Cradle of Filth

Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth in 2018. (L–R): Dani Filth, Marek 'Ashok' Šmerda, Lindsay Schoolcraft (background), and Richard Shaw (Daniel Firth is out of frame).
Background information
Origin	Suffolk, England
Genres	Extreme metal
Years active	1991 (1991)–present
Labels	Cacophonous Music for Nations Fierce Mayhem Metal Blade Abracadaver Sony Roadrunner Peaceville Nuclear Blast Napalm Records
Members	Dani Filth Martin 'Marthus' Škaroupka Daniel Firth Marek 'Ashok' Šmerda Donny Burbage Zoe Marie Federoff
Past members	See List of Cradle of Filth members
Website	www.cradleoffilth.com

Cradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved originally from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic metal and other metal genres. Their lyrical themes and imagery are heavily influenced by Gothic literature, poetry, mythology and horror films. The band consists of its founding member, vocalist Dani Filth, drummer Martin 'Marthus' Škaroupka, bassist Daniel Firth, guitarists Marek 'Ashok' Šmerda and Donny Burbage, and keyboardist Zoe Marie Federoff.

The band has broken free from its original niche by courting mainstream publicity. This increased accessibility has brought coverage from the likes of Kerrang! and MTV, along with frequent main stage appearances at major festivals such as Ozzfest, Download and even the mainstream Sziget Festival. They have sometimes been perceived as Satanic by casual observers,^[1] even though their outright lyrical references to Satanism are few and far between; their use of Satanic imagery has arguably always been more for shock value than any seriously held beliefs.^[2]