Calcraft defines itself with the expression “no mercy.”
Recently formed, the anonymous trio inspired by English executioner William Calcraft has signed with Lifeforce Records for the release of its third album, Reborn Through Torture.
The album opens with the catchy groove of Satisfying Strangulation, quickly joined by massive screams that amplify the already heavy atmosphere, which then transforms into waves of jerky riffs and anguished harmonics. The track remains aggressive before handing over to Fuck Blade, which takes over with a fairly similar approach, complemented by a few frightening samples during the less intense passages that temper the aggression before joining Slovakian Carnage, a new composition that is dark but sometimes energetic. We find these transitions with samples again, implicitly announcing the next explosion or terrifying us, before moving on to Perpetually Stabbed, which returns to the rawest elements to create real waves, but also some much more accessible and surprisingly gentle passages. A muffled voice takes over the outro, then it’s with Interlude that we slowly catch our breath, accompanied by a few lyrics that leave us facing the long Wolves Sight, where the roars resume, marching with a thick rhythm that still allows a shrill solo to appear before a few noises populate the end of the track. A strange voice announces the transition to Purest Pain, which takes over with simple but effective and rather haunting riffs that follow each other at a good pace, then take on an ethereal dimension before giving way to Carving Flesh, where the voices reappear, followed by mysterious leads that dictate the entire direction of the song. It should be noted that the track intensifies after the halfway point, but it is once again a sample that forces us towards the three minutes of Outro, worthy of a horror movie soundtrack.
While Calcraft‘s concept is fairly clear, Reborn Through Torture is somewhat uneven: some tracks are perfectly tailored to keep us headbanging throughout, but the album has its longueurs, and its successor will still have some proving to do to fully convince me.
65/100