A bit to metal for me in terms of the Iron Maiden-type melodic guitar parts through many of the songs. Some songs have good riffs and energy with a pleasantly heavy and aggressive sound which is enjoyable. Overall, it's a bit too soft at times with commercial sounding elements that likely keeps it from being a favorite of mine. They are very good at what they do and the production and performances are fine, but Pleasure To Kill or Coma Of Souls it is most definitely not. I'll keep listening. So far my favorite song is Death to the World. Kreator even at their worst are better than a ton of crap that's out there, so really I'm picking nits. I just generally listen to much heavier stuff these days.

Personally, after 2 spins, I pretty much like that album. Certainly it's different and more melodic, but apart from what I was expecting, it sounded pretty good to my ear. So, that's all that matters to me.

I fucking love this album!

I'm a fanboy and I dig it plenty. Lots there that meets my expectations and I can never get enough of their riffs and Mille's voice.
Colour me happy & satisfied.

Arrrgh, this isnt what I was hoping for at all. Dammit, Kreator, why must you continue this path of blahsé material?

Regardless, I think i will support them on this upcoming tour, mainly for Accept, but it's something to look forward to. The album art is good, but I do not expect anything spectacular musically. Nothing will ever be as bad as Renewal though.

Gonna listen to the album now. I've always liked this band. I listen to Coma of Souls weekly and have heard a lot of Extreme Aggression and also liked the title song of Phantom Antichrist. BUT, I've never understood how you could like the solos on Pleasure to Kill. I mean the riffs are amazing, so is the atmosphere and the vocals but how the hell do you get past the solos ? They undoubtedly add to the atmosphere but they are unintelligible and make no sense whatsoever. I've tried listening a lot of times. Am I missing something?

Nah, PtK is my favourite of theirs, but I still find the solos ridiculous. I like crazy, chromatic solos when done by Slayer, but it's like Mille tried way too fucking hard in emulating that kind of soloing style and failed miserably. But yeah, the riffs on that album are ungodly.

I could easily get enough of his voice in 'Hordes of chaos' *shudders*

I just bought Phantom Antichrist and i must say it is absolutely godly! Yes, it's more melodic than their previous albums, but not less aggressive. Especially the choruses are among the best I've heared this year (you can really imagine every single visitor on a concert singing along with this). Oh, and the guitar work is outstanding, too. I haven't listened enough to give a final word on it, but to be "objective", it is the best Kreator album so far. It is the most diverse, technical and well composed they ever wrote.

I have to say that a raving 100% review made me check out the album. After being disappointed with HOC I had decided to approach new Kreator albums with some caution. So as to this new one, it's very melodic and I somewhat get the comparisons to Endorama although I think they're more superficial than anything.

As to it being the best Kreator album ever... I'll hold my breath, count to ten and say nothing about that. The album is decent and has some cool riffs but it's nothing we haven't seen done before and better. It doesn't help that a couple of WTF moments tag along in the midst of some of the songs.

I could get into it or drop it after a couple more spins, it's still awaiting a decision.

The melodic guitar lines and riffs are really well integrated into the thrashing on here, and create a really epic, grandiose sound I didn't expect out of Kreator that the mellow and clean parts accentuate. That song "From Floods to Fire" was just fucking awesome, and most of the album was really solid. I like it.

Record of the year so far, and best Kreator to date indeed = )

Did anyone else noticed a certain similarity to Paradox in the more melodic riffs? There were moments where I thought I was listening to them instead of Kreator.

It's the finnish guy that makes them do this! I tell you, this Sami guy has invaded the Kreator sound for the last 10 years now! Sounds great though, I would be bored to death if they ever tried to replicate the "Extreme Aggression" sound. It takes amateurs to make such a wild album and kreator are pros now.

What! The album is awful

It all depends on if you like Kreator in the first place. Personally, I never really cared for Kreator. They were just there, probably making some excellent music, but they never really stuck with me. It's the same with this album: Listened to it a couple of times, admired the skill and decent songwriting.... but it hasn't made an impact.

I fail to understand this reasoning...

Smalley is loco.

I liked Hordes of Chaos, but Phantom Antichrist sounds like an edulcorated candied version of it, it's too melodic, fruity and uninspired "trash" to quote someone in the Rec central. Mille seems to be in it for the money and he's composing like a robot.

Hordes of Chaos sucked. This is way better.

As far as "new" Kreator goes, VR wasn't aggressive enough, and while EoG was at least an attempt at something heavier, that heaviness still seemed rather... forced. These last 2 though, both excellent records.

Awful album titles & artwork seems to be a Kreator tradition so I'm not put off by that... one of the few Thrash bands still making music that interests me so I'll be getting this one for sure...

I liked it but there's no way it even cracks the top 10 of the year.

It's my current #62.

Haha how many 2012 albums have you listened to?

Too melodic? How is that a criticism? Sounds like some people want the album to be something it isn't. But hey, I'm loving it. I think they've taken a more serious step forward (then in the last few years) in their songwriting.

178, so not a bad position per se.

Holy shit

Well I thought that Hordes Of Chaos was an utter failure and yet I kinda like this one. Sure it is fruity at times, sure it's really too melodic to be a proper thrash album, there is not enough fury and bite to be had but....as a heavy/thrash album it's really not bad. I like the melodic soloing. Only thing that really does not sit well with me are the vocals - they sound forced and weak, especially in the clean sing-along moments.

Still not the best thrash album of the year - that would go to Overkill.

Yeh Mille's vocals have sucked since Renewal really, although i kinda like em on Renewal and Cause For Conflict, he sounds pissed as hell

Picking it up tomorrow, not overtly excited but hoping it is better than the highly annoying 'Hordes of chaos'...

Just got done with my third spin, this time on my way to work, and I really like. It's really great. I had forgotten a lot of the melodic hooks and vocal lines after the second listen, (mainly because I wasn't picking up on it, but during my third play, I recognized all of the hooks and choruses immediately and was totally into it.

This is probably their best since Violent Revolution. I liked Enemy Of God, but that album felt a little forced in spots. I only heard a few tracks of Hordes Of Chaos, but I never gave it a spin and have heard exactly Empyreal's sentiment.

I don't understand melody as a negative criticism. They've been rolling with a melodic sound ever since Coma Of Souls, but their current sound extends to Violent Revolution, which is an amazing record. It's not any more or less melodic than their past works, and it still has plenty of high-tempo thrashing and scream-y choruses.

Exactly. Hordes of Chaos had a weak-ass guitar sound and really shitty hooks that bordered on stuff that metalcore bands would've written in the early 2000s. This album is more melodic, sure, but for me anyway, the melodies are used in such a great, powerful way.

Doesn't anyone else really, REALLY hate the vocals on that album more than anything else?

What I heard from that album, it definitely sounded a little bit off. I was afraid Mille was losing his voice, or he was straining, but Phantom Antichrist proved me wrong, luckily.

I dug Mille's vox on Hordes, but he is better on PA, yes.

Currently listening to some random songs on Kreator's Violent Revolution...this shit sounds far better than the material on the latest 3 albums. It actually has some killer riffing going on. Mille's voice isn't as mean as it used to be but I'm ok with his voice.

I think it was mostly the vocal lines he sang on that album as opposed to his voice itself.

I thought it was both. His attempts to scream really grated on my ears, his melodic lines were fucking terrible and in general he just sounded really forced and strained. Glad to see he's better on this one.