Cruelty and the Beast is a concept album based on the legend of the Hungarian "blood countess" Elizabeth Báthory. The album features guest narration on certain passages by Ingrid Pitt in-character as Báthory, a role she first played in the Hammer film Countess Dracula in 1971.
Recording and production
This was the last Cradle of Filth full-length album to feature guitarist and songwriter Stuart Anstis, keyboardist Lecter and drummer Nicholas Barker. The production and mixing for Cruelty and the Beast has attracted some criticism, particularly for the sound quality of the drumming. Sarah Jezebel Deva revealed on the band's official messageboards: " absolute rubbish. I remember when I first heard it — Dani played it — I walked out with tears in my eyes. I had spent twenty-five hours working in the studio on that album and it sounded like I had my head in a toilet most of my vocals you couldn't hear." After walking out of the room after Dani played it to her, she claimed to have bumped into drummer Nicholas Barker, who also expressed his dissatisfaction.
Release
Released on 5 May 1998 by record label Music for Nations, Cruelty and the Beast reached number 48 in the UK Albums Chart. The album was reissued in a two-disc Special Edition by Kochin 2001 and by The End in 2012. A completely remixed and remastered re-release of the album was planned for its 20th anniversary in late 2018. Producer Scott Atkins confirmed on his Instagram page on October 9, 2018 that the remix had been completed:
"Vinyl test pressings have arrived and all the mixes sent off. It’s been an endeavour. Lots of restoration work needed to be done, noise reduction, hum and hiss, crosstalk and bleed. No additional recording has taken place, myself and Dani wanted it faithful to the original just sonically better. The songs are really killer and finally have some real weight to them, which the original sorely lacked."
The following May, however, Atkins updated that unspecified "legal issues" continued to delay the release. With these issues apparently ironed out, a November 2019 release date for the newly titled Cruelty and the Beast: Remistressed was announced in late August 2019.
Reception
The album ranked tenth in Kerrang!'s list of the top ten "essential black metal" albums in 2000.
