The lights go out and I wish I'd gone to church this morning. Cradle of Filth bassist Dave Pybus takes stage with guitarists Paul Allender and James McIlroy. The three of them strike a chord and I can feel that my trip to hell has officially begun. People in the audience are raising their fists and their heads start bobbing like popcorn popping. Lead singer Dani Filth takes the stage and stands on a riser that seems as short as he is, but he can still deliver a powerful punch. With a fury of words machine-gunning out of his mouth, Dani Filth performs lyrics that cover everything from rape to Greek mythology and, of course, demons from hell. The problem with Filth’s lyrics isn't necessarily the content, but trying to figure out what he's actually trying to say.

Filth has mastered the art of deep growling vocal abuse while spouting a tale of England’s medieval history. As a matter of fact, Filth has become so good at his graveling vocals, that perhaps only Cookie Monster could understand what he's trying to say. Cradle of Filth's performance stays true to their recordings; they sound exactly how they do on their album. And, Dani Filth sounds just as intense on CD as he does live. For black metal fans, this was one hell of an amazing show. However, if you've never understood black metal, you might feel lost. But, you can't deny a strong performance when you see one, and Cradle of Filth leaves fans knowing why they've set the bar for English black metal.