It’s no secret that extreme metal band Cradle Of Filth and pop singer / songwriter Ed Sheeran have been working on a new, as yet untitled original song together, due for release this summer.

Cradle Of Filth frontman Dani Filth recently spoke exclusively with BraveWords scribe Aaron Small about this incredibly unusual, but highly anticipated track.   

BraveWords: You couldn’t pick two more opposite musical entities to pair together – Cradle Of Filth and Ed Sheeran. How did this transpire, and the million-dollar question, what’s it going to sound like?

Dani Filth: “Yeah, it’s great isn’t it. I love the marriage of polar opposites. Well, Ed’s much like me. He’s very much a Suffolk boy; that’s the county in which we live (in The UK). When people question me about why I live here, I say it’s because I spend my life playing big cities, I don’t want to come back to one. I want to have a breath of fresh air. I want to be somewhere where it’s very beautiful, and I can escape. It’s atmospheric. I live in a town, it’s a county town. So, it’s relatively busy, but I can pass – I don’t get hassled too much here. And the same for him. Well, he gets hassled wherever he goes. But he did come over by himself – no security, no management, no hangers-on. Just with a Cradle hoodie on, guitar slung over his shoulder. Once we’d finished all the parts, his acoustic stuff and his vocals, went out for dinner at a local country pub. As you walked in the door, everybody – and it was just full of old people – everybody knew who he was. So, yeah, that’s how it came about. He was promoting his last record, and he happened to mention – cause it was about vampires – that he used to be into Cradle Of Filth and Slipknot growing up, and that he had a near pass / miss with us when he was due to come and do studio work with us, but we changed studios at the last minute; and he decided not to. And he thanked me for it actually. I said, ‘What do you mean? I helped your career?’ By us changing studios, he didn’t get studio work. He said, ‘Yeah. I went to work for Ispwich Borough Council, and f*cking hated it! I literally said, I’m never going to have a proper job in my life.’ And so, he stuck to his music. In a wee twist of fate, not doing music led to him being one of the biggest stars in the world. That’s what I like, the weird juxtaposition. The marriage of extremes. And it’s going to be exactly what you expect to hear. It’s going to sound like Ed Sheeran meets Cradle Of Filth. It’s got acoustic guitar, it’s got Ed Sheeran’s voice, it’s got my voice, and it’s got a blast beat in it.”

BraveWords: It’s going to be very interesting to see how both fan bases will react to this song.

Dani Filth: “Well, we’re doing it for charity as well. Ed’s got a charity; we’ve got a charity. And I think that we’ll also allay some of those novelty fears. Because, when people actually get to hear it, they’ll see that it’s deadly serious. There’s a deadly serious message behind it. And it’s not both of us doing a cover of “Agadoo” (by Black Lace) or something.”

BraveWords: Would you like to elaborate upon those charities?

Dani Filth: “No, no. I’m not even supposed to be speaking about this at the moment. There’s obviously a lot of things that have to be set up in order to get this moving. That all starts once we deliver the track. We said, hold fire until we give you the track. We want everybody to be happy with it. Because, at the moment, Ed knows what the song’s like, but his management doesn’t. God knows what they probably think they’re getting put into their laps at some point or another. So, we said, wait until the track’s finished, we’re really happy with it, all nice and polished. And then take it from there.”

BraveWords: Are you eyeing a July / August release?

Dani Filth: “Hopefully yes. It may be slightly later; it may be September. But yeah, definitely this year, and definitely late summer.”

BraveWords: Will there be a one-off live performance where you and Ed Sheeran are on stage together?

Dani Filth: “I don’t know. There’s talk of lots of things at the moment, but one thing at a time.”

As fans anxiously await the studio follow up to Cradle Of Filth’s 2021 full-length album, Existence Is Futile, the extreme metal legends led by iconic frontman Dani Filth have unleashed a thirst-quencher of epic proportions - their first live album to be released in over 20 years, Trouble And Their Double Lives, set for release on April 28 via Napalm Records.

Recorded between 2015 and 2019 at different performances in the USA, Europe, Australia and beyond during their “Cryptoriana World Tour” and dates following, the album serves as a time-capsule of blisteringly intense live energy, and an astounding testament to Cradle Of Filth’s renowned latest era.

Produced, mixed and mastered by Scott Atkins at Grindstone Studios in Suffolk, England with recording captured by Danny B, the brand new live onslaught not only features a slew of fan favorites encompassing the band’s electrifying discography - such as “Nymphetamine (Fix)”, “Bathory Aria” and “Blackest Magick in Practice” - but also two bonus tracks and two entirely brand new songs, “She Is A Fire” and “Demon Prince Regent”.

Watch the video for the spine-tingling studio track, "She Is A Fire”, below.

Cradle Of Filth mastermind Dani Filth says about the track: "This track and the other original track on this album, 'Demon Prince Regent’, were both written after the recording of Existence Is Futile and present a perfect, but not necessarily related, bridge between our Nuclear Blast days and the forthcoming album on Napalm Records. It was always intended to be a double album, so we just thought, ‘f**k it! Let’s cram some original material on there as well! The absolute worst of both worlds! The song itself is about the epitome of burning passion; the dark inspiration of love and the creature that has ignited it."

The two new studio tracks provide a hefty taste of what’s to come on future Cradle Of Filth studio releases! “She Is A Fire” starts the album with a sinister riff, ominous atmosphere and spine-tingling keys. Dani Filth’s renowned vocal delivery cascades in haunting screams and whispers atop hair-raising guitar leads and unrelenting drums. “Demon Prince Regent” slams in with a wall of sound and grim, blackened guitar leads before reaching a headbanging, bouncing chorus. Dramatic, score-like symphonics encapsulate the melancholic anthem before leading into a speeding solo, proving itself as yet another Cradle Of Filth classic to be.

Make sure to grab your copy of this very special addition to the Cradle Of Filth canon while they last.

Dani Filth adds: "I would say a live record was long overdue, judging by the 20-odd year gap between this and our previous offering! It also serves as a great accompaniment to the forthcoming co-headlining ‘Double Trouble Live’ tour(s) with DEVILDRIVER, and strangely enough is also a notable gap-filler whilst we prepare our debut album for Napalm Records, due for mass excretion in 2024."

Trouble And Their Double Lives will be available in the following formats:

- 2 CD Digisleeve
- 2 LP Gatefold Black Vinyl
- 2 LP Gatefold Silver Vinyl (European retail only)
- 2 LP Gatefold MARBLED Orange Transparent Black w/ Slipmat - Napalm Records Store exclusive (limited to 500 copies)
- 2 LP Gatefold GOLD - Napalm Records Store exclusive (limited to 500 copies)
- Deluxe Boxset (incl Wooden Box, 2 - CD Digisleeve, Patch, Pick tin, Keychain, Earplugs) - Napalm Records Store exclusive (limited to 666 units)
- Digital Album

Pre-order here.

Trouble And Their Double Lives tracklisting:

"She Is A Fire" (new studio track)
"Heaven Torn Asunder"
"Blackest Magick In Practice"
"Honey And Sulphur"
"Nymphetamine (Fix)"
"Born In A Burial Gown"
"Desire In Violent Overture"
"Bathory Aria"
"The Death Of Love" (bonus track)
"Demon Prince Regent" (new studio track)
"Heartbreak And Seance"
"Right Wing Of The Garden Triptych"
"The Promise Of Fever"
"Haunted Shores"
"Gilded Cunt"
"Saffron's Curse"
"Lustmord And Wargasm (The Lick Of Carnivorous Winds)"
"You Will Know The Lion By His Claw" (bonus track)

"She Is A Fire" video:

(Dani Filth photo - James Sharrock)