CRADLE OF FILTH Hits the Studio for New Album Featuring Classic Influences and Surprising Collaborations
Keyboardist Zoe Marie Federoff has confirmed that CRADLE OF FILTH is currently in the studio working on their upcoming album. This marks the band’s first record with guitarist Donny Burbage and Federoff herself, who joined the lineup in 2022, replacing guitarist Richard Shaw and keyboardist Anabelle Iratni.
Federoff hinted that the new album will echo the atmospheric tones of CRADLE OF FILTH‘s earlier works like “Dusk And Her Embrace” and “Midian,” harkening back to the late ’90s and early 2000s era of the band’s sound. However, there’s an intriguing twist as well—pop sensation Ed Sheeran is set to make a guest appearance on the album, adding a surprising element to the mix.
“Tired AF, but feeling solid after day one in the studio for the new Cradle Of Filth album,” wrote Federoff.
“I completely agree with Dani‘s take on this being a very Dusk/Midian vibe this go around. These new songs are so fresh, exciting, dynamic and immersive- I can’t say any more except prepare to be blown clean away by a straight up set of bangers. Bloody hell, as they say on this side of the pond.”
CRADLE OF FILTH frontman Dani Filth recently spoke to Poland’s Pełna Kulturka about the status of the band’s next studio album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Well, strangely enough, I begin my vocals tomorrow. We started back in July, but we’ve been so busy. We’ve done loads of summer festivals and we had our annual break for holidays for everybody. Then we did a couple of weeks. So we’ve done all the music.
“Then I was away for 12 weeks on recording in L.A. CRADLE OF FILTH were playing in South America, and then we did a full American tour, co-headlining with DEVILDRIVER, the second part of that. Then I did a couple of more weeks in the studio, getting some ideas down, getting everything ready to sing. And then the producer had a baby. So we haven’t actually been back since November. And then obviously we’re only gonna be doing a couple of weeks ’cause then we go out on the road.
“So the album’s gonna take a bit longer than usual because we’re doing a lot of touring as well. But we’re hoping to release it by the end of the year. It’s gonna be a big record for us. [I’m] very excited about it. At the moment it’s in development stage, so we’re being very creative. I’m staying at home. I just got back from France last week where I was visiting with my girlfriend for New Year’s. And now I’m just alone in my fortress of solitude at home getting all creative and getting all prepared for the album and the tour.”
When asked about the musical direction of CRADLE OF FILTH‘s new material and whether there will be any “surprises” on the record, Dani said: “Well, one of the surprises, obviously, but it’s not so much a surprise is that we’ve got a song that we have [pop superstar] Ed Sheeran guesting on. It’s gonna be on the album. And people have heard it and loved it. But it is what you imagine — it’s CRADLE OF FILTH and it’s Ed Sheeran. It sounds like Ed Sheeran, it sounds like CRADLE OF FILTH. There’s a blast beat in it. I think it’s gonna surprise a lot of people, the album. But it doesn’t necessarily mean the album is commercial.
“It’s a very heavy record. We just upped the game as a band. We moved one step further toward the future from our previous record. We see everything as an evolution, everything as an evolutionary step, everything as a necessary link in the chain. And this album’s gonna be an important record for us — our first for Napalm Records, if you discount, obviously, the live record. But, yeah, we’re very much looking forward to this year. And there’s no rush. We’ve got plenty of shows. But expect the first single probably about September, October time.”
Filth was then asked if he heard Sheeran‘s 2023 collaboration with BRING ME THE HORIZON on a new version of the the song “Bad Habits”, to which Dani replied: “I did hear it, yeah. They decided to do that after we started working [with Ed]. ‘Cause we actually did the song with Ed over a year ago now. And before then, the idea happened off the back of ‘Bad Habits’, the album. So, it’s been about two and a half years, and it’s probably gonna be three and a half years before anybody actually hears the song. But it is what it is.
“Obviously, he’s one of the biggest artists in the world, and we have to kind of abide by his rules because… He’s a lovely guy — don’t get me wrong — but his management, obviously, have his vested interest at heart. And I think this year he’s taking a complete year off. And obviously we want him in the video, so if that’s gonna happen, we have to release that single with him on next year. But that’s not gonna affect the rest of the album.”
Filth originally broke the news about CRADLE OF FILTH potentially working with the 32-year-old singer/songwriter, who is one of the most successful musicians on the planet, during an interview with Kerrang! Radio”Breakfast Show” at the 2021 Bloodstock Open Air festival in the U.K. At the time, Dani said: “I’ve actually been e-mailing with [Ed]… He actually touched base with me. I’ve been invited up to his place. Well, he said he could come down to mine, but I pointed out to him that I don’t own my own bar or village, and it’d be better if I went there.
“He said he’d do anything,” he added. “Quite literally. He said he’s a massive fan. He seems like a genuinely very nice guy actually.”
In April 2023, CRADLE OF FILTH marked a significant milestone with the release of their first live album in over two decades, titled “Trouble And Their Double Lives,” under Napalm Records. This LP, a culmination of CRADLE OF FILTH recordings from 2014 to 2019 at various locations across the USA, Europe, Australia, and more, captures the essence of the band’s “Cryptoriana” world tour and subsequent dates. Scott Atkins at Grindstone Studios handled the production, mixing, and mastering, with Danny B capturing the live recordings. Beyond featuring a collection of CRADLE OF FILTH fan favorites spanning the band’s discography, the album includes two bonus tracks and introduces two entirely new compositions, “She Is A Fire” and “Demon Prince Regent.”
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