by Greg Prato

The third album by Sweden's Craft, Fuck the Universe, is everything that fans of either doom metal or death metal crave on a regular basis: thick riffs, tempos that range from Sabbath slow to Slayer fast, and screamed vocals. Even without deciphering the lyrics (which would be a nearly impossible task without the aid of the lyric sheet wisely included in the CD booklet), the song titles -- "The Suffering of Others," "Destroy All," etc. -- and obviously the album title clue you in to what you're in for. There are no big musical surprises, as this enraged quartet sticks close to the game plan throughout, especially on such dark cuts as "Earth a Raging Blaze," "Thorns in the Planet's Side," and "Demonspeed." While extreme metal bands will undoubtedly continue to push the envelope further from a musical standpoint, how can any other band top this album's title?