URKRAFT – Eternal Cosmic Slaughter

In their homeland the Danes URKRAFT should be well known, because the band was voted for the best newcomer metal act after the release of their demo Primordial in 2003.
With their debut Eternal Cosmic Slaughter the guys want to prove that they can convince also on album length.
In nine songs URKRAFT are bashing their mixture of death and thrash metal into the listener's auditory canals. The material partly reminds of the compatriots of Hatesphere, but without slipping in plagiary realms. The band sounds quite individual, since URKRAFT have a keyboarder in their rows. Fortunately the key man isn't sealing the songs with sticky sound carpets, but keeps himself discreet in the background and provides for a dark basic tendency. And that' s exactly the strength of Eternal Cosmic Slaughter. The skilled change from brute parts to calm song sections supported by atmospheric key board sounds provides for alternation and tension. A particularly good example for this interplay is the song At The Border Of The Known World which is equipped with a cool chorus.
Unfortunately not all songs can convince completely.
Eternal Cosmic Slaughter sounds extremely fat. It was produced by Tue Madsen, who also dressed albums of Mnemic, Heaven Shall Burn, Hatesphere and The Haunted into brute sound garbs. Overall Eternal Cosmic Slaughter is a good debut that death/thrash fans should like.