Sweden’s Craft stood out early with the raw energy and abrasiveness of albums like Total Soul Rape and Fuck the Universe. In recent years their material was few and far between, with Void coming six years after its predecessor and this year’s White Noise and Black Metal coming close to seven years after that effort. The group certainly hasn’t lost any of their songwriting chops in the time that has passed, with the biggest difference coming through in the clarity and fullness of the recording. It may be a significant change for the long-running group, but with plenty of spine chilling melodies and the right amount of abrasion Craft has delivered another strong album.
It has been interesting to watch the progression of Swedish black metal bands as they’ve moved to bigger labels. Similar to Marduk and Watain in years past, White Noise and Black Metal finds Craft utilizing a level of polish on their recording that gives the material a fairly different sound from the rest of the band’s discography. That’s not to say that the instrumentals have lost their bite, as when the songs kick up the tempo they still hit quite hard, but there’s a noticeable amount of clarity to the recording that allows listeners to pick out individual bass riffs and drum patterns. With this change also comes a bit more rock ‘n roll influence than before, and while the album never devolves into a simplistic black ‘n roll affair there are a lot of catchier leads mixed in with the waves of bleak riffing and blast beats. White Noise and Black Metal lets its guitar work steal the show for most of the album, and quite a few of the riffs are sure to find their way under your skin after that first listen. But it does feel as though the writing has fallen into a pattern of mid-tempo to fast transitions after a few songs, leaving the second half of the album with slightly less impact than the first.
Nox’s vocal work has been an element of Craft’s music that has helped drawn listeners to their material, and his performance here is sure to have the same effect. The raspier screams tower over the instrumentals, and the amount of distortion makes it feel like each word is cutting your ear drums like barbed wire. No matter whether the band is going full speed or letting the atmosphere seep in, the vocals maintain constant intensity and attack the listener from one verse to the next. It’s damn appealing, and an element that Craft continues to nail with each release.
White Noise and Black Metal takes Craft’s established sound and adds some modern polish and clarity without sacrificing the intensity. There are some further moves towards black ‘n roll, but at its core this album still delivers that bleak and aggressive style fans of the genre look for. Though the first half delivers more of a lasting impact, there are still plenty of noteworthy leads and atmosphere and that’s kept this one in my rotation consistently for the last week. White Noise and Black Metal is out now on Season of Mist.
- Review by Chris Dahlberg
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