Gorgoroth to tour with Cradle of Filth; no longer Quite so Scary

Gorgoroth (the one with King and Gaahl, not the one with Infernus) recently announced plans for a European tour with Portugal's Moonspell and Greece's Spetic Flesh, beginning in December of this year. It seems like a pretty respectable line-up so far, but England's Cradle of Filth will also be a featured act on the tour. Most people with actual lives probably don't know this, but it is the sworn duty of all proponents of true Black Metal--whatever that may be--to hate Cradle of Filth with a passion. Why is this, you may ask? Largely because Cradle of Filth plays a brand of Gothic pseudo-Black Metal that is highly commercialized, and is loved the world over by overweight Goth kids who like to dress like Brandon Lee in The Crow.

Though it may seem absurd, the hatred for Cradle of Filth among devotees of Black and Death Metal is nevertheless points to one of the pillars of the Extreme Metal philosophy--namely, the dogma that any band that becomes too successful and popular are sell-outs, and therefore must be loathed for commercializing themselves.

Even if we were to set that particular tenet aside, touring with a band so MTV-friendly as Cradle of Filth is certain to damage Gorgoroth's prestige. Gaahl is one of the more enigmatic and intimidating figures in the Black Metal milieu, and not just because of his imposing stature. Does Gorgoroth's touring alongside Danny Filth and company represent an attempt to soften that image? Probably not, but Gaahl and King must have known that their decision to tour with Cradle of Filth would not go over well with many of their fans.

Then again, it has to be said that Gorgoroth is one of the best-known Black Metal acts in the world, and the upcoming tour will likely expand their audience. We may hope, furthermore, that the same tour will lead some Cradle of Filth fans to explore real Black Metal.

Elsewhere on the Gorgoroth front, Infernus continues (unsuccessfully) to try to retain legal rights the Gorgoroth name. Gaahl and King turned down a non-negotiable offer made by Infernus, and the matter is likely to go before the Norwegian courts sometime in June. I can't say I blame Infernus; he was one of the founders of the band, at it is really his brainchild.