Live review: Cradle of Filth + DevilDriver at Enmore Theatre, Sydney on Friday, July 11 2026
by PAUL SOUTHWELL
CO-HEADLINE tours can be tricky but with this 2023 tried and tested double bill of Cradle of Filth and DevilDriver, Australian audiences were in for a unique blend of metal sub-genres. Many in the queue were sporting a variety of Cradle of Filth adorned garments, to go with the usual array of gothic inspired attire. The DevilDriver fans, also in abundance, were more inclined to sport pragmatic, circle pit worthy apparel.
The day of the show coincides with the release date of DevilDriver’s eleventh album, Strike and Kill. Cradle of Filth’s most recent release behind this tour is The Screaming of the Valkyries, released early last year. The latter has also endured some rather public slinging matches initiated from ex-personnel, but that was probably furthest from the minds of those in attendance, eager to capture the theatrical onslaught of frontman Dani Filth’s unrelenting performance, backed by an updated band.
As lights dimmed, the DevilDriver faithful kicked off the pit within moments of the band starting up the double opening punch of “Clouds Over California” and “Not All Who Wander Are Lost” being unleashed on the audience. The current lineup of DevilDriver is of course fronted by the effusive, prowling frontman, and overall musical director, Dez Fafara, flanked by the twin guitar virtuoso duo of Alex Lee and Gabe Mangold, with drummer Davier Ortega Perez synchronised with returning bassist Jon Miller.
The odd guitar change for Mangold and Lee saw even heavier riffs, together with higher register soloing excursions, and tradeoffs, whilst Fafara orchestrated many circle pits. His emotive vocal delivery over “Grinfucked” continued into the first couple of DevilDriver album tracks aired this evening, as the pummeling rhythm section and strobed lighting added to the musical intensity. Newest band member, Mangold, employed some subtle wah pedal use but overall, his wide vibrato soloing melded with heavy, fast tremolo picked rhythm passages flawlessly. Only one track from the new album was heard in the set, with new track “Dig Your Own Grave” offering a solid representation of the current DevilDriver sound: a punishing sonic wall, varying in pace, with some fluid guitar soloing interspersed.
The initially atonal and ferocious “Dead in the Water” whipped past at pace, complete with trade-off guitar solos and harmonised parts, followed by the second of three tracks from The Fury of Our Maker’s Hand, the grooving “old-school” “Hold Back the Day”, Fafara holding the microphone in both hands between pacing the stage in circles. “My Night Sky” offered a partial slower paced reprieve, before some debatable healthcare industry opinions from Fafara, to introduce a heartfelt cover of AWOLNATION track “Sail”.
Two more DevilDriver tracks rounded out the tail end of the set, as the band’s logo flashed briefly on the backdrop as “Cry for Me Sky (Eulogy of the Scorned)” and “The Mountain” added both groove and hammering riffs in glorious succession. Having dismissed the concept of an encore as a mark of punk music ethos, DevilDriver’s tight one hour set concluded with a fiery rendition of “End of the Line”.
The audience returned, some notably more ‘refreshed’ than others, which Filth would later address with a quip as the set progressed that Cradle possibly sounds better to drunk listeners. A requisite piano and orchestral introduction over the PA let the band members take up their stage positions, temporarily with their backs to the audience, as phones were held aloft to capture the moment, as opposed to experiencing it. Cradle of Filth opened their crushing set with two of four tracks from their latest album: the barking, barreling yet sometimes melodic “To Live Deliciously” and the driving, falsetto backed, twin guitar power of “Demagoguery”.
Cradle of Filth’s recent personnel dramas meant two new members in the line-up; namely, a new second guitarist in the capable, Flying V-sporting Joff Bailey, who peeled off nimble fingered solos, alongside touring keyboardist and soprano backing vocalist Kelsey Peters. Peters’ bodice and dress attire complemented Dani Filth’s spiked leather stage clothes, all in black, of course, with usual solid boots and his signature corpse paint. Filth’s vocal delivery is generally guttural, but with high pitched shrieks and yelps intertwined. For the uninitiated, it can be hard to decipher however many present seemed able to yell the lyrics back.
The live sound mix was top notch, clear and audible, allowing Donny Burbage’s guitar rhythms and lead playing to soar through the PA, with the bottom end supplied by bassist Daniel Firth sitting perfectly alongside the rapid tom fills and blast beat bursts from Martin ‘Marthus’ Škaroupka.
“Nocturnal Supremacy” saw more drumming and controlled musical chaos that melded into a more direct rhythm figure. The third track played from the new album, “Malignant Perfection” was kicked off with bass and keyboards, soon morphing nto a melodic extreme metal outing that included tremolo picked rhythms, and Filth jumping on the spot as the song’s pace quickened. Gold lighting bounced against windmilling band members, with Burbage’s guitar skills in fine form.
“The Principle of Evil Made Flesh” gave Bailey the soloing spot as he leaned right back at stage-right, as Filth punched the air. As expected, stage diving rapidly increased during the classic material.
“How Many Tears to Nurture a Rose?”, a fast, galloping, gothic tinged, metal guitar filled track from Existence Is Futile was squeezed in, swiftly followed by the operatic, lyrical, keyboard and female vocals rich “Nymphetamine (Fix)”. The fourth track heard from the new album, “White Hellebore” was delivered with symphonic finesse and utmost ferocity.
To round out the main set, “Bathory Aria” was a certain set highlight, combining some theatrical flair, including a blood red shawl adorned by Peters, with the excellent musicianship skills delivered by all members, as the track ebbed and flowed between perfectly executed musical dynamics.
A three-song encore was ushered in by solid white downlights, and some atmospheric smoke. “Gilded Cunt” seemed a vehicle for Filth to utter the obscenity repeatedly with relish, but the musicianship was still evident, and “Cruelty Brought Thee Orchids”, the second track tonight from Cruelty and the Beast was a sensational rendition, with all guitarists standing side by side at stage left, as Filth’s presence and perfected screams drove the track’s delivery. To introduce their final track for the night with Midian classic, “Her Ghost in the Fog” a masked road crew member provided the initial track dialogue as again, Marthus’ drumming prowess shone, with falsetto vocals floating effortlessly against the maelstrom of musical onslaught, guitarists headbanging in unison as Filth belted out his vocal parts.
Seeing Cradle of Filth on a larger stage, made possible by the combined logistics of adding DevilDriver to the bill as co-headliners, was a masterstroke, and it increased the production quality supplied. Cradle of Filth”s flawless 80-minute set was blindingly good, with a good selection of newer tracks, spaced well with legendary and career defining material. DevilDriver provided a solid and surprisingly fitting addition to a Cradle of Filth tour, that should silence any naysayers. As such, there is no denying the talent of Dani Filth and his influence on extreme metal is vast. Tonight’s performance reinforced his passion for Cradle of Filth’s music by delivering a fantastic live show.