CRAFT "Total Soul Rape" LP Bathory Venom Katharsis Black Metal SLAYER Mayhem
$
50
Favourite Auctions
To save auctions to your favourites, please login
If you don't have an account, please register
Description
SHIPPING: US Domestic. $5 will get you up to THREE records at no extra cost (Double lp's count as TWO). So bid on one, bid on THREE. Shipping includes a PRO MAILER with cardboard backing and a TRACKING NUMBER. INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING WILL GO THROUGH THE EBAY GLOBAL SHIPPING CENTER--which means you will pay for all shipping costs including registered shipping, taxes, tariffs and fees. It could be expensive. Do not ask me to ship direct. I will not. I am an old collector, I know how to pack and ship!
WOW--the 1st Craft lp "Total Soul Rape"! it's brutal--the cover and vinyl are vg. It has been handled and played and looks it but it is still a great copy! no insert--won't be re-listing, good luck!
Ladies and Gentlemen: This record REEKS of hatred and contempt for human kind. This oozes all the stuff you think in your darkest moments, and records it into mid-tempo riffs perfect for shattering assorted items in your rage, and slow, hateful growls that will leave you yelling out all your frustrations to whoever will (not?) listen.
“Death to Planet Earth” is one of the better songs recorded in recent times. Especially the case for the part at 2:14. One of the most fantastically simplistic riffs ever; notes clash with each other, held out for more than a few seconds, and then, they are off and racing. Those slow vocals are used to perfect effect here. Each song is familiar to the others, yet hides its own individual values. If it’s this “head-banging hate” of “Death to Planet Earth”, the simplistic riffing of “World of Plague”, or the musical brilliance of “Chaos” (or on other versions, including mine, “Kill Everything”), every song has its own charms, all the while still retaining an extreme black metal sound.
This album, however, is not just for those select few that don’t find Immortal’s videos amusing to their own personal extent, as there is quite a bit more to this record than just coming up with new ways to hit a power chord, or shout anti-Christian slogans (though there is plenty of that too).
The musicianship is quite a lot better than many bands around today. With so many one-man or two-man bedroom projects, some bands don’t have enough members to play their respective instruments. The one or two members play all the instruments themselves, and aren’t any good at any of them. Craft has a full band (though a couple of session members), and they know how to play their instruments. There are some pinch harmonics scattered throughout, even the occasional guitar solo. So it’s a welcome treat for those who are bored with listening to bands plod along in second gear, repeating the same tired old formulae. This leaves Craft way ahead of many other Immortal/Darkthrone clones, including their better-known fellow countrymen in Marduk, who have churned out many more albums than Craft have.
The production is a little clunky, but it’s not like someone used a one-track to record two little children playing a tennis racquet and a tambourine. It’s warm and familiar, setting it apart from some of their Eastern European counterparts who we all love for the icy pagan atmospheres. Yet at the same time, it’s still very hateful, also very unfriendly and unwelcoming to outsiders (as it should be, of course).
The drum sound is notable, as I think it’s one of the best features of the album. Each drum has been levelled perfectly. Daniel doesn’t use any triggers, but the bass drum has an excellent sound, it isn’t drowned out. This is what I mean by musicianship; Daniel quite obviously knows the kit very well, as he has gotten a totally ideal sound out of it for your listening worth.
The vocals (and lyrics) are another extreme highlight. They don’t try to cram an encyclopaedia’s worth of useless knowledge into the music, they don’t try to piss around being artsy with a whole bunch of metaphors, and they do not compromise their hatred. This is simplistic, yet effective, in that they are able to scream out these words of loathing and contempt very passionately, which is one of the winning factors for an album like this.
Summing up “Total Soul Rape”. You can like it for the cheese, you can like it for the hatred, or you can like it for the unusually good musicianship. In any case, anyone who likes black metal, or at least holds some respect for it, will find something to like about this record. Definitely give it a listen. 84 points – not bad for the debut album of this good Swedish outfit.
price rating
