Urkraft
The Inhuman Aberration
7
Denmark seems to produce quite a bit of solid melodic death metal, including Hatesphere and Illdisposed’s newer works, and now the second full-length album from Urkraft. The boys from Urkraft play tight and maturely, considering the brief history of the band, but they are also working off of a very familiar template.
At the Gates is a clear influence when it comes to the pacing of the songs and in some of the riffing style. But beneath that exterior is a stout sense of groove that sounds inspired by their countrymates. Thomas’s vocals are gruff and steady – a growl with a hint of screaming, or maybe vice versa. Mikael’s drums have a great, punchy sound, and he loves to lay on the bass pedals. The bass guitar comes off as a rumbling hum in the background, without much clarity. One trick they do pull off is working a keyboardist into the band, but he provides little more than backing noise.
The Inhuman Aberration sounds more streamlined and polished than its predecessor album, and this can be heard right from the start in “Too Strong for the Strongest Lord”. The riffs feel well-composed and well-placed, but that means they lack a little raw excitement. “This Great Summer” has a nice set of riffs that sound like a vicious thrash song slowed down. Spacey synth sounds dominate the adventurous title track that also features some cleaner singing.
There’s not too much variety on display, as Urkraft seem to have hit on a style that they enjoy playing. This kind of album seems to be more and more prevalent in the melodic death/thrash world – an album with few hits but no flops. If you just can’t get enough of it, or always wanted to mix electronic sounds in with your Haunted or Carnal Forge records, look no further.
