That Time Cradle Of Filth's Dani Filth Got Arrested At The Vatican: 'It Was Great'

“Last year was the 20th anniversary of the release of Cruelty And The Beast and we decided that a world tour where we play the album front to back was a great way to celebrate one of the most popular albums the band ever did. We’ve been touring all year so far and have done everywhere from Russia and Europe right through to South America.

“The Australian show will essentially be in two parts – first we play the Cruelty And The Beast album in its entirety and then we’ll do a second act that will be ‘best of’ set,” explains frontman Dani Filth.

Of course, it wouldn’t be Cradle Of Filth if there wasn’t some drama involved. Originally the tour was meant to support a completely remixed and remastered release of the album with adjusted artwork and a glistening new sound to replace the muddy original. But as Filth explains, the ghosts of past members kept getting in the way.

“I was never completely happy with the sound of Cruelty, especially the drum sound, which was a bit shit, so we took the 20th anniversary as an opportunity to remix it and improve the listening experience for fans. We literally picked the album apart and rebuilt it again being careful not to jeopardise the original atmosphere of the recording. Unfortunately, when we’d finished all this Sony announced that they hadn’t checked with past members to check that it was ok to release it and a few of them – one in particular – got very difficult about it. So it’s been held up in legal hell, but hopefully it will be out sometime this year.”

Gripes about the original sound aside, Cruelty And The Beast has long been considered a landmark release for the band and instrumental in their climb to the top of the black metal tree.

“The album was a labour of love that took a long time to write and it really propelled the band into the upper echelons of the rock market,” he explains. “We were taken much more seriously and got a lot of offers to tour – we went to so many places for the first time, including our first proper tour of America and we even got arrested at the Vatican – it was great.”

As a concept album, Cruelty And The Beast also lends itself to a ‘start to finish’ rendition. Of course, its theme is suitably macabre. “The album tells the story of Elizabeth Báthory, who was an infamous Hungarian noblewoman who supposedly tortured and mutilated lots of young women. Her life is shrouded in a lot of mythology and while there is some factual information in how we tell the story, I also played a lot with artistic license because I wanted to make sure that the album was cinematic – a dark fairy tale or fable if you will.”

Asked for memories from the recording sessions and Filth enthusiastically remembers a special guest who would go on to be an integral part of the process.

“I still remember being so excited when Ingrid Pitt turned up to play the voice of the countess because she’d done so much as a hammer horror starlet and she was even in The Wicker Man. I also remember really worrying about my vocals turning out ok. To get over this I drank a whole bottle of port on the first day of recording, which worked but gave me a fucker of a hangover the next day," he laughs.

Filth is reticent to name key songs from the album given Cruelty And The Beast’s conceptual nature but he does note the importance of the three-part 11-minute epic Bathory Aria.    

“Bathory Aria serves as the pinnacle of the record. It’s an important part of the story where the character comes under scrutiny for her crimes. There’s a big masked ball and she knows that the end is coming. She tries to escape but, as legend has it, she is captured, tortured and imprisoned.”

“Looking back, this album was not only a clear progression for us but a new period in the band’s development,” concludes Filth. “It was faster, more ornate, more cinematic, and the first real album written by that line-up. It’s definitely an important milestone that stands up even today.”