Craft - Void (2011)

Upon its release back in August, it had been almost six years since the last Craft release, and while 2005's, 'Fuck the Universe' was met with mixed reviews I personally thought it was their second best effort after their massive debut, 'Total Soul Rape' from 2000. Without really any side projects, other than vocalist, Mikael Nox's recent involvement in, Omnizide, the band members have kept a low profile. So, who really knows why its taken so long, but the arrival of a new and the fourth Craft album is definitely a good thing in my eyes.

Staying true to their core sound, 'Void' sounds much like their previous efforts. As ever guitarists John Doe and Joakim Karlsson come up with tons of heavy and deep riffs which are paired with common dissonant, cold and tremolo styled parts, as well as a few quick shredding solos. New bassist, Alex is audible for the most part and I always admire hearing the bass guitar in black metal since there's always this ominous tone to it. Of course vocalist Mikael Nox, screams and croaks as painfully as ever and tells tales of misanthropy and nihilism as always. The music generally remains mid-paced and sometimes even quite slow, even doom-ish, but there are some moments of faster guitar work and even some blast beats (courtesy of session man, Dirge Rep) with the drumming, but if you know Craft you know what they do and they do it again on this record.

Although the album kicks off with a pointless 20 second intro, the band blasts forward with, 'Serpent Soul,' which is one of the speedier numbers on the record with a number of quality riffs as well with that rockin' head banging sense at the onset that Craft tends to display from time to time, although the song does have its dirgey parts just to let you know that this ain't no fucking party. Things just continue onward fantastically with, 'Come Resonance Of Doom' and the string work within is immense, and when coupled with the snarling vocals it creates one of the catchiest black metal songs I think I've ever heard.

The next two songs, 'The Ground Surrenders' & 'Succumb To Sin' are equally powerful in their delivery, with once again great riff work as well as some of those quick killer solos I mentioned earlier. 'Leaving The Corporal Shade' is the doomiest song on the record, and at just a little over seven minutes its a total funeral dirge. The albums fastest song, 'I Want To Commit Murder' is next and it probably doesn't take much to realize its a complete hate anthem. 'Bring On The Clouds' is another mid-paced/doom-ish song with some speedier parts, but what I really like are the lyrics, which seem to be about a higher being reflecting on humanity and his resentment towards what they've become. The title track closes out the album and at eight and a half minutes its also the longest. Opening with dark haunting ambiance, 'Void' is an epic of abomination and a death march for the senses. In the end Craft turns, they don't look back, they take a swig and they leave.

"It's our final night in this place. There is no tomorrow. This evening we drink to the day the world ended."