i wasn't a fan of cradle's third full length from 1998 at first glance. when i got into the band it was around the release of "damnation & a day", after that i listened to "midian" and "bitter suites to succubi" and loved all of these records. then came "cruelty..." and i was surprised at how shitty the sound production was. the drum sound in particular was horrible.
you know those hello kitty drum kits for the kids? it sounded like nicholas barker recorded with such a drum set. back then i had the cd version but sold it over time. when i got into vinyl i missed the chance to get a copy of the last peaceville pressing. while i began to really appreciate the album, second hand prices for vinyl were sky rocketing. 150 bucks is the usual going rate for any pressing.
since there is only an u.k. tape pressing in my possession, i was delighted to see another vinyl pressing for pre-order at nuclear blast. it is a re-mistressed version, specificially re-mastered by the band. they really did the material justice and not just the drum sound is proper now. i rather would like to see the original cover art but the glow-in-the-dark vinyl makes up for that. 300 copies. music for nations. 2019.
