CRADLE OF FILTH Blackbraid Worm Black Satellite SUBSTATION Seattle, WA October 4, 2026 REVIEW
CRADLE OF FILTH
Blackbraid
Worm
Black Satellite
Substation Seattle
Seattle, WA
October 4, 2026
The 30th Anniversary of Cradle of Filth’s seminal second album, “Dusk…and Her Embrace” was celebrated on Sunday evening in Seattle at the Substation. This album has a special meaning to me as it was not only my first experience with Cradle of Filth but it opened up a whole new word to the various subgenres of the underground (and not so underground) metal scene back in 1997 (for me - the album came out in 1996).
The last time I covered the band was in 2023 (I had previously covered them in 2022 and 2016). So, the lineup was different from the last time I saw them and they had since released another studio album in 2025.
The five members of the band walked onto the stage before founding member/vocalist Dani Filth entered last before launching into, “To Live Deliciously”.
I’ve said it before but Cradle of Filth has been a formidable live act for a number of years now. They are a hard hitting, professional extreme metal band. What I noticed this time was that there seemed to be a bit less background tracks (such as extra keyboard tracks) than in the past. The band seemed even more live than before with every instrument clearly coming through the mix. This was a very nice change of pace (if I have the information right that is).
Being the 30th Anniversary of “Dusk…and Her Embrace” they ripped into four tracks from the album which I was more than satisfied with. Those songs bring me back to spinning the CD over and over again. If my copy had been vinyl, I literally would have worn the grooves out of my CD. It’s one of my favorite metal releases ever.
The set finished with a three song encore, the last tune being “Her Ghost In The Fog” from Midian.
The crowd and the mosh-pit had a great time on Sunday evening in Seattle. Cradle of Filth continue to bring their best to the stage and show no signs of slowing down.
*
The show was opened by Black Satellite. I first heard of the band when their (then) tour bus driver Ed Craig mentioned them to me. I saw the band, also with Cradle of Filth, back in 2023. I liked what I heard back then and in 2026 it was no different. They have a style of rock/metal that draws from many different influences. This can be a blessing and a curse when on tour. On one hand, they can fit in with most metal bills in general. On the other hand, if the bill is very style specific, like it was on Sunday night, they will not fit in as well with the other bands.
They were tight and professional, with an energy to match. They received a good reaction from the crowd which is telling for sure. They got up there, killed it, and then got off stage to keep things on track. Ending their set with a recently released Depeche Mode cover was an interesting choice - sounded great - but again it shows their diversity as a rock/metal band that may or may not work with any given heavy music audience. In Seattle, it worked.
*
Worm was up next and they have gained quite a following due to the KEXP live session they released not that long ago this year. Ironically the KEXP host was standing next to me during part of the evening.
Shrouded in darkness with an overdose of fog and backlighting, the band sounded powerful. As it is with some black metal bands, you couldn’t really see them. It was more about creating an atmosphere for the next thirty minutes which is exactly what they did. I was impressed.
*
In the special guest slot taking over for the Visa-less Moonspell, Blackbraid took the stage and totally overwhelmed the Substation. I was one of the early supporters of the project/band by buying the CD and tshirt bundle of the first release. I was very interested to see how they sounded live as their reputation somewhat preceded them in Seattle.
It was raw, indigenous, extreme metal and the crowd went nuts. I saw plenty of Blackbraid shirts in the audience and the mosh-pit never really let up. Black metal purists will have their opinions of the band but all I can say is they tore Seattle a new one and I was left drained and wanting more. The best sign from any metal performance. Great stuff!
Thank you to all four bands for a sweaty night of ear splitting metal.
Best,
Mark Sugiyama
Eclectic Arts Media
Connect with Eclectic Arts Media: Social Media and Email Links
Blackbraid
Worm
Black Satellite
Substation Seattle
Seattle, WA
October 4, 2026
The 30th Anniversary of Cradle of Filth’s seminal second album, “Dusk…and Her Embrace” was celebrated on Sunday evening in Seattle at the Substation. This album has a special meaning to me as it was not only my first experience with Cradle of Filth but it opened up a whole new word to the various subgenres of the underground (and not so underground) metal scene back in 1997 (for me - the album came out in 1996).
The last time I covered the band was in 2023 (I had previously covered them in 2022 and 2016). So, the lineup was different from the last time I saw them and they had since released another studio album in 2025.
The five members of the band walked onto the stage before founding member/vocalist Dani Filth entered last before launching into, “To Live Deliciously”.
I’ve said it before but Cradle of Filth has been a formidable live act for a number of years now. They are a hard hitting, professional extreme metal band. What I noticed this time was that there seemed to be a bit less background tracks (such as extra keyboard tracks) than in the past. The band seemed even more live than before with every instrument clearly coming through the mix. This was a very nice change of pace (if I have the information right that is).
Being the 30th Anniversary of “Dusk…and Her Embrace” they ripped into four tracks from the album which I was more than satisfied with. Those songs bring me back to spinning the CD over and over again. If my copy had been vinyl, I literally would have worn the grooves out of my CD. It’s one of my favorite metal releases ever.
The set finished with a three song encore, the last tune being “Her Ghost In The Fog” from Midian.
The crowd and the mosh-pit had a great time on Sunday evening in Seattle. Cradle of Filth continue to bring their best to the stage and show no signs of slowing down.
*
The show was opened by Black Satellite. I first heard of the band when their (then) tour bus driver Ed Craig mentioned them to me. I saw the band, also with Cradle of Filth, back in 2023. I liked what I heard back then and in 2026 it was no different. They have a style of rock/metal that draws from many different influences. This can be a blessing and a curse when on tour. On one hand, they can fit in with most metal bills in general. On the other hand, if the bill is very style specific, like it was on Sunday night, they will not fit in as well with the other bands.
They were tight and professional, with an energy to match. They received a good reaction from the crowd which is telling for sure. They got up there, killed it, and then got off stage to keep things on track. Ending their set with a recently released Depeche Mode cover was an interesting choice - sounded great - but again it shows their diversity as a rock/metal band that may or may not work with any given heavy music audience. In Seattle, it worked.
*
Worm was up next and they have gained quite a following due to the KEXP live session they released not that long ago this year. Ironically the KEXP host was standing next to me during part of the evening.
Shrouded in darkness with an overdose of fog and backlighting, the band sounded powerful. As it is with some black metal bands, you couldn’t really see them. It was more about creating an atmosphere for the next thirty minutes which is exactly what they did. I was impressed.
*
In the special guest slot taking over for the Visa-less Moonspell, Blackbraid took the stage and totally overwhelmed the Substation. I was one of the early supporters of the project/band by buying the CD and tshirt bundle of the first release. I was very interested to see how they sounded live as their reputation somewhat preceded them in Seattle.
It was raw, indigenous, extreme metal and the crowd went nuts. I saw plenty of Blackbraid shirts in the audience and the mosh-pit never really let up. Black metal purists will have their opinions of the band but all I can say is they tore Seattle a new one and I was left drained and wanting more. The best sign from any metal performance. Great stuff!
Thank you to all four bands for a sweaty night of ear splitting metal.
Best,
Mark Sugiyama
Eclectic Arts Media
Connect with Eclectic Arts Media: Social Media and Email Links
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