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May 17, 2012 |
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By Marty Ogilvie
March 17, 2005
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01. World Of Plague
02. Death To Planet Earth
03. (Desolation) Death
04. Kill Everything
05. Ultimate Satan
06. Past, Present, Dead
07. Total Soul Rape
08. Vile
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What can you say about a band that have such song titles as "Death To Planet Earth" or "Kill Everything" on their new release, entitled "Total Soul Rape", other than that they probably possess just a few misanthropic tendencies. Now, I don't know about you, but I'm really starting to find this "I'm evil and everyone should die" attitude a little tiring. I mean, really, it's been done over and over, and it's been done by some truly talented musicians. So why do we need more of this attitude? Why is it that a lot of new bands are simply copying a tried and true formula? Where is the risk taking? Why aren't these particular bands trying to do something new and fresh? Copying the originals means you're nothing more than a cover band, and the black metal genre is spawning far too many bands that just aren't taking chances - REAL chances. Power metal has seen some really fresh talent as of late, and now it's time for the black metal genre to see the same sort of changes happen.
Ok, so there's my little tirade. Let's hope it does some good.
There's not much information given about the band CRAFT in their cd booklet, other than the band member name, Daniel - drums, Björn - session vocals, Mikael - lead vocals, John - lead and rhythm guitar, Joakim - rhythm guitar and session bass (I'm not sure what the difference is between the lead vocals and the session vocals, and the cover doesn't give us any indication), as well as a "death to the world"-type couple of paragraphs written above the band members' names. I tried looking up the band through their label's website and there's no information there. I wonder if they're going for that secrecy thing, but for me, I’'d rather learn a little about the band.
While listening to "Total Soul Rape", I couldn't shake that feeling that I've heard this before as it is a text book example of old school Norwegian Black Metal - little to no production and very indiscernible lyrics. As there are no lyrics included in the cd booklet, I can't even tell you what the lyrics are like, but judging from the song titles, it's not hard to figure out what they're about. The band is evil, angry, and society is their target. The sound of the album is also typical old-school black metal as the entire disc is very mid-rangy. The drums are way, way back in the mix, the vocals are your typical black metal screeches, and the guitars simply provide background for the vocals - nothing more. For anyone except the die-hard black metal fan, "Total Soul Rape" is tough to listen to for more than a very brief amount of time.
So there you have it. I can't tell you much about the band, and it looks like they don't want you to know much. As far as "Total Soul Rape" goes, we've heard this all before. However, if you are an avid black metal fan and want to expand your collection, here's a disc for you to consider. If you are looking for something new and exciting, something that pushes the boundaries and enhances the genre, this disc won't be for you.
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