CRADLE OF FILTH's latest album, Godspeed On The Devil's Thunder, landed in stores recently and notched the #48 slot on the Billboard Top 200 chart, the highest chart debut in their storied career.

The band will start 2009 off with a bang, as well, spreading their black metal seed across the US in January, when they return for a headline tour with SATYRICON and SEPTIC FLESH in tow.

Additionally, the band invites fans to remember the good old days of vinyl, when you'd listen to a new album released by one of your metal heroes while spending countless hours leafing through the gatefold sleeve, enjoying the artwork and pouring through the lyrics while immersing yourself in the whole album experience. Ahh, memories! Maybe you are too young to have had such an experience. Perhaps not. Regardless, take our word for it: that was how an album was meant to be enjoyed. Nowadays, releases with many sonic layers are referred to as "headphone records", while during the vinyl days, headphones weren't quite so necessary in order to pick up the nuances of sound.

While the onset of digital music and the changing ways in which consumers interact with musical products has made such an engagement more difficult, the always forward-thinking black metal masters Cradle Of Filth have come up with an ingenious way to replicate some of that lost magic via Virtual Vinyl, which enhances the listening experience through better visuals, access to lyrics (if you can find the embedded Easter Eggs) and has a unique way of capturing the macabre, menacing essence of their latest wickedly delightful effort, Godspeed On The Devil's Thunder.

The Virtual Vinyl also allows the album's stunning, bold and uniquely Cradle'esque artwork to take center stage, as well.

Check it out now at this location. Go ahead. We dare you. You can tell us what you think of the new Cradle album when visiting www.roadrunnerrecords.com/cradleoffilth/godspeed.

The line-up for Cradle Of Filth's upcoming European tour, which has been dubbed The Darkest Tour Filth Fest, will feature GORGOROTH, MOONSPELL, SEPTICFLESH and ASRAI as support.

Confirmed dates are as follows:

December

1 - Forum - London, UK
2 - Bataclan - Paris, France
3 - 013 - Tilburg, Holland
4 - Garage - Saarbrucken, Germany
6 - Z7 - Pratteln, Swizerland
7 - Palanord - Bologna, Italy
8 - Planet Music - Vienna, Austria
9 - Petofi Hall - Budapest, Hungary
11 - Reithalle - Dresden, Germany
12 - CCN Weimarhalle - Weimar, Germany
13 - Hof Ter Loo - Antwerpen, Belgium
14 - Huxleys - Berlin, Germany
16 - Vega - Copenhagen, Denmark
17 - Live Music Hall - Cologne, Germany
18 - Hugenottenhalle - Neu Isenburg, Germany
19 - Backstage - München, Germany
20 - Hyde Park - Osnabruck, Germany

As previously reported, there will be a Cradle Of Filth warm-up show on November 30th at Roadmender in Northampton, UK. More details will be revealed soon.