Dani Filth, the frontman of Cradle of Filth, addressed criticism about the band’s mainstream ventures in a recent interview with Blabbermouth.
“To be honest, if you’re going to label us, we’re an extreme metal band. At times, we hold extreme viewpoints,” Filth stated. “When I say ‘extreme,’ I don’t mean it relates to politics and racism. We’ve dabbled with the occult; we’ve done the Jesus shirt. We’re not saints, let’s put it that way, by any stretch of the imagination.”
“From the very beginning, I’ve had this vision that if people can embrace films like ‘Nosferatu’, ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’, or the ‘Alien’ franchise — horror movies that millions enjoy — there’s no reason why the majority who think music ends with Taylor Swift and Beyoncé, because that’s all they’re force-fed, can’t open up,” he explained. “I’m talking about the folks who work in delis or on construction sites—they have the radio on, and that’s all they hear.”
“If they heard some of the things that other bands have done, like Dying Fetus or even Metallica, who are entry-level to metal, they might hear it and think, ‘F*cking hell. This is my jam.’ That’s what happened to me when I was a kid. When I heard Slayer in ’85, that was it. I was hooked,” Filth added.
Filth directly confronted criticism about their collaboration with fashion house Vetements. “Then there were Venom, Mercyful Fate, Maiden, Ozzy. That’s how I see music. Sure, you can break into the mainstream. More recently, we had a clothing capsule with Vetements, a massive fashion house. They’re launching a whole range of Cradle stuff. Some people are like, ‘Isn’t that a sell-out?’ I’m like, ‘F*ck off. It’s completely the opposite. It’s not a sell-out at all. It’s something no one else has done.”
“So what? At the end of the day, we’re still a black metal band. When people create demons, they can’t expect them to be neatly locked up in a box with a ribbon on it. They think, ‘Oh my god. You can’t do that. Oh no. You can’t do that. You can’t sell records. You can’t go on the road and do this. You can’t collaborate with a fashion brand.’ We’re like, ‘F*ck off. We’re a black metal band. We do what we want. Don’t complain when we live by our own rules,” he concluded.
The band’s commitment to extreme metal remains strong despite their boundary-pushing ventures.
New Noise Magazine revealed Cradle of Filth’s upcoming co-headlining spot on the Chaos & Carnage 2025 tour with Dying Fetus.
The tour features a powerful lineup of extreme metal acts. Fleshgod Apocalypse, Ne Obliviscaris, Undeath, Vomit Forth, and Corpse Pile will join the headliners.
Metal Underground reported the band’s plans for their fourteenth studio album. ‘The Screaming of the Valkyries’ arrived on March 21, 2025. The album combines both classic and modern elements of the band’s signature sound.
Recent speculation about an Ed Sheeran collaboration appears unfounded. The band’s current collaborative focus remains on their Vetements fashion partnership.
