Line-up: Dani Filth (vocals), Paul Ryan (guitar), Ben Ryan (keyboard), Paul Allender (guitar), Nick Barker (drums), Jon Kennedy (bass). Robin Graves didn’t play bass for it, because he was working on his own project December Moon.

However, the band got into a legal dispute with their label Cacophonous. This became a lengthy court-case that lasted for the best part of a year. The agreement was eventually settled: Cradle would release another record on Cacophonous, V Empire, who would then cease the dispute. Next: half of the band gone, partly due to the fact that they could not see a foreseeable end to the dispute. The Ryan brothers and Paul Allender left the band to form The Blood Divine. Jon Kennedy went to Hecate Enthroned. Stuart and Damien were recruited to join the band during the Autumn and Robin came back after a few months.

V Empire, who’s material was already written, except She Mourns A Lenghtening Shadow – played by Keith Appleton, owner of Academy studios, was recorded in and around Christmas ’95/96 at said studio in Dewsbury, Yorkshire.

Line-up: Dani Filth (vocals), Stuart Anstis (guitar), Damien Gregori (keyboard), Nick Barker (drums), Robin Graves (bass). Jared Demeter is a fictional character (picture of Robin and Stuart mixed). Nocturnal Supremacy and Queen of Winter, Throned were scrapped from Dusk and put onto the V Empire EP. Jon had a hand in writing little for QoWT as well, which was revised, the song previously being known as A Deep Red Winter At War.

Cradle of Filth won the right to re-record Dusk And Her Embrace for a release through Music For Nations, although the intended record label wasn't known at the time. Gian Pyres joined the band, though did not play on the album, merely appearing on the album photos.

This is the Dusk we know. The original drum tracks recorded for the ’95 version were used for most of the album as well as Cronos' spoken words, the rest was all re-recorded. New instrumentals were written by Damien Gregori, as well as Malice Through The Looking Glass, which is the only Dusk-track written by the new line-up: Dani Filth (vocals), Stuart Anstis (guitar), Damien Gregori (keyboard), Gian Pyres (guitar), Nick Barker (drums), Robin Graves (bass).

Dusk And Her Embrace - The Original Sin
Fast-forward to 2016. After re-releasing Total Fucking Darkness, Dani and Frater Nihil revisited other old and unreleased material by the band. They decided to release the Dusk '95 recording, something that Dani's wanted for a long time. Scott Atkins remastered the DAT-tapes of the recording. So it's basically a remaster of an unreleased recording.

Why isn't Queen of Winter, Throned on Dusk (ToSin)?
Nihil: "Dani is sure that Queen was recorded at the Dusk sessions, but it isn't on the DAT tape, and he can't remember why. I wish I knew what happened. Whether it was written in the studio but not recorded...I don't know for sure."

So, what are the major differences between Dusk (ToSin) and Dusk (MFN)?
First of all the line-up, obviously.
Secondly, the instrumentals were different. Sarah told me years ago that Ben’s instrumentals for Dusk (ToSin) were among the best the band has ever recorded.
Thirdly, the tracklist.
Dusk (ToSin):
Macabre, This Banquet (renamed at the remaster, formerly: Castle Pendle Witch)
Nocturnal Supremacy
Heaven Torn Asunder
Dusk And Her Embrace
A Gothic Romance
The Graveyard By Moonlight
Funeral In Carpathia
Beauty Slept In Sodom
The Haunted Shores Of Avalon
Carmilla’s Masque
[A Gothic Romance (Bonus-Demotrack)
Nocturnal Supremacy (Bonus-Demotrack)]

Dusk (MFN):
Humana inspired to nightmare
Heaven torn asunder
Funeral in Carpathia
A gothic romance
[Nocturnal supremacy ’96)]
Malice through the looking glass
Dusk and her embrace
The graveyard by moonlight
Beauty slept in Sodom
Haunted Shores

Of the various questions asked about the older release, here are answers to two of the most prominent...

The album does have female vocals, by Sarah Jezebel Deva and Danielle 'Cneajna' Cottington.The album is a lot rawer and 'black metal' in sound, especially the vocals and possesses a 'spirit of the underground' vibe.

Cacophonous: http://cutt.us/DuskCD
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1WTxU8u
iTunes: http://apple.co/1XIAvkQ