Craft "Total Soul Rape" Cassette

Written by Craft, except "Outro" written by Shamaatae of Arckanum for Craft.

This Swedish band formed back in 1994 and for four years was known under the moniker of Nocta. “Total Soul Rape” was originally released in 2000 and was the band’s debut album, after releasing the “Total Eclipse” demo a year before and their second full-length Terror Propaganda two years after, in 2002.
In the vein of early Darkthrone and other godfathers of the primeval black metal scene, possibly with a slightly decent sound, Craft’s music is presented in the form of grim, raw and extremely misanthropic black metal. From the first few seconds of “World of Plague” to the disturbing unlisted outro (composed by Arckanum’s sole member Shamaatae), Craft persuasively display their skill to create harsh, violent-sounding material that pierces through your ears. If you are after something which differs from the generic black metal album then this one might be for you. In fact, while Craft’s songwriting process is more or less predictable, it nonetheless oozes with quite a few pleasing tempo changes, giving rise to stronger moments and a superior atmosphere.
If you like Darkthrone you should enjoy this release, although Craft don’t necessarily reach the authenticity of the former. Although “Total Soul Rape” remains an average album when compared to its successor “Terror Propaganda”, it still is a promising first attempt. Moreover if the fine-tuned recordings of contemporary acts such as Cradle of Filth, Dimmu Borgir or even Marduk turn you off then this is another reason why you should own this album.

Sample: