Review by Felix on December 16, 2023.

Eight full-lengths in 17 years, this performance speaks in favor of the creative capacity of a band. Sad, that much is certain, were never lazy. I admit that I lost track of them over the years, but now, for reasons unknown to me, I decided to listen to their new work. And what can I say? Black Metal Craft is nothing less than a very late highlight of 2023. It does not take long to realize that the Greek mini-horde (consisting of two members, multi-instrumentalist Ungod and vocalist Nadir) does not lack courage, misanthropy and spirit. To a certain extent, the album pays tribute to the Norwegian role models of the mid-nineties, but the guys are no copycats. Their riffs, lines and (rare) melodies do not suffer from a stale taste. Everything sounds fresh and icy, malignant and non-commercial. Black Metal Craft is imported directly from the underground. And this has always been, is and will forever be the best biotope for real metal.

Eight songs fill the eighth album of Sad. All of them boast a remarkably good flow, non-conventional yet easily consumable patterns and a very well selected degree of velocity. Of course, the tempo is changing due to a proper number of breaks. Thus, we get a very dynamic album which erases boredom right from the start. The guitar lines are consistently at least good and occasionally absolutely fantastic, for example the lurking one of 'The Fortune Teller' which sets in at 3:50. But 'Catacombs Of Thoughts' (great title) also holds thrilling lines, for instance at the beginning, and 'Sickening Euphoria' does not stand in the shadows of its neighbors in view of its exciting, flickering ending. The more I think about it, the more I come to the conclusion that I could mention more or less nearly all tracks in this context. No doubt, Black Metal Craft is filled to the brim with eerie, captivating harmonies.

The vocals are neither unusual nor extravagant. But don’t think that I don’t like them. Nadir delivers an enthralling performance. Malignant and raw, his voice expresses exactly what a voice should always convey when it comes to black metal: hostility, denial and negativity. By the way, the album also scores with a pretty perfect mixture of instrumental and non-instrumental sections. Already the opening title track (ingenious flow, compressed solo) shows that Sad has no problems constructing a song very coherently and the alarming guitar that crushes in at 4:14 works as a welcome special effect. Speaking of such effects, the production does not offer them. But firstly, it is less rumbling than the one of 'Misty Breath Of Ancient Forests' and secondly, here the same applies as with the voice. This is a generic yet definitely good mix for an album that does not want to be anything else but a worthy representative of the style its spiritual fathers have chosen. Black Metal Craft is – and this is a big surprise in view of its title – nothing else but black metal (at this point you must imagine a diabolic laughter). Mission accomplished; here we have another album that breathes the sulphurous stench of its genre every minute. That’s fantastic, even though a small number of sections leave a little room for optimization, especially the first half of the closer / overlong outro 'Winds of Grief', an instrumental. Either way, Black Metal Craft has convinced me to check some items of the Greek’s back catalog in 2024.

Rating: 8.4 out of 10