CRADLE OF FILTH have never been, nor ever claimed to be, a Black Metal band. There, the decade long argument is officially over, we can all move on to what actually matters: the music. Forever catering, it seems, to the 'tween set by virtue of a very campy act, CRADLE OF FILTH have always been, and will forever be, THE BACKSTREET BOYS of Extreme Metal. They are not as "true" as compatriot act DIMMU BORGIR, but they are arguably one of the most consistent and consistently enjoyable groups out there, in spite of their antics or image.

Now onto album number three for the heavyweights Roadrunner Records, "Godspeed On The Devil's Thunder" finds everyone's favorite ghouls (admit it or not) in a rather curious spot. Considering that last outing "Thornography" was nothing to sneer at had it been composed by a wholly different band, it appears that a certain amount of backlash has impacted Dani and company such that this time around, they produce Heavy Metal alchemy of breadth and scope that one would be remiss to attempt to deny its outright majesty. Fan backlash does funny things to bands. They either a) deny their fanbase of sounds that made them popular in the first place, b) try in vain to recapture past glories, or c) split a hole in the planet, reach down into the fiery pits of lore and history (their own and others), and belch up a slimy and bloodied wad of vital, rancorous audio phlegm that is an absolute pleasure to behold. Guess which one CRADLE OF FILTH picked.

Losing none of the lyrical acrobatics that have been a hallmark of all releases, "Godspeed On The Devil's Thunder" is a full-on concept piece chronicling Gilles De Rais. Go read a history book, there is not enough room here to expand on how messed up this man was. In other words, prime Metal lyrical fodder. In order to compliment suitably dark and drab content, CRADLE OF FILTH have crafted music that is the absolute perfect bastard child of previous triumphs "Middian" and "Dusk...And Her Embrace". The compositions are taught like sinew on an animal in the wilderness engaged in a territorial battle, drums crack like thunder from the top of Everest itself, the bass rumbles and broods like an earthquake in an ant hill and the guitars buzz and grind like tectonic plates in upheaval. Also, for the first time in a few years, Dani Filth is in full feral vocal form. From beginning to end, "Godspeed On The Devil's Thunder" embodies everything CRADLE OF FILTH is about. It takes no prisoners and cements the relevancy of the band in the annals of Metal.

Seemingly as a testament to all that CRADLE can do and will do, "Darkness Incarnate" is a prime standout track. The groove near the end of the song will have even the most ardent hater of this band of miscreants at the very least nodding their head in agreement with the shiny, shiny sounds blasting from the speakers. But really, the whole album is portrayed in kind. A fine outing, and once again with Pinhead, umm, I mean Doug Bradley doing voice-overs, you really cannot go wrong. "Godspeed On The Devil's Thunder" is, at its rotten core, flawless. Satan laughing, spreads his wings, indeed.