Lovecraft and Witchhearts

The first CD, Lovecraft, gathers together the grotesque best from the albums Dusk and Her Embrace, the Elizabeth Bathory-inspired Cruelty and the Beast and the Clive Barker-marked Midian, as well as the EP, "From the Cradle to Enslave". It's a grand procession of storming orchestrations, screaming metal and the very highest romance.

The second CD, meanwhile, (Witch Hearts) contains a series of rarities, remixes and covers of tracks by Sabbat, Sodom, Massacre, Slayer and Iron Maiden.

Including a small poster (backed by the lyrics) and a booklet featuring a brief band history and a foreword by singer Dani Filth, the CDs are well-packaged and serve as an excellent introduction to Britain's most purposefully outrageous act. They also reveal a rapid improvement, particularly lyrically, which will surely make Cradle of Filth's major label debut a bleak and bloody masterpiece. Marilyn Manson beware--the really bad boys are coming, and they'll probably start calling you Brian. --Dominic Wills