Metal Hammer UK recently caught up with Cradle Of Filth frontman Dani Filth for a fan-fuelled Q&A. Following is an excerpt.

Q: What’s the biggest Spinal Tap moment Cradle have ever had onstage?

Dani: "Unfortunately, not many people got to see it, but we were on tour in the States with The 69 Eyes and 3 Inches Of Blood in 2007. We’d been talked into buying a blow-up castle for the stage. I said it sounded like the worst thing ever but they swore it was new technology that looks just like stone. We had it delivered to Anaheim House Of Blues; it was too big for the fucking stage and it looked just like a painted bouncy castle! It looked ridiculous, so much so that Jyrki from 69 Eyes came in hungover, saw it, walked out and thought to himself, ‘Did that really happen?’ So he walked back and by the time he came back in, we’d taken it down! He was convinced it was a dream. It was the complete opposite of the Spinal Tap Stonehenge and probably worse. It makes me angry even thinking about it!"

Q: What’s your opinion on today’s black metal scene?

Dani: "It’s OK. It’s not as complicated as it once was. I think everybody’s branched out and experimented. When the scene first started in 1991-1992, everyone was doing very different things anyway; bands like Necromantia and Moonspell, you didn’t have guitarists, you had three bass players. There were a lot of different styles going on back then and I think now people are doing very much the same thing, but there’s less constraints now. There’s a few bands revising the old style like Immortal, but on the other hand there’s great bands like Alcest doing black shoegaze who I absolutely love. The new Deathspell Omega album is incredible, there’s new bands like Craft who did one of my favourite albums last year, White Noise And Black Metal. The manacles were put on the scene for a long time and the fans demanded it had to be kvlt, which is something we’ve always rebelled against and I’m glad people share that view now."

Check out the complete Q&A here. It was originally published in Metal Hammer #327.

Dani recently checked in with the following update:

"Greetings Fellow Filthlings,

Due to the horrid pandemic roiling all around us, most people have been hit hard financially by the ongoing 'lockdown' scenario and none more close to the collective Cradle family’s hearts than the legendary Crewdle Of Filth, who sit in limbo as the band continue recording their forthcoming new album, with fiends and families of their own to support in these difficult times.

With this in mind, I felt it incumbent upon me to reach out to all of our fans to try and help the crew in any little way possible to survive this crisis. The touring industry is built of self-employed workers, they are with us day-in, day-out making the shows happen and with no concerts or tours happening, well…

I realise it’s a desperate-looking measure, but desperate times clarion-call these demands and therefore I hope, as part of our greater unholy Worldwide alliance, you would consider a small donation to their just and worthy cause. Anything you can muster would be immensely appreciated and thank-you all once again from the turgid depths of our filthy hearts for your understanding.

Click the stink below to contribute if you please!

Bestial wishes in the Era Horrificus..."

To assist the Cradle Of Filth road crew go to this location.