CRADLE OF FILTH “Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder” Charts #48 on Billboard 200

New York, NY: Cradle of Filth's latest album, Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder, hailed by Metal Maniacs as “some of the heaviest music ever to spawn forth from their blackened souls,” landed in stores recently and notched the number 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 U.S. 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: http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/cradleoffilth/virtualvinyl/. Go ahead. We dare you. You can tell us what you think of the new Cradle album when visiting www.roadrunnerrecords.com/cradleoffilth/godspeed.