ROCK N ROLL EXPERIENCE - Cradle of Filth 2/26/09

Christianity, the concept of "God", "Religion", "Life/Death" & the overall question of, "Where do we go from here & Is there a Higher Power?"....those are hot topics that strike fear in the hearts of many confused souls...we're raised to have beliefs & those beliefs are what scares little children & those same little children eventually wind up becoming Fearful Adults who are still carrying that "Fear" of "God" & a "Higher Power"....the timeless question of "Religion" & "Faith" is what made bands like Venom, Bathory, Slayer & Deicide, to name just a few, legendary acts in the genre of being anti-religion in heavy music. Black Sabbath were viewed as "evil" & "Dark" back in their day & John Lennon made us puzzle over his statement in "Imagine", "Imagine there's no heaven?"...the questions concerning "Who Created Us?", "Where Do We Go When We Die?", etc., etc., it's all the trivial matters that truly concern & confuse mankind...that's the exact same theme that a band like Cradle of Filth utilized to make a name for themselves in the music business, & I'll give it to the band, when they first came out, atleast in their own country, they took the world by storm with their looks which borrowed slightly from the Norwegian Death Metal scene, & if you look at it from a USA point of view, that's a look that KISS & Alice Cooper perfected back in the 1970's!

Regardless, Dani Filth & this ever-changing backing band have been at it for many years now, they've cracked the USA market, they are a big deal now in the USA & have done numerous U.S. tours, mostly headlining. The thing is, when Cradle of Filth first came out, they were "shocking", they looked freaky, played music that was new & fresh, & they were something "different"....at this point though, in 2009, they are not as shocking as they once were, the "satanism" elements are....dare I say, vegas-like...Dani isn't scary, he's more like an older man who's sponsored by Hot Topic, & it reminds me of the last tour that Marilyn Manson did in 2008...the "shock" element kinda wears off after the 10+ year point...what was once new, fresh, innovative & provoking will eventually become "Standard" & "Stock". I want to express my point that I am NOT trashing Cradle of Filth or any other bands in this review, I'm just pointing out the quaint elements of "fitting in" & for the longest while, Cradle of Filth were viewed as an enigma who's most infamous shirt proclaimed, "JESUS IS A C _ _ T"....what happened somewhere along the way is that the bands popularity made their elements of "Extreme" become mellow & less than shocking....to put it mildly, if you wanna get rid of something, the best way to do it is to over-expose it, sell it out as a "Brand", then watch it die! If you don't believe me, look at EVERY trend there ever was....what starts off as new, fresh, amazing & interesting will eventually become "Old" by the standards of the sheep.

The venue was very bare when Septic Flesh took the stage...there was a very small gathering of death metal lovers there to absorb the volume that Septic Flesh delivered....the band was interesting, I thought some of their "samples" came off weird, but the band was decent.

What I have to get into next is the crowd. There's a very distinctive difference in the "types" of crowds you get at different styles of music...as far as the death metal crowd goes, It's kinda like going to a comic book convention....it's mostly dudes, there's lotsa REALLY bad hair & when I say "bad hair", I mean un-clean, very dirty, very messy, & the best way I can put it is, not everyone can grow their hair long & have it look good! Then there's the really bad tattoos....I have no idea what some people were thinking when they decided to get some of the ink that they got on their bodies....don't get me wrong, there's good tattoo's & then there's bad tattoo's...the bad ones are the ones that you look at & think, wtf?!? The best way I can sum it all up is, the "Death Metal" crowd is the "Ugly" crowd when you compare all the various styles of metal music...no, not every person in attendance is grotesque, BUT, the male to female ratio DOES put it into perspective when the crowd is 97% male & a few of the "females" might have not been born that way!

Ok, so the 2nd band on the bill was Satyricon & the first thing that struck me about their stage was the mic stand lead singer Satyr had...it looked like something Aqua-Man might have used to summon a pack of guppies or a whale...it was very unique but also kinda goofy to see on a stage where a band was playing extreme metal. Satyricon is the result of Satyr & drummer Frost who write/record ALL of the music you hear on every cd....drummer Frost is the glue that holds the band together...his stage presence is intense, he's a very fit dude & what I kinda laughed at was the fact that other than Dave Navarro, he's the ONLY other guy who I've ever seen walk around after a rock concert, in the crowd, greeting fans, taking pics & signing autographs, all while NOT wearing a shirt...it was obvious he was showing off the six-pack & the chisselled body, but it came off kinda funny if you looked at it for what it was....everyone else in that crowd had winter jackets on, long sleeves...it was the middle of winter for crying out loud, & Frost was walking around shirtless in a sea of dudes! That's why you have to be able to laugh at Death Metal...the bands try to play with such conviction, they try to act so serious, YET, it comes off so goofy when you look at it for what it is! Frost was sporting a belt that had GIANT bullet shells on it & I kid you not, if he wrapped the belt across his chest he could have been a RAMBO impersonator! I did thoroughly enjoy Satyricon's set...it covered all the bases, the band rocked & my point with this review is, Death Metal musicians & even their fans try to be so serious, BUT, it's all so cartoonish & over the top that you can't help but laugh at it!

When I arrived at the venue at my designated time which was 7:15 PM, one of the first people I ran into outside was a make-up-less Dani Filth who was waddling around near the bands bus...I was originally slated to interview Mr. Filth, but I got a message the day of show that Dani's voice was in bad shape & he wanted to preserve it for the show so I would be interviewing another member of the band...my interview ended up being Charles Hedger who is the bands most recent addition on guitars. Charles was a very nice, down to earth guy & the interview I conducted with him went very well....Charles commented that he liked the interview we did, that he enjoyed my questions & that interview is posted at the end of this review, so back to the concert review, Dani & company took the stage around 10 PM...the stage was not the same production as they had the previous year...there was a large video screen that showed various films in the background, while the main stage featured a fallen cross with a skeleton on it & if you looked closely, the skeleton's fingers were giving the metal "Devil horns" & that was something that added the "comical" side to things because you had the members of Cradle of Filth on stage, trying to be scary, yet the outfits, the make-up, even the stage production...it was ANYTHING other than scary!

The bands set was comprised of new & old material...the drum kit was on stage left as opposed to the usual rock show set up that has the drum kit in the center & guitarist Paul Allender, the one with the long black hair....he looks scary & fierce when you see him face to face, yet, when you see him bang his head, the rather large bald spot in the back of his head takes away from his "evil" demeanor! For having vocal issues, Dani sounded as good as he always did/does & I want to stress something here....this review might come off as though I'm trashing Cradle of Filth, the bands fans, or the other bands on this bill...the honest truth is, Death Metal is funny....it's so Spinal Tap that it's insane! Whenever I see people taking things too seriously, the lifestyle "Satanists" would gather more respect if they didn't come off so stereo-typical with the pentagrams, upside down crosses, & their "intense" demeanor....you can convey a belief or a point without being cartoonish....it's the same way Christians come off stereo-typical when they get super preachy about their beliefs....be mellow, have fun, allow everyone to make their own decisions without judgment & the world would be a better place!

I might note too that the venue was not totally packed, BUT it was filled in very nicely by the time Cradle of Filth took the stage!

Ok, so like I stated a few paragraphs back, I had the opportunity to conduct an in-person interview with Charles Hedger who is the blonde guitarist in the band...we did the interview on-board the bands tour bus in the back lounge area...the back lounge was rather filled...there were 2 bra's hanging on one wall, a large blue exercise ball that I was told Paul used to exercise with, the bands stage clothes were scattered about & on the left corner of the lounge hung an odd looking necklace constructed of random bones & numerous chicken feet....Charles let me take a pic of it & I had to include that pic in this interview because it was just so weird looking...Charles admitted to me that he didn't like the item, that a fan had given it to Dani & he was not a fan of the item...I quipped that it reminded me of the "monkey's paw" story & Charles commented that he felt like it had some weird energy that he didn't like. Charles Hedger is an interesting personality...he's not an arrogant rockstar, he comes off very personable, very polite, & my interview with him came off more like 2 guys talking shop than a sterile interview.

Rock N Roll Experience: What is Cradle of Filth doing tour wise for the Summer of 2009?

Charles Hedger: I have no idea..I'm almost certain we'll be doing festivals & that's the way it goes I guess...the offers are starting to come through now, so I guess it's going to be that

Rock N Roll Experience: What did you think of the new Metallica record "Death Magnetic"?

Charles Hedger: I really like it. I mean, I REALLY like it, I think it's great & I was really critical of the last 3 Metallica records, but I really like this new one & I know that alot of people have been slagging it, but I stand by it, I think it's a great album, it could possibly be a little shorter, but other than that, I think it's got some fantastic..some of the best songs they've written for the past 20 years so yeah, I think it's great.

Rock N Roll Experience: I notice there's some bra's hanging up behind you...

Charles Hedger: I don't know who's that is actually...they were both thrown onstage but I don't know who they came from, but we decided we were going to start decorating the bus with them.

Rock N Roll Experience: (I look over to the left corner of the back lounge) Are those real bones hanging up there?

Charles Hedger: Yes they are...chicken's feet...that was given to Dan I think in Atlanta, but yeah...I don't really trust it actually..it makes me a bit nervous

Rock N Roll Experience: Would you ever tour with Marilyn Manson?

Charles Hedger: I think the band has done something, it's before I was involved, I think there was a tour with them, I know that he's (Marilyn Manson) not exactly a fan of Cradle, so I can't imagine him ever seeking us out (laughs)

Rock N Roll Experience: So is the "satanism" actually the real deal with Cradle of Filth or is it like Slayer where it's more imagery?

Charles Hedger: I think it is, as far as the band goes...personally I am very involved in left hand path stuff but that's something I don't normally talk about because I always think that the second you start talking about your beliefs, then they become like a badge & something not sincere, so I keep them to myself, but certainly for me, it's the real deal, but of course, it's got a great shock value if you want to use if for that & it works very well & it suites the music, so....

Rock N Roll Experience: Of course Cradle of Filth has the most shocking shirt of all time though, the "Jesus is a Cunt" shirt.

Charles Hedger: Well yeah, it is & I think that shirt did a huge amount to promote the band & to make the band known world wide...people would buy that shirt having never heard the band just because it is so unbelievably offensive.

Rock N Roll Experience: In a way though, wasn't that kinda bad though, because then you had people wearing your shirt ONLY to shock & they didn't even know who the band was.

Charles Hedger: See, I was wearing it, but I was like 14 when it came out, but I knew the band, so it was different for me, but you know, so what, at the end of the day, if someone buys something of yours, they buy it & it's still promotion...if someone is walking around with your t-shirt on & they don't know what band they are wearing they are still advertising your band so it doesn't really matter on that front...obviously it's nicer when they do know your band, but you can't knock free advertising...that's what t-shirts really are.

Rock N Roll Experience: You know, when the black metal scene started back in Norway years ago, the thing that always scared me was that those bands were actually killing each other!

Charles Hedger: Well, yeah...They were serious people...sincere people with sincere ideas & I think that's always scary...sincerity is terrifying because when you can care about something passionately enough to be willing to kill for it then yeah, that's serious, but I think without those personalities as the forerunners, they would have never survived anyways...it needed that...it's pretty extreme.

Rock N Roll Experience: I think alot of it had to do with the fact that most of them were young kids who hadn't grown up yet & realized....

Charles Hedger: yeah...& I know alot of people back home that I grew up with...we were all into the black metal scene & you could sort of see that they had that potential to go really far into doing something crazy, so, yeah...long nights & cold weather do funny things to you (laughs)

I'd like to thank Amy for all her help setting this piece up & I'd like to say thanks to C.O.F's super cool tour manager for coordinating things the day of show & thx to Charles for a very pleasant interview/chat pre-show...again, I want to point out, I wasn't trashing ANYONE in this review, my intention was simply to point out how funny Death Metal truly is, that whenever anyone acts too serious that it's usually the funniest situation ever & all the bands on this bill delivered the goods, they did their jobs well, the fans walked away content so in the end that's ALL that matters...the fans got what they came for!