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Craft > Fuck the Universe > Reviews
Craft - Fuck the Universe

Craft - Fuck The Universe - 100%

Phuling, April 19th, 2008

Damn, this is some evil shit here. From the very first, to the very last, riff it's nothing but a pure joy of blasphemic chants. Chilling riffs, pounding drums, vicious vocals and hateful lyrics. The title should tell you the latter one.

Every note is filled with such despise it's unbelievable, you can actually see the hatred crawl out of your speakers, and feel them infecting your mind. Bloody marvellous old school black metal, where it feels like this is the album all others are inspired by, but failing to live up to. It's just that great! The artwork, lyrics, music, vocals - It all works together in perfect chaotic harmony (harmony feels like the wrong word to use here, but you know what I mean). If you want your music chilling, raw, vicious and evil then this is for you. As far as old school goes it doesn't get any better than this. Pure and simple: a masterpiece!

Craft is the razor in your wrists, the noose around your neck, the shotgun in your throat, a plague to be unleashed on mankind, a fucking A-bomb of pure hate. I'll leave you with this

- Hate... the clouds, the rain, the air that lets life-forms breathe. ... The land, the sea, the places where the humans breed. ... The skyline, the zenith, where the sun rises, travels and sets. ... The homes, the lands, the places of shelter for man. Back to your past, human. //Craft - Xenophobia.

Originally written for www.mylastchapter.net

naysayers beware.... - 95%

dudelar, June 28th, 2006

when I first heard the title of the new CRAFT album, I was kind of bummed out. Then I saw the artwork and I was really bummed out. It all seemed kind of silly to me. "Fuck the Universe" sounded like the title of a NINE INCH NAILS song or something. Fortunately my concerns were pretty much erased by the sounds of the opening chords.

I was immediately struck by the sound of the record. The album has a very 'dead' 70's rock production quality to it. Everything (especially the drums) sounds like it was recorded in a room carpeted from wall to wall, ceiling to floor. Anyone that has ever been in bands and made records can tell you that recording music this way can be very challenging. Every nuance of every instrument can be heard, especially the mistakes. There just really aren't any mistakes on this album to be heard. Many black metal bands cloak their musical ineptitude with reverb and tons of guitar overdubs. Not CRAFT, they bare all for us to hear and the result is simply the sound of a really good band playing in a room together. Funnily enough, the production on this record actually reminds me of the first DANZIG album Yeah he got punched out on video, but that record totally slays.

Musically the only way I can think to describe this record is that it "rocks." The songs are mostly mid-tempo and there's only a few times where the band breaks into full on blast-beat blackness. The result is something that is far too rare in black metal these days, some actual VARIATION!!! Many of the songs are fairly complex with interesting progressions, multiple parts, tempo variations and even some hints of melody. Nox's vocals haven't changed much but that's ok with me, he has an impressive gravely snarl. Don't get me wrong, I love the raw elements of black metal. I can tolerate sub-par musicianship or one man bands with boring drum machine parts as long as the atmosphere is there. To me, atmosphere is the essence of black metal but I like it even more when a band can capture that atmosphere while simultaneously bringing the rock.

CRAFT has always been a great band, but I think they're really onto something unique here. UNIQUE. You don't see that word in black metal reviews very often these days eh? Along with DEATHSPELL OMEGA, CRAFT are pushing black metal to new levels and I really hope they keep pushing.

I am the destroyer...

Fuck yeah! - 100%

Dark_Identity, October 30th, 2005

Craft! Now that's a band that deserves an exclamation point. These guys rock, and they rock hard. Perhaps "rock" isn't that right description for the sound of a Swedish black metal band, but Craft seems to bring a sense of rhythm and attitude that most of their noisier fellows seem to lack. From the first listen, one can tell that this band is heavily influenced by Darkthrone. Alot of the riffs sound very familiar, but they take on their own glamour. The difference is that Craft has a thick, full, and surprisingly well-produced sound. Fuck the Universe may not be as "cold" or "necro" as other black metal albums out there, but here we find great attitude, violence, and sheer aggression.

Everything on this album is flawless to me, it appears to be very well rehearsed. Although, this band is probably good enough to have gone right into the studio and recorded without first running through the songs on their own. The production is top notch. This isn't a 4-track home studio recording, this is big. Very rich, and very clear. Don't you love it when a black metal band forks over the money and loses the grimness to sound clear and crushing?

Now, on to the quality of the instruments. The guitars on Fuck the Universe are quite varied. The guitars that appear in most songs remind me of Darkthrone's "In the Shadow of the Horns". The difference is that they are more up-tempo. There are plenty of break downs, moments of slow crushing riffs, and fast-paced attacks. Even a few guitar solos show up, but we aren't talking Yngwie Malmsteen. Harsh and bizzarre. The vocals are probably my favorite part of the album. This guy sounds like a mix between Abbath, Nocturno Culto, and Nattefrost. Grim, raspy, and downright hateful. It's especially enjoyable when he draws out the rasping to get an evil effect. Drums are quite varied, there's alot of nice beats in here. It's nothing remarkable, but it fits the music very well. I haven't caught a fuck up yet. This isn't Abbath on "Battles in the North". This guy knows what he's doing. I can't hear bass very well, but I can't deny it's presence. It adds to the thickness of the recording, which is definitely a plus.

Fuck the Universe is a black metal gem. If only other modern BM acts would cut the synths, the lameness, and the overall bullshit maybe there will be a future for the genre. Follow the example of Craft. Misantrophy, hate, and great sound!