Cradle Of Filth – Cruelty And The Beast Remistressed (2019)

December 29, 2020

There is a lot to address with the original mix of Cradle’s Cruelty And The Beast record. The real question however, is whether or not this recent remaster attempt brings out the best of a frequently misunderstood (yet still critically acclaimed classic) record. I have reviewed the music itself in the previous post, so will focus entirely on the remastered elements here in this post.

The first thing I expect everyone is going to notice – and what everyone is going to be looking for – is the drums. After the intro track, “Cruelty Brought Thee Orchids” bursts forth from the speakers with renewed life and vigor, and surprisingly, apart from the enhanced drum sound, which was obviously going to be addressed, the first thing that struck me was the thickened and boosted guitar layers. The stringed instruments are louder in the mix and bolder too.

So: Nick Barker’s drums. Hear me out here. I think in attempt to fix a flimsy and paper-thin mix, it may be that Dani and his engineer have overcompensated. The percussion now sounds too full, and too modern if I could be so bold, for a record this cold and spooky and gothic. Don’t get me wrong, its a fucking pleasure to here every one of Barker’s quickfire hits land with force and actual feeling, but after the initial “woah!” factor this novelty wears thin very quickly. The same fate befell the Mayhem “remaster” of Grand Declaration…. it doesn’t feel so much like a much needed remix and remaster, but an attempt to bring the sound up to date, which will always inevitably fail.

The only thing which remains – seemingly – untouched in my back to back listens is the excellent keyboard lines. I can only hope that this extensive remaster appeals to more recent fans of Cradle and opens this cold masterpiece up to more listeners, but for me (and I never thought I’d say this), give me the original any day of the week.