Cradle of Filth's Lilith Immaculate Video

Greetings Almighty Legions,

I am very pleased to announce the release of the official video of what I consider the best song of Cradle of Filth's Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa:  Lilith Immaculate. But before I go on praising this tune, I have to over emphasize my disappointment with the video. As I have stated several times in this humble blog, I refuse to give up my appreciation for COF; and yet, they continuously fail to meet my expectations. I know I am certainly not alone in this matter.

After I heard that they had released the video for Lilith Immaculate, I can't quite describe what I experienced at that exact moment in time. It was a mixture of happiness, excitement, surprise, nostalgia, and many other feelings mixed into one body (that is indeed a lot to encounter in one moment alone, but I hope I was able to draw the picture). As I proceeded to watch the video, I simply could not stop thinking about how the band has changed (I do not dare to use the term evolved, as my views on the matter may not necessarily contribute in a positive way to the admiration of their musical advancements and the direction they have chosen to take on), particularly in terms of popularity. Then, I went through a few  flashbacks from the glorious times of The Principle of Evil Made Flesh, Cruelty and the Beast, and even Midian. Oh those marvelous memories that will not come back, where COF's videos were the epiphany of darkness and eeriness with a touch of Simon Marsden. There was From Cradle to Enslave: so potent, so direct, so aggressive. What a classic! And then... painful memories haunted me worse than a bad LSD trip. I remembered their recently released Forgive me Father (I have sinned) and my dreams of triumphant times shattered. This face describes that: 
.

I am about to start ranting, so let's get things clear: I understand that once a band makes it into the mainstream scene, they need to stick to whatever is it that makes the moola, otherwise they are at risk of losing that "it" factor and become dust in the wind... On that note, forget passion and dedication and say welcome to decadence and to living like a legendary Rockstar, as long as you are willing to produce whatever sells . I certainly wouldn't mind living such, but you cannot simply forget where you came from, otherwise the essence of what made you larger than life will vanish, and so will the cash, period. Thus, COF's latest work reflects exactly how fame has ruined a perfectly unique band and turn it into what it is now. COF was never your-neighbors'-obscure-garage-band project. I mean, look at their previous line up: Gian Pyers, Darren White, freakin'  Nicholas Barker, and Andrea Meyer (or Haugen or Nebelhexe...) among others; not to mention Paul Allender, Dave Pybus, Sarah Jezebel Deva, and even D.F. himself.   I remember their theatrical performances, for the sake of Gothic ambiance, and so forth, but now it is getting a bit too ridiculous. 


I am certainly not enjoying their videos in HD, as I feel that instead of looking omnipotent, it makes them look absurd, and rather comical.  Forget singing about Satan, when you look like a possessed life-size Muppet, dressed like the Crow. Enough of anger, here is the video so that you can draw your own conclusions.





 And still, even though I have just brutally criticized them, I am not ashamed to admit that I still follow them, I buy their albums and go to their shows. You may ask why, and even if you don't, I don't mind telling you. It is because of songs like Lilith Immaculate that I still see what made me like them in the first place. It may not be From Cradle to Enslave or even that beautiful cover of Hallowed be Thy name, but it is work that has been well-put together. So, I keep on hoping, and hoping, and hoping... that my admiration will not vanish. 


-Stay Metal-
Fraulein Andrea MMXI