Magicked in the last ebbs and flows of the year 1994 by the hands and souls of Joakim and Daniel, CRAFT clearly set from the very beginning their firm intentions of creating cold and harsh BM in the vein of the early nineties fanaticism. The gatherings bore to death one demo (to my knowledge) and the debut full-length Total Soul Rape via the Black Hand (sub-label of Rage of Achilles).
If you are into (old) DARKTHRONE, you should by no means miss the opportunity to listen to CRAFT’s albums. It is certainly not my intention to dismiss Terror Propaganda as a mere copy of DT’s music or layout (a closer look at the cover will immediately let you know why I considered it inevitable to establish some sort of comparison) — all I am saying is that the style is relatively similar and much in the same lines of Transilvanian Hunger and A Blaze in the Northern Sky. But that is absolutely irrelevant, because they are not in a competition for innovation and only the positive influences are used. That leaves you to find out which positive influences I might be referring to.
It was CRAFT’s express purpose to relive the days of yore and honour the memory of the ‘true BM’ days with the effort of Joakim and Daniel put together. All things considered, their goals have been reached and the final result is not that far away from what DARKTHRONE did in the past. Raw Black Metal with two different singers, interesting guitar work, not much innovation or variation from the traditional BM basis, yet a fiercely grim atmosphere lies at the core of CRAFT’s essence.
What I do know is that the bloody album is addicting and there are not that many albums I would recommend these days — Terror Propaganda certainly figures amongst the restricted few. Their capacity for variation within the boundaries of the defined BM style is also not to be overlooked, resulting in a very interesting, somewhat refreshing (even if not very innovative) release. It should therefore not come as a surprise that they are being highly acclaimed by BM hordes faithful to the old school. One hell of a magnificently indecent opus which undoubtedly emphasizes the need for a follow-up. And I am eagerly awaiting it.
Myspace Craftblackmetal
Cover Craft – Terror Propaganda Front
Craft – Terror Propaganda
Additional Information
CRAFT emerged from Sweden during the mid-1990s black metal revival, when many bands were consciously returning to the raw, unpolished sound that had defined the genre’s early Norwegian pioneers. The duo of Joakim and Daniel represented the purist approach that characterized much of the Swedish black metal underground during this period, deliberately eschewing the increasingly symphonic and melodic directions that many contemporary bands were exploring.
Terror Propaganda (2002) was released during a significant period for Swedish black metal, when bands like WATAIN, ONDSKAPT, and OFERMOD were establishing Sweden as a major force in orthodox black metal alongside the established Norwegian scene. CRAFT’s visual aesthetic, particularly their album artwork, drew heavily from DARKTHRONE’s iconic minimalist black-and-white photography style, reinforcing their commitment to the genre’s traditionalist values.
The album’s reception among the black metal underground was particularly notable for its uncompromising stance against modernization of the genre. At a time when many black metal bands were incorporating keyboards, clean vocals, or progressive elements, CRAFT’s steadfast adherence to the raw, primitive sound of early 1990s Norwegian black metal made them standard-bearers for the traditionalist movement within Swedish extreme metal.