Deathcraeft - On Human Devolution

Deathcraeft (not to be confused with the 3 other Deathcraft’s that are out there) hail from Greece and deliver a mix of death and thrash metal with their debut “On Human Devolution". Thankfully, these 3 guys try to avoid the usual death thrash pitfall of bands who get their start by trying to imitate groups like Vader or Legion Of The Damned. The route they go is almost like a blackened death thrash hybrid with various symphonic influences that don’t oversaturate the album. Right off the bat one might even think they’re in for something in the vein of Mortemia with ‘The Ritual’ and the choral elements that help build of the suspense. These sections are limited but appear here and there such as on ‘Spreading Lies’ and ‘Survival’ which help the tracks stand out on a symphonic level and adds new dimension to the thrash-death formula altogether to balance out the heavier sections. The only downside is that they sometimes are pushed into the background and only really shine when everything else quiets down.

The production is rather polished so every instrument is clear. The vocals are a bit layered so sometimes they have that mechanical roar to them on ‘Spreading Lies’ and the tones are varied enough to bounce between the death metal roar or a black metal style rasp (no shrieking though) on a track like ‘Daydreaming in the Abyss’. The meat and potatoes of the music lies in the riffing which does feel like Vader dosed down with ambient at times such as on ‘Welcome To Oblivion.’ The thrash elements are certainly present in the solos and the groove of the riffs will incite plenty of head banging, so there isn’t much to dislike or get annoyed with how the band structures their music. Some tracks like ‘Paving the Way’ seem a bit too basic in the way the riffs are and lack the dynamic elements of the other tracks, but even here the chugging is solid and still enjoyable. Not the most original at times but it upholds the ties of death and thrash together between the riffs and solos.

The bass is pretty much lost in a lot of the music, much like Cthulu swallowing it whole as the group spews for the Lovecraftian themes in their music (the vocals certainly can get a murky tone to match it), but on a track like ‘Surivival’ Deathcraeft slow things down a bit and almost have a symphonic death tone to the music to let the bass shine, and overall the foreboding tone makes it possibly the dark highlight of the album. Thrash lovers might find it a bit too slow for their tastes when matching it up to a piece like ‘Free Into The Void’ but when one adds in the symphonic bits near the end ‘Survival’ really brings everything together that makes “Human Devolution” an abyssal plunge. While it isn’t as grandiose as some other Greece groups like Septicflesh or Rotting Christ go for, Deathcraeft certainly have a strong start in the music world with their debut, and will appeal to a mix of death, black, and thrash who like a slight cushion of symphony behind it versus a pummeling set of riffs and drums that just bludgeon the ear consistently with no mercy.

3.5 / 5 STARS 

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1. The Ritual
2. The Beginning Of The End
3. Spreading Lies
4. Welcome To Oblivion
5. Survival
6. Daydreaming In The Abyss
7. Paving The Way
8. Free Into The Void


Self released
Band: https://www.facebook.com/deathcraeft
Reviewer: Colin McNamara
Aug 13, 2020
Next review: Fleshwolf - Fleshwolf

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