Peaceville Records has been in the process of re-releasing some very important metal albums for quite some time now, and even though a few belong to bands that were never included in the label’s roster, I was really shocked to see one of these releases belonging to the well-known extreme metal outfit Cradle of Filth. Dani Filth’s band is currently in contract with Roadrunner records and it is no secret that the English noisemakers are considered to be one of the best selling acts of this label in recent years, so how did the Yorkshire-based label manage to put their name on one of Cradle of Filth’s latest releases?

Well, the truth is not as exciting as some of you may think. 'Eleven Burial Masses' is the title of a two disc (CD/DVD) release which combines the main disc of the band’s first ever live album 'Live Bait for the Dead' (Abracadaver, 2002) and the visual representation of the exact same performance that was recorded in the famous 'Rock City' in Nottingham and which was previously released by the underground label Abracadaver (2002) under the name 'Heavy, Left-Handed and Candid'. In other words the fans of Cradle of Filth are given the opportunity to get their hands on one package that contains two of the band’s releases at a reasonable price. That sounds indeed quite intriguing, but what about the quality of these recordings?

I have always been a huge fan of the band’s first two albums but began to loose interest in the outfit the moment the first signs of Rock star attitude became part of the general picture. What the exposure to 'Eleven Burial Masses' did was to rekindle my interest in Cradle of Filth’s music and remind me of how impressive this band comes across in a live environment. To put this in plain words: if you like atmospheric Black Metal in general and Cradle of Filth in particular, there is no reason in my opinion why you should not choose to invest in 'Eleven Burial Masses'.

In terms of material, I was happy to see that 'The Principle of Evil Made Flesh' was represented, not only by the same-titled composition, but also by 'Summer Dying Fast' and 'The Forest Whispers My Name' – the performance of which was among the highlights of the show. The chemistry between the members of this specific line-up was evident not only from the accuracy of their performance, but also by their general stage presence. Dani was trying, in between impressive and highly demanding vocal performances, to get the band’s English fans more involved in the whole process, but he never really managed to connect with them.

There were only a few moments and especially during the performance of the more commercial 'From The Cradle to Enslave' that the fans of the band created the atmosphere that such a good quality performance really deserved and that obviously annoyed Dani who responded from time to time with some really 'interesting' comments. On a more positive note, the band’s decision to perform four songs from the album 'Midian' introduced me to the massive riffs of 'Lord Abortion', the clever arrangements of 'Cthulhu Dawn' and the beautiful melodies of 'Her Ghost in the Fog', thus convincing me of the necessity not only of acquiring the album, but also of keeping an open mind as far as the band’s latest material is concerned.

I always believed that a great live performance depends strictly on a band’s ability to recreate their material on stage, but 'Eleven Burial Masses' is the living proof of the importance of the crowd’s participation in such recordings. Don’t get me wrong – the guys from Cradle of Filth did a great job but I do believe that had the vibe been different that night at 'Rock City', we would not be talking about a four star release, but about yet another classic live album!

****

Review by John Stefanis