diabolical) so i was sceptical as to what to expect given that it is one of their earlier albums and black metal production values can be less than brilliant. Well i am pleased to say that it would seem satyricon do not seem to have been bothered as to what is expected by them in the black metal community. The album is full of rich layers of guitar, fantastic vocals and completely amazing lyrics. Not to mention the outstanding drumming of Frost who i personally believe is the best drummer in black metal. All in all, the band combine use of strong black metal ethics with crisp production values and amazing string arrangements to create one of the most captivating albums i have heard in a long time.

Sublime!, 26 Apr 2003
This is my favourite Satyricon album. The tunes and vocals are brutal, but very complex and melodic at the same time. This album is worth buying for "Mother North" alone - a masterpiece which conveys the powerful image of vikings sailing forth. A clasic of black metal.

Black Metal Hell, 16 Apr 2003
This is by far my favourite album of all time. It combines harsh black metal elements along with melodic and medieval splender. Frost's drumming is spectacular and Satyr's vast musical talent and spot on vocals make this one of the all time classics!

3.5 stars actually - not their best...but pretty good., 02 Mar 2007
It's a bit softer than their other albums, and the songs aren't as fun to listen to either. And the lyrics can be weak at points, but other songs (Guilded C*nt, Nymphetamine Fix, English Fire) make up for that. However, overall, it is not as good as their previous albums or their newest ones. If you're just getting into Cradle, though, this might be a good one to get if you're not accustomed to really thrashy stuff. Then, after this, you can get Thornography and work your way back from Damnation & A Day. So...yeah. This is a good introduction to metal and COF, but if you're already a fan of both, it's got it's strong points and it's (very) weak points...

nymphetimine, 29 Oct 2006
this album is quite good. nyphetimine is obviously like the best song on the album, maybe the bands actual best song. english fire is a cool song aswel.

A Magic Album, 29 Aug 2006
Nyphetamine is probably the best C O F album to date, it's absolutely brilliant. There isn't one track I dislike. Listen out for the echoes on Absinthe with fraust, filthy little secret and mother of abominations, fantastic!
Fans will notice Dani's vocals are a little tamer than usual, but don't let this put you off. A magic album, I want to give it 10/10. C O F can do no wrong

Better Than 'Damnation & A Day', 13 May 2006
Buy this album if your into mainstream metal and 'gothic' music or your a Die Hard CoF fan, but do not get if your expecting black metal...
This album is much better than 'DAD' but is completely different from early releases- cleaner vocals and instruments. It is rather catchy album and is good, but lacking atmosphere and feels a bit empty. Except on the begginning track which brings a gothic feel to it... But that ends once into the 1st track... All the tracks are good, but just amazingly different from the old CoF.
BUY THIS if you want fun, but not if your excpeting something amazing...



WOTS THIS?? MUSIC?! I DONT THINK SO....., 22 Feb 2006
I HATE THIS BAND AND THIS ALBUM. I HAVE SEEN A LIVE SHOW AND IT WAS BORING AS HELL. ALL THEY DID WAS STAND THERE WITH THAT IDIOT SINGER SPOUTING OUT INCOMPREHENSIBLE LYRICS. TAKE MY ADVICE AND STAY AWAY FROM THIS BAND AND ANYTHING RELATED TO IT.

BLACK METAL.........., 31 Jul 2007
Venoms finest moment is here on this fine re-issue of a true classic black metal album. the singer is not good, the guitar is rubbish and the bass is awful but its venom, true metal. easily the best black metal album ever, no competition............CLASS

Black Metal was invented in Newcastle not Norway., 01 Jul 2007
Venom invented black metal, lets get that straight. You coin the term and therefore you decide how it sounds, ok? It doesn't have to sound like Mayhem or whatever to be black metal, because simply put if you invent something then you decide how it sounds. Now all you Marduk fans can sod off, Satanic Judas Priest? Well first of all that sounds absolutely killer... but as simply as I can put it, Venom is black metal and `Black Metal' is one of the all time greatest heavy metal albums.

Fuelled by Newcastle Brown and Stottie cakes Venom proceeded to absolutely kick the metal worlds bottom in 1982 with what frankly can be considered a more refined a approach in contrast to the `washing machine full of bricks' subtly of `Welcome to Hell'. `Black Metal' was probably the heaviest, fastest and most over the top metal about in the early 80's, and not only is it a triumph in extremity but also in terms of song writing, atmosphere and general all round "hail satanic majesty" goodness.

Lets get this out of way, do not expect musical prowess here, there is no shredding. Mantas is not a great technician and some of his solos are sketchy. Abaddon is not a great drummer, do not expect 44/872 time, this isn't Dream Theater. Cronos, however actually is a great vocalist and not many people had this kind of snarling vocal in 1982, so again Venom were ground breaking and as a bassist he does all that's required with a nasty buzzing tone like a less refined Lemmy (not that Lem's tone is refined).

There isn't much doubt in the quality of `Black Metal', all the songs here are metal classics expect `Teachers Pet' which is just a bit of smutty fun, but if your looking for all out satanic malevolent metal you can always skip this one (and probably the whole album as I may have to explain to you if your from Scandinavia, Mainland Europe...or assorted other humourless nations this is all very tongue in cheek you see). `Black Metal' is a lovely piece of speed metal, not too dissimilar from Judas Priest's `Rapid Fire' in places but a whole lot more evil and for further metal brownie points it starts with a chainsaw going through a door. `To Hell and Back' is simplistic, with some lovely filthy pitched harmonic riffs which are quite sludgy due to the fact that this album was in C# tuning and the production is very muddy, it's not the best song here but still fun and oh so metal. `Buried Alive' is a grand achievement in atmosphere and features the rather homemade effect of dirt being heaped upon a microphone to give a certain authenticity. This is seminal Venom, one of the bands best known and best loved songs eschewing speed metal for a slower more menacing pace, it's practically a Venom ballad. `Raise the Dead' is another speedy number with fairly standard NWOBHM riffs, but it's the lyrics which make this one;
`I hear the star of the Necromancer
my blood is black and my heart doth bleed' yes this isn't a Job For a Cowboy album! `Leave me in Hell' is a Venom classic, with yet more great lyrics...Torment? Bestial Sex? If you must Cronos. `Sacrifice' displays a distinct Motörhead influence, not that it's not prevalent in the rest of the album its just this one reminds me of `Over the Top'. `Countess Bathory' would prove highly influential as it's the first metal song (well at least that I've heard of) to deal with the blood countess and a song from which Bathory would take their namesake. It's a corker of a song with some excellent riffs; Mantas is a bit bad at times but he has some awesome riffs. Next up; `Don't Burn the Witch' corker! Best Venom song ever. That almighty heretical riff and Cronos' occult imagery really shines hear. I freaking love lyrics on the occult! `At War with Satan (preview)' is a strange way to end an album, but interesting nonetheless and I suppose it made sense contextually.

Also of note is that on these Venom reissues the bonus tracks are actually worth listening to, which really is a startling rarity. You get some nice radio sessions and killer Venom songs which never actually appeared on albums, singles I believe, remember them?

Looking to drink the vomit of priests? Fancy pulling a dying whore? Giving blood to the beast? Can't find your key to death's door? (have you checked in the plant pots?) Well anyway, here's a album you must own. Buy `Black Metal' and open the seven gates of heck!

This ain't no Bon Jovi album! 666/10!

lay down your soul to the gods rock and roll!!, 21 Jan 2007
BLACK METALL!!! Yes their supposedly best album, but I rate the debut higher, this is still an excellent album and worthy of the legendary 'Black Metal' genre it spawned...

The title track opens up with a chainsaw and is a fantastic piece of fast proto-thrash, from the start you can tell the production values of this album have improved (albeit only slightly), the whole album is slightly less buried in distortion and you can hear Cronos' bass a lot clearer. There are some classics on here such as the 2 part 'Buried alive/raise the dead'(the demo on the debut was slightly better though), but its the fact that Venom have slightly slowed down and produced more menacing songs in the vein of 'In Legue With Satan' that I like about this release.

The last 3 songs rank among my all-time favourate outputs from Venom, Countess Bathory is a dark and slighty gothic song about the legendary Countess who bathed in virgin's blood, the black metal band 'Bathory' even named themselves after this song! 'Don't Burn the witch' is probibly my fave song on the album and one of Mantas' best riffs, again, Slayer took great influence and this woundn't be out of place on their debut! Plus the preview of 'At War with Satan' that takes up 20 minutes of their next album demostrates a better guitar sound than the one on that album. Listening to these and say a more traditional black metal band such as Iuvenes you can tell the beginnings of something new and unique.

The bonus stuff is a somewhat welcome return to the fast (very fast) Venom thats missing from the main album, and there are some really good tunes here, but their all kinda similar and after a while sound very samey. Still, an essential release just for the last 3 tracks of the original album alone, which are all true black metal (the genre) classics.

A History lesson, 02 Dec 2006
One of those albums that you simply must own to be able to join a conversation about rock music. Pure Cult.
Debate still rages about their commitment to the Dark Arts, and their musical ability, but that misses the point. Venom neither take themselves too seriously, not care what you think, so if singing about Satan is what they fancy on a given morning, that is what they will do.
The wall of feedback intro sets the tone of the album, which is a cross between chaos, genius, and uptempo british Heavy Metal. Cronos once described Abbadon's drumming as sounding like he was falling down the stairs, and Cronos himself could be playing anything on his bass for all you can tell. Mantas' guitar is the cement which holds it all together, and the riffs are instant, heavy and enduring.
Don't get too excited about the bonus tracks, although Bloodlust and Die Hard could easily have made their way on to the original album.
This obviously sounds nowhere near as extreme now as it was to ears in 1982, but that it has lasted this long should tell you how good it is.

the one, 24 Oct 2003
this is the album that started it.it gave birth to a new ,dark ,imaginative and violent music.a new genre.
black metal.
because of it ,we got the horrors of mayhem,the epics of emperor and the mysteries of dark throne.plus phil anselmo.
remastered.my favourite are buried alive,with it's scary sound effects ,from inside a casket , countess bathory-you should know her already if you into metal music- and to hell and back.
but teachers pet may tell us something about their credibility,my least favourite, it's about a school boy puberty dreams of his female teacher.but hey ,it's from 1982.
the bonus tracks are from the (friday rock show) sessions,black metal,nightmare,too loud for the crowd and blood lust.plus new versions,bursting out+2,die hard , acid queen and a hounds of hell outake.
do trust phil anselmo's daste,and buy it.

Hellishly Good, 21 Jan 2007
After sampling 'In Legue with Satan' off the great lightnin' to the nations compliaton CD I imediatly bout the first 3 Venom albums and I have to say their debut is the best of the 3 and an absolute classic slab of metal!

Now everyone says Venom are notorious for bad production and they are right, but I have a feeling it was semi-diliberate to try and achieve the heaviest sound they could muster and it pays off, this is a brutal album and must of sounded like pure noise back in 1981(!).

The album opens up on a surprisingly weak song 'Sons of Satan' but dont let that put you off, the title track is a stonecold classic, so much that Iron Maiden completly ripped off the main riff for one of their best songs '2 minutes to midnight', compare it, theres only one note different!

The whole album is chock full of classics, 'Poison' is a tale of sleeping with a hooker riddled with STD's, and the more satanic offerings such as 'Live Like an Angel', the absolute classic 'Witching hour' and the dark shoutout anthem 'In Legue With Satan' are all some of my favorate songs on the album.

The bonus tracks are all extremely invaluable, these hard to find singles and demos are some of Venom's best work such as their first single 'Angel Dust' and various versions of album songs. A particular non-album cut worth mentioning is 'In Nomine Satanas' (which happens to be my favourate song on the album) which is clearly proto-Slayer, that riff is a killer and when you check out some of Slayer's work you can clearly tell they were influenced by Venom.

All in all a classic essential peice of heavy metal history.

could you ask for a more evil album!?, 01 Dec 2005
Evil's the word for Venom. The brutal attack of heavily (and i mean heavily) distorted guitars and quick drums would be good enough for Satan's house band. It's N.W.O.B.H.M at its most raw and it truly does worship at the feet of the devil. 1000 days of sodom, welcome to hell, in league with satan, its full of the classics. My hat goes off the venom for their no holds barred assault. I can't recommend this album enough, its devil worshipping good fun, heavy as you like and rockin hard and fast. BUY IT NOW!

One *hell* of an album..., 08 Aug 2003
Venom almost defy description. A cornerstone of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, but also considered to be a first-generation black metal band, this trio of rowdy Geordies exploded on to the music scene in the early 1980s -- and the word 'exploded' is used advisedly, bearing in mind their love of extravagant pyrotechnics at their stage shows, which they insisted on headlining.

Revered by the 80s rock touchstone Sounds, worshipped across southern Europe (Hellenic fans being especially devoted, I've always found), Venom's technical abilities were stretched to their very limits with each successive release, but this endeared them to their audience as every proto-headbanger imagined themselves playing along to Mantas' screeching guitar lines. High energy, low pretence, classic heavy metal. When the early Motorhead-esque 'Sons of Satan' erupts from your speakers, the mayhem Venom created is evident from the very start and will continue to rattle your cranium until the end of the album, believe me. I'll refrain from calling this album a 'timeless work of genius', but I certainly won't refrain from exhorting you to buy it forthwith!

Finally: this is a wonderful package, as befits an album with one of the coolest album covers of all time. Excellent liner notes with lots of contemporary press clippings (it's quite a chunky booklet), a generous collection of previously hard to find demos, outtakes and bonus tracks, and an attractive spine which forms the first part of the Venom logo. I can't understand the current vogue for wrapping reissues in a cardboard sleeve, however; if you're like me, this goes straight in the bin. Who wants to take this off every time you play the CD?

You could do a lot worse than order their second and third albums at the same time ('Black Metal', 'At War With Satan') and die-hards may want #4, 'Possessed', too but be warned -- the Venom war machine veered violently off the rails after this.

Heads Down!, 21 Mar 2002
Nasty rock anthems with riffs to die for, what a record. Every song a scorcher, a metal classic! 21 Years after its original release "Welcome to Hell" still kicks ass.

Made me realise what I've been missing!, 15 Mar 2002
I bought this album and "Black Metal" from Amazon for a few reasons: 1) I'd bought a lot of metal recently and Venom were recommended by Amazon's automatic system; 2) I was craving yet more things to listen to; 3) The CDs were cheap.

My first reaction was: "How could I have been so unaware of this band?" I had never before heard of Venom and I bought the CDs not knowing what to expect. "Welcome to Hell" is wonderful. The CD is as full as it can get with tracks, although I do think that the extra bonus tracks are mostly unnecessary. My favourite tracks so far are "Welcome to Hell", "Live Like an Angel" and "Sons of Satan". Wonderful, fast, frantic, crunching music. Not really as evil-sounding as the song titles suggest, but they have everything that a metal fan could need.

The one thing which astounds me about Venom is that their first album (this one) was released in 1981!! This album has been around for over 20 years and I didn't know about it... at least now I can appreciate what I've been missing. The second album "Black Metal" is, in my opinion, not as good as this first offering because it seems somehow a little slowed/toned down. Once I manage to stop listening to this album, I'll write a review for the other one, too.

dissapointing, 08 Jan 2008
It seems that this is were things started to go wrong for the band (or right in terms of watering down their sound and appealing to tasteless Ozzfest fans)

After three classic albums (Jester Race, Whoracle, Colony) it seems like In Flames have had enough of being edgy and aggressive and prefer instead to sound sterile and uninspired. For one, the its extremly over produced and hollow sounding. Secondly, Anders vocals changed dramatically. Gone are the harsh throaty roars and screams in favour of a high pitched girly yelp that's more common in emo bands. But all in all the band just seem to crawl along with no real impact. Even the twin guitar melodies have lost their glory. Bullet Ride bored the hell out of me, and while Pinball map is a great song, its one of the few i would listen to more then once. And while Only for the Weak has become a fan favourite, i think this song definitly lives up to its name; WEAK

The only other redeeming feature of this CD for me was Swim, which has magestic riffing and a great chorus

This was really an album that divided In Flames fans. its also the album that broke them through and made them popular among mainstream metal fans. If you ask me it is really boring and completly dissapointing, especially coming after Whoracle and the brilliant Colony. Still, i quess this is much better then the hideous nu metal style of Reroute to Remain and Soudntrack to your Escape.

If you're looking for modern Gothenburg melodic death i'd suggest you check out some of the newer albums by Dark Tranquillity, especially Fiction

Clayman, 01 Oct 2005
From the crackling intro of Bullet Ride to the final note of Another Day in Quicksand this is an excellent album.
The musicianship is sharp and concise which is especially remarkable considering that melodic death metal is amongst the most physically demanding genres on its musicians.
Best songs are probably:
the incredibly pounding Brush the Dust Away with its amazing double bass;
the title track, Clayman;
the slower and subtler Satellites and Astronauts;
the relentless Pinball Map.
An awesome album. One