10 Obscure And Rare Hard Rock & Metal Albums

10. Cradle Of Filth - Total F*cking Darkness (2014)

Strictly speaking, extreme metal legends Cradle Of Filth’s 2014 release wasn’t a new album, but a special event: an expanded, remastered commercial release of the third of their original demos from 1993, which until that point had only existed on cassette tape EP, and possibly in the fever dreams of their fanatical fanbase.

To further whet the appetite, the now long-playing record didn’t just feature newly-polished tracks from the original demo, but Splattered In Faeces, the only surviving song from the band’s notorious lost debut album Goetia, which had been erased before release when the indie label that foolishly summoned it into being went out of business.

An obvious treat for diehards and fans of their earlier sound, Total F*cking Darkness holds up surprisingly well as an album even without the context of its release. Even repackaged old school Cradle Of Filth is recognisably Cradle Of Filth.

Released on CD and on limited edition gatefold vinyl, the release finally allowed fans who’d had to rely on ropey 10th generation copies of the EP to hear the tracks properly for the first time.