Cradle of Filth's third full-length is another slab of uncompromising black metal, a darkly melodramatic opus where the song titles alone ("Cruelty Brought Thee Orchids," "The Twisted Nails of Faith," and "Lustmord and Wargasm [The Lick of Carnivorous Winds]") tell almost the entire story; fans of the genre will embrace Cruelty and the Beast, but the unconverted are likely to find it all rather silly. [The 2001 reissue appended a bonus CD that offered the album version of "Lustmord and Wargasm (The Relicking of Cadaverous Wounds)," a remix of "Twisting Further Nails," and covers of Sodom's "Sodomy and Lust," Iron Maiden's "Hallowed Be Thy Name," and Venom's "Black Metal."] ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide