aaamusic | On 28, Oct 2012

The Manticore & Other Horrors is the tenth studio album by the extreme metal band, Cradle of Filth.

The tracks on this album have many interesting musical ideas, ranging from riffs to melodies to drum limes, but it just feels a bit too chaotic throughout. The album would be better if the ideas were condensed down into something more coherent. The vocals do seem a bit weak, but are still able to pull off the rough scream singing. The use of screams periodically does unfortunately become a bit stale after a while.

The tracks themselves do sometimes feel like there aren’t much difference between the one before, this could be due to the too many ideas creating the lack of uniqueness, which after a few tracks does make it a bit off-putting. However, each track does have some more unique parts which do keep interest within the track.

Overall, this album is one that is sort of on the fence. The problems with it also have strengths as well in some aspects. For those who are fans of the genre, it is a good addition to your collection, but for those who wouldn’t listen to this music normally it can be a bit of a hard listen.

★★★★★

Rhys Maroney