Kratti
“Matka Kohti Kosmista” (Signal Rex, 2024)

“Kratti are the ascending newcomers of the bleak fields of Finnish Black Metal!” That is one bold statement, right? You need to be good at something before you go out and say that. Well… let’s find out.

Kratti is a 3 man Finnish straight to the throat Black Metal act. They do have a point when they state they are the “…ascending newcomers…”, for their sound is stone cold ripping Black Metal. It is Finnish, and you can almost feel it in your bones. The melodies merged with that Finnish violence – that is not violence, but a harsher approach – that we all love. Come on! It is hard not to enjoy what the Finns have been doing for decades, their mastered sound, their own vision of Black Metal… Kratti goes down that path, successfully, and oh man!

I was never into complex music, maybe due to my Hardcore Punk background, so when a band goes straight to the point, I am in for the ride. To say that these lads are doing something that never been done, would be a lie; to say that what they are doing is not worth of mention, would be another lie. “Matka Kohti Kosmista” is a good example of adding a little twist to your darkened Black Metal: that ending is proof of Finnish heritage, with style.

It took me a while to give these lads a fair listening session, and I had no idea what to expect, but once I pressed PLAY… it all made sense. The best thing about their sound is that it takes me, in a way, back to that old sound I still love so much. As mentioned before, you have melody, great and Black Metal melody, and you also have a more aggressive side to their music. It is Finland’s Black Metal scene in a nutshell, apart from the more “violent” bands, yes. This is the sound the country is known for. 

However, do not label the band from the get-go as A or B, alone; their sound as, as mentioned before, little nuances that give it that extra something. I dare say this is a great act to play this year at the next Signal Rex event… just saying.

Kratti Official Bandcamp