I like metal. It’s one of my favorite genres. When I first started listening to non-mainstream music in middle school, it was the first style I tapped into. I like thrash, grind, speed—just about every subgenre there is. But through it all, there has been one type I have not been able to get into and that is the type that Craft plays: black metal. I’ve tried listening to Burzum, Mayhem, and Gorgoroth, but have never been able to identify. I often find their music isn’t fast or extreme enough—there is a lack of brutality—and the vocals all seem to sound alike from band to band. And don’t get me started on the lyrics. Anti-Christian verses and satanic imagery is interesting when done well, but much of the genre can become a parody of itself. That being said, Craft follows many of these same parameters: Cookie Monster vocals that try and sound evil, in addition to poor lyrics (“My mind screams to me like a black metal record in dissonant accord”). However, one place where Craft seems to best some of their comrades is in regards to musicianship and the songs created on Void. While the mix seems to lack consistency, what is played is powerful and has some edge in its delivery. Too often, black metal comes across as one of the weakest subgenres within metal, but Craft seem capable of throwing in some hard riffs and the accompanying guitar solos fit appropriately. Obviously, Void isn’t my thing but if you want to check out something different in black metal, perhaps this might be up your alley?
–Adrian Salas (Southern Lord)