Hammer of the Witches

Hammer of the Witches is the eleventh studio album by English extreme metal band Cradle of Filth. It was released on 10 July 2015 and is their first release under record label Nuclear Blast. Hammer of the Witches features the band's new line-up following the departure of Paul Allender and James McIlroy, which includes new guitarists Marek 'Ashok' Šmerda and Richard Shaw and new keyboardist and female vocalist Lindsay Schoolcraft.

This article is about a music album. For the historical text, see Malleus Maleficarum.

Hammer of the Witches
Studio album by
Cradle of Filth
Released10 July 2015
RecordedNovember 2014 – May 2015[1]
StudioGrindstone Studios (Suffolk, England)
GenreExtreme metal
Length56:11
68:47 (Deluxe edition)
LabelNuclear Blast
ProducerScott Atkins
Cradle of Filth chronology
The Manticore and Other Horrors
(2012)		 Hammer of the Witches
(2015)		 Cryptoriana – The Seductiveness of Decay
(2017)
Singles from Hammer of the Witches
  1. "Right Wing of the Garden Triptych"
    Released: 13 May 2015
  2. "Blackest Magick in Practice"
    Released: 4 December 2015

Background

Hammer of the Witches is the first Cradle of Filth album since 1998's Cruelty and the Beast to not feature work from longtime guitarist Paul Allender. Work on the album began in early 2014, with frontman Dani emphasizing that the band planned on taking their time with it.[2] In an interview in 2016, Lindsay Schoolcraft stated that she was pleased with the fan-response and that the band had actually finished work on the album quicker than they had expected to.[3]

Cover art

Vocalist Dani Filth stated: "The artwork for Hammer of the Witches was created by Latvian artist Arthur Berzinsh and is a lavish walk-through of the lyricism, drawing on rich renaissance themes and displaying them in beautiful-yet-unsettling scenarios. Half of the detailed pieces are totally original for the release, others are Berzinsh classics cunningly tailored to the themes of the album, which are themes rife with heady witchcraft, be it persecution, retribution or unfettered spiritual liberation. The female form is rampant throughout the artwork, unashamedly displayed in its classical rendition of beauty... and horror."[4]

Release

The first single and video for the track "Right Wing of the Garden Triptych" was released on 14 May 2015.[4][5][6] Hammer of the Witches was released on 10 July.

Reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic75/100[7]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
Consequence of SoundB−[9]
The Guardian[10]
Kerrang![11]
MetalSucks[12]
Record Collector[13]
Sputnikmusic[14]

Hammer of the Witches has received a favourable response from critics, who appreciated its change in direction. It has also received a more positive fan response than previous releases in recent years such as The Manticore and Other Horrors and Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa, with many praising it as the band's best album since Cruelty and the Beast (1998).[15] The Guardian called it "both a joyous nod towards past glories and a significant creative rebirth" and wrote "these are the most vital and incisive songs Dani Filth has conjured from the dark ether in a long time".[10] AllMusic wrote "on their 11th studio album, this unholy horde, forever wrapped in corpse paint, leather, and spikes, look back more than they do forward. And that proves a good thing [...] Hammer of the Witches doesn't reach the heights of Dusk of Her Embrace [sic], but it does offer proof that there is plenty of fire and creativity left in Cradle of Filth."[8]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Dani Filth; all music is composed by Cradle of Filth (Dani Filth, Martin Škaroupka, Daniel Firth, Lindsay Schoolcraft, Richard Shaw, Marek 'Ashok' Šmerda)

No.TitleLength
1."Walpurgis Eve"1:29
2."Yours Immortally..."6:01
3."Enshrined in Crematoria"5:46
4."Deflowering the Maidenhead, Displeasuring the Goddess"6:56
5."Blackest Magick in Practice"6:50
6."The Monstrous Sabbat (Summoning the Coven)"1:51
7."Hammer of the Witches"6:29
8."Right Wing of the Garden Triptych"5:54
9."The Vampyre at My Side"5:45
10."Onward Christian Soldiers"6:59
11."Blooding the Hounds of Hell"2:10
Total length:56:11
Deluxe edition
No.TitleLength
12."King of the Woods"6:17
13."Misericord"6:19
Total length:68:47

Personnel

Credits for Hammer of the Witches adapted from liner notes.[16]

Cradle of Filth

  • Dani Filth – lead vocals, lyrics
  • Richard Shaw – guitars
  • Marek 'Ashok' Šmerda – guitars
  • Daniel Firth – bass
  • Lindsay Schoolcraft – female vocals, harp
  • Martin 'Marthus' Škaroupka – drums, keyboards, orchestrations, score, arrangements

Additional musicians

  • Alexey Aslamas – violin
  • Dalibor Strunc – cimbalom

Production

  • Scott Atkins – production, engineering, mixing, mastering
  • Toni Davey – design
  • Artūrs Bērziņš – cover art, artwork
  • Miloš Makovský – conductor
  • Rob Kimura – layout
  • Sam Scott-Hunter – photography

Charts
Chart (2015) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[17] 28
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[18] 57
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)[19] 5
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[20] 28
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[21] 31
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[22] 38
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[23] 5
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[24] 21
Italian Albums (FIMI)[25] 68
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[26] 46
UK Albums (OCC)[27] 44
US Billboard 200[28] 196
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[29] 76
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[30] 20
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[31] 4
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[32] 9

References
  1. "Cradle Of Filth set studio date for 11th record". TeamRock.com. October 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  2. "Cradle of Filth Begin Writing 11th Studio Album". Loudwire. 2 April 2014.
  3. "Interview with Lindsay Schoolcraft, Cradle of Filth, the Academy, Dublin, March 13th 2016 | Your Online Magazine for Hard Rock and Heavy Metal". 19 March 2016.
  4. "Cradle Of Filth: 'Hammer Of The Witches' Track Listing, Formats Revealed". Blabbermouth.net. 17 April 2013. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  5. "Cradle of Filth Unveil 'Hammer of the Witches' Album Details". Loudwire.com. May 2015. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  6. "Cradle Of Filth reveal track names - Metal Hammer". Metalhammer.teamrock.com. 3 October 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  7. "Reviews for Hammer of the Witches by Cradle of Filth – Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  8. Jurek, Thom. "Hammer of the Witches – Cradle of Filth | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  9. Barry, Sean (14 July 2015). "Cradle of Filth – Hammer of the Witches | Album Reviews | Consequence of Sound". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  10. Lawson, Dom (9 July 2015). "Cradle of Filth: Hammer of the Witches Review – Mischievous and Macabre | Music | The Guardian". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  11. "[Hammer of the Witches review]". Kerrang!: 52. 4 July 2015.
  12. "Cradle of Filth's Hammer of the Witches Reviewed in Latest "Critical Condition" Video". MetalSucks. 19 June 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  13. Pinfold, William. "Hammer of the Witches – Record Collector Magazine". Record Collector. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  14. Spencer, Trey (9 July 2015). "Review: Cradle of Filth – Hammer of the Witches | Sputnikmusic". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  15. "Lindsay Schoolcraft on European Tour, "Hammer of the Witches" & Why DANI FILTH Rocks (2015)". YouTube.
  16. (2015). "Hammer of the Witches liner notes". In Hammer of the Witches [CD booklet]. Nuclear Blast.
  17. "Australiancharts.com – Cradle of Filth – Hammer of the Witches". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  18. "Austriancharts.at – Cradle of Filth – Hammer of the Witches" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  19. "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 30.Týden 2015 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  20. "Ultratop.be – Cradle of Filth – Hammer of the Witches" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  21. "Ultratop.be – Cradle of Filth – Hammer of the Witches" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  22. "Dutchcharts.nl – Cradle of Filth – Hammer of the Witches" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  23. "Cradle of Filth: Hammer of the Witches" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  24. "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2015. 29. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  25. "Italiancharts.com – Cradle of Filth – Hammer of the Witches". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  26. "Swisscharts.com – Cradle of Filth – Hammer of the Witches". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  27. "Cradle of Filth | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  28. "Cradle of Filth Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  29. "Cradle of Filth Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  30. "Cradle of Filth Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  31. "Cradle of Filth Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  32. "Cradle of Filth Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
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