The definitive guide to the dark side.
The most realized band in the Black Metal realm... Cradle of Filth always create with an intelligence and self-awareness that reveals a great art.
- Rolling Stone magazine
Black Metal was the most vibrant and volatile force on the musical underground in the 1990s. It exploded into worldwide infamy with a violent spree of suicide, church-burning, and murder. Foremost among those who rode this infernal whirlwind were the British band Cradle of Filth, who transcended the genre's cult boundaries - and their own brushes with the law - to grace the covers of countless Metal magazines and sell hundreds of thousands of albums. All without compromising their unique vision, which artfully combines Hammer horror style schlock, dripping with eroticism, backed by an authentic interest in the Black Arts and a wicked sense of humour. Cradle mastered the Gothic aesthetic's evocative marriage of sex and death, with an ethos which is both tempting and terrifying. The impish wit of Cradle's eponymous singer and lyricist Dani Filth completes the decadent package. In The Gospel of Filth he collaborates with acclaimed author and internationally lauded occult expert Gavin Baddeley to lift the lid on the world's most controversial Metal band.
Baddeley is the patron saint of Gothic journalism.
- The Journal of Popular Culture
Cradle of Filth are not only titans of the vibrant black metal underground, but hugely successful recording artists whose sales figures eclipse those of many household names. Significantly, the band's success rests not only upon their musical abilities, but also the literate quality of their lyrics - which evoke Gothic figures like Byron and de Sade - and Cradle's peerless visuals, which have become works of art in their own right. Combining formidable arsenals of contacts, Baddeley and Filth have assembled a list of contributors and interviewees for this book - from actor Christopher Lee and Satanist Anton LaVey, to serial killer expert Robert Ressler and necrophile Karen Greenlee - that will dazzle devoted disciples of darkness while drawing many novices and newcomers into the Filth fold.
Gavin Baddeley is a sharp cookie.
- Anton LaVey, 'The Black Pope'
The Gospel of Filth dissects the Satanic sources that have influenced and informed Cradle of Filth over the past decade, in the process providing a roadmap to every significant landmark in the domains of darkness. From the arcane secrets of Black Magic, via the sex rites of vampirism, to modern horrors such as the serial killer cult, the author lays bare the fascinating underworld of contemporary culture. Meanwhile, Mr Filth himself applies his considerable wit to these kindred topics, adding his own anecdotes and experiences to this already heady brew.
Table of Contents
1. 'Invoking the Unclean'
Esoteric England
Cradle of Filth is distinguished by their roots in the genre's English birthplace, roots that have coloured Cradle's attitude, appeal and approach throughout their career.
2. 'Goetia'
The Black Arts
Black Magic forms the central theme of Cradle of Filth's image and lyrics. But just how much of it is image, and how much a serious dedication to the dark arts?
3. 'The Principle of Evil Made Flesh'
The Femme Fatale
The imagery that dominated Cradle of Filth's debut, and has continued to do so ever since, is that of the lethally lovely goddess, as deadly as she is desirable.
4. 'V Empire: Dark Fairy Tales in Phallustein'
Fun and Fear
Fairy stories are the direct ancestors of the modern horror genre, and the same puckish blend of fear and fun that lies behind the common childhood delight in the monstrous and macabre, informs Cradle of Filth's impish sense of humour.
5. 'Dusk... and Her Embrace'
Gothic Romanticism
Another vital element in Cradle's black metal cocktail was a liberal dash of Gothic Romanticism, which helped distinguish them from the competition.
6. 'Cruelty and the Beast'
The Mythology of Murder
Serial murder has exerted a growing, fatal fascination over us over the past few decades, so perhaps it is inevitable that the phenomenon has become a feature in Cradle's lyrical chamber of horrors.
7. 'Midian'
Tales of Terror
The name 'Midian' is borrowed from horror legend Clive Barker, though this is far from the only time Cradle have made reference to horror film and fiction.
8. 'Bitter Suites to Succubi'
Deviance and Desire
There can be few better symbols for the sinful side of Cradle than the succubus, a ravishing yet rapacious demon who rides the innocent while they sleep.
9. 'Damnation and a Day'
Demonic Doctrines
It was perhaps inevitable that Cradle would eventually record an album devoted to black metal's patron, the Prince of Darkness.
10. 'Nymphetamine'
Oblivion
Just what is it about the dark side that appeals? What is it that draws Dani, Cradle of Filth, and so many of us towards things that things that we know will harm, even ultimately destroy us?
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