 Re: Cradle of Filth vs. Dimmu Borgir
Hmm...
I couldn't stand Cradle for fucking years, until recently when, for some reason, I began to find them a lot more...tolerable, I guess. This is probably going to go down like a lead balloon, but I actually much prefer their newer stuff; I have to admit that I can't listen to albums like 'Cruelty And The Beast' or 'Dusk And Her Embrace' without getting bored and wanting to turn them off.
I do like Dimmu though, I love the changes they've made to their sound since 'For All Tid' came out. I especially liked the idea of 'In Sorte Diaboli' as a concept album. I don't really like 'Spiritual Black Dimensions' all that much, but everything else is pretty good.
Both of these bands have some seriously brilliant musicians, but what disappoints me is that neither Dani nor Shagrath has the most brilliant vocal range, although I guess Dani is probably the more experimental of the two. And then there's their live stage presence. When I saw Cradle a couple of years ago, I don't remember Dani doing much more than trying to rile his audience, and his vocals were a bit of a let down. I've not yet seen Dimmu live unfortunately, but from the DVD footage I've seen, Shagrath doesn't appear to be too passionate about what he does; in fact he seems slightly unenthusiastic, like he can't be bothered. However, it could be a completely different story when I actually do go and see them, so for now I will try to keep a more open mind about that one.
As a rule, I don't think the two sound identical or anything, although I can see why some people do think that. Obviously there's having had the same drummer, and sometimes the vocals can sound quite similar, but to be honest I find that to be the case with only one or two of each band's songs.
As far as selling out goes, they're both guilty, although Cradle obviously for longer; and with regards to whether they are still black metal or not, well, I personally would say that depends on the individual album, even the individual song. But either way, both bands are still perfectly capable of bringing out good music, so I say keep it coming!
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