Origin: Germany
Location: Berlin
Formed: 2016
Genre: Post‑Black Metal
Status: Split‑up (2016–2026)
Label: Church of Eradication
Kratt emerged in 2016 from Berlin, founded by M.F. and G.K., and named after the kratt of Estonian folklore—a supernatural “treasure bearer” constructed from household objects and animated through a pact. The name fits the band’s aesthetic: something assembled from raw materials, given life through will, and ultimately destined to burn out. Their sound sits firmly within post‑black metal’s atmospheric, emotionally fractured territory—icy tremolo layers, bleak melodic arcs, and a sense of existential erosion that runs through all their work.
Their debut EP Einblick (2019) introduced a stark, introspective approach, followed by the split Z3/12 (2021), which expanded their presence in the underground. The final EP Zerleben (2026) became their last known release, closing a decade‑long arc of increasingly refined, desolate post‑black metal. Kratt dissolved the same year, leaving behind a compact but resonant discography.
The band’s lineup remained stable from 2017 onward, with each member contributing to a sound that balanced atmospheric melancholy with sharp, modern black‑metal edges.
Kratt’s decade of activity left a small but distinctive mark on Berlin’s post‑black metal landscape—atmospheric, melancholic, and shaped by a mythic name that perfectly mirrors their rise, brief blaze, and dissolution.