Anleifr strikes again. Having previously impressed with Xavarthan, Stutyr and Herugrim, the multi-instrumentalist returns with Kratti in which he’s joined by Elliot and Sami. Black Metal is still the name of the game, and the band’s first joint effort comes in the shape of a Demo released in the same year as the band inception.
What unifies most of the Anleifr projects is the base of raw Black Metal, but every band has a face of their own. From the more straightforward crudeness of Xavarthan to the more melodic Stutyr and the Folk and Heavy Metal infused Herugrim, each entity brings something new to the table. In the case of Kratti we once again find familiar elements in a slightly different shape that hangs somewhere between early Ulver, Borknagar and Satyricon mixed with Finnish Black Metal in the vein of Horna. After a brief acoustic strumming intro that reminds me of the old school Diablo II video game theme, ‘Pimeys Ennen Kuolemaa’ plants its raw fist in the face of the listener. With unfiltered snarling vocals and an epic undertone to the mid tempo sections, the song certainly has no lack of ferocity once the pace goes up a few notches. There’s a few things that immediately click: the unhinged vocals, the epic melodic undertone and the raw spontaneity and enthusiasm that excudes from the material. The subsequent ‘Marrastuuli’ is a more melody-driven track in the Finnish school where the bass sound has a somewhat more apparent role, a song that exactly breathes the charm of demo recordings: not flawless in execution, but filled with potential and passion. And in doing so, the ‘Demo 2023’ sound fresh and intriguing, of which the awkwardly melodic main riff of ‘Syntynyt Talveen’ is perhaps the best example: Familiar elements mixed in an unfamiliar way into something quite refreshing and most certainly excellent.
The debut demo of Kratti is one hell of a release. Available on CD by TÄH! Records and soon to be followed on tape by Escafismo Records, do not waste this opportunity to grab a splendid slice of Finnish Black Metal.
