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Cryptoriana – The Seductiveness of Decay
Cryptoriana – The Seductiveness of Decay
Studio album by Cradle of Filth
Released	22 September 2017
Recorded	December 2016 – April 2017
Studio	Grindstone Studios (Suffolk, England)
Genre	Extreme metal
Length	52:53
Label	Nuclear Blast
Producer	Scott Atkins
Cradle of Filth chronology
Singles from Cryptoriana – The Seductiveness of Decay
	"Heartbreak and Seance"; Released: 11 July 2017; "You Will Know the Lion by His Claw"; Released: 8 August 2017; "Achingly Beautiful"; Released: 15 September 2017;

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	77/100^[4]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[5]

Cryptoriana – The Seductiveness of Decay is the twelfth studio album by English extreme metal band Cradle of Filth. It was released on 22 September 2017 through Nuclear Blast Records.^[3] It is the second and final album to feature Lindsay Schoolcraft on narration before her departure in February 2020.^[6]

Background and promotion

Dani Filth said the album "is deeply infused with Victorian gothic horror and thus the title is a reflection of that. 'Cryptoriana' implies the Victorians' infatuation with the supernatural, the grave and the ghoulish. And the subtitle, 'The Seductiveness of Decay', further cements this attraction to death and the glittering lengthy process of self-annihilation".

The first promotional single, "Heartbreak and Seance", premiered alongside an accompanying music video on 11 July 2017.^[7]

The second single, "You Will Know the Lion by His Claw", premiered together with a lyric music video on 8 August 2017.^[8]

The third single, "Achingly Beautiful", was also released in conjunction with a lyric video on 15 September. Vocalist Dani Filth stated the single "has a very old-school Cradle vibe" and compared it to the song "A Gothic Romance" from the album Dusk and Her Embrace.^[9]

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Exquisite Torments Await..."	2:15
2.	"Heartbreak and Seance"	6:24
3.	"Achingly Beautiful"	7:02
4.	"Wester Vespertine"	7:24
5.	"The Seductiveness of Decay"	7:38
6.	"Vengeful Spirit" (featuring Liv Kristine)	6:00
7.	"You Will Know the Lion by His Claw"	7:22
8.	"Death and the Maiden"	8:48
Total length:		52:53

Digipack, digital and vinyl version
No.	Title	Length
9.	"The Night at Catafalque Manor"	7:31
10.	"Alison Hell" (Annihilator cover)	5:01
Total length:		65:25

Personnel

All information from the album booklet.^[10]

Cradle of Filth

Dani Filth – lead vocals, lyrics
Martin "Marthus" Škaroupka – drums, keyboards, orchestration, choir vocals, score arrangements, choir and soprano arrangements
Daniel Firth – bass
Lindsay Schoolcraft – narration
Richard Shaw – guitars
Marek 'Ashok' Šmerda – guitars

Additional musicians

Liv Kristine – vocals on "Vengeful Spirit"
Linda Nepivodova – choir and alto vocals
Lucie Korinkova – choir, alto and soprano vocals
Petr Janovsky – choir and bass vocals
Vit Starka – choir and bass vocals
Miloš Makovský – choir vocals
Martin Franze – choir and baritone vocals, artistic leader
Dana Toncrová – choir and soprano vocals
Ivan Nepivoda – choir and tenor vocals
Jakub Herzan – choir and tenor vocals

Production

Chris Schäfer – engineering
Arthur Berzinsh – artwork
Scott Atkins – producer, engineering, mixing, mastering
Roman Jez – engineering
Igor Mores – engineering
Flame Hel – photography
Dan Goldsworthy – layout

Charts

Chart (2017)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)^[11]	53
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[12]	20
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[13]	35
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)^[14]	42
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)^[15]	17
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[16]	111
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)^[17]	8
French Albums (SNEP)^[18]	110
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[19]	15
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)^[20]	32
Scottish Albums (OCC)^[21]	31
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[22]	24
UK Albums (OCC)^[23]	50
US Independent Albums (Billboard)^[24]	14
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)^[25]	15