Cradle of Filth – Trouble and Their Double Lives
With the release of a Live album, you need to make sure that the production of each recording is top notch and that the songs were played spot on, unless there is a planned deviation from the original. Trouble and Their Double Lives, Cradle of Filth’s second Live album ever, since Live Bait for the Dead in 2002, is a compilation of live recordings spanning between 2014 – 2019, which brings you some of your favourite COF tracks live from across the globe.
The song choices for this album are a solid line up of classic Cradle of Filth, although it is missing some of my personal favourites, it’s still a great track list from start to finish. They have included Honey and Sulphur and Death of Love off Godspeed on the Devils Thunder, which I think has some amazing tracks that we never really get to hear live. Promise of Fever, off Damnation and a Day, a stand up heavy track on the Cradle spectrum makes the cut as well, another album I’d love to see more of live. The 11 minute track, Bathory Aria is placed about halfway through the album, such an incredible track and they do it well live.
Trouble and Their Double Lives starts off with one of the latest singles She Is A Fire, which is a new Cradle concoction bringing a great introduction to the next studio albums direction. For those of you who haven’t listened to it yet, it is along similar lines to the last couple of albums writing and production style. There is a cheeky second single halfway through the album Demon Prince Regent, there was a live footage video clip release alongside the album release. This track is incredibly melodic and heavy, another nice mix of a song to give further insight to the new direction. Cradle of Filth have been one of my favourite bands for the last 20 years, I have enjoyed the different approaches to each album, the concepts, the art, some of them have worked and some of them haven’t but it has always been them and I’m excited to hear what they come out with next.
Dani Filth is one of my all-time favourite front men, he wears the mantle well and in the last decade where I have seen them come out to Australia, I have seen him deal with hecklers, stage issues and poor crowd involvement and every time he has managed to turn it around. It’s good to hear some of the stage persona on this album as well as just his vocal work.
Listening to these live tracks brings back all the memories of the past shows I’ve seen. It’s great to reminisce on their shows, Nymphetamine will always make me think of watching a crowd slow dance, multiple couples, hand in hand, in the moment, dancing to gothic metal, I love being in this scene. There are tracks on here that cater to all Cradle of Filth fans, from all or most eras. Go out and get this Live album to tide you over until there is the release of a new studio album!