Hate über alles

After such a magnificent ensemble as "Gods Of Violence", it's hard to delude yourself of compensation and improvement in the right direction. In the case of Kreator, this right direction has long since drifted too far away and there is little indication that the situation will straighten out in any way. True, there were better albums like "Violent Revolution" or "Phantom Antichrist", although even on them one could feel strong calculation, pushing in brazen melodies and attempts to please listeners who would run away from the content of "Endless Pain" or "Pleasure To Kill" at closer contact...as fast as they could! So there was simply no way that in the context of "Hate Über Alles", Kreator's fifteenth longplay, something bigger would change for the better. This time, we are also dealing with a shallow, painfully lighter Kreator who uses very simple patterns, although objectively (this word should not be used from my side) a little less embarrassing in comparison to "Gods Of Violence".

What does it change for us, though, when we're still talking about the bad album? Well, not much, because most of the bad solutions from the previous album were left on "Hate Über Alles". However, in order not to whine and not to adopt a pretentious tone too often, let's start a slightly broader slander of the "Hate Über Alles" with the positives, because - watch out! - such can also be found here. In particular, the opening of the album is quite good - apart from another, unnecessarily pompous intro. The title track rushes forward nicely, and you can quickly get used to the stiff chorus, while "Killer Of Jesus" gives a good reference to the times of "Violent Revolution" and also has some great heaviness. Next...well..."Conquer And Destroy" has a nice thrash metal aggressiveness and heavy metal interjections (although the clean vocals at the end are completely off the mark) and maybe "Demonic Future" for a similar reason as "Killer Of Jesus". Yes, the conclusion from this is truly banal - more typical thrash metal paces and maybe there will be something interesting from Kreator again!

Still staying with the advantages (?), the production is better, in which the earlier polish was avoided, and the sound is characterized by greater naturalness. What else? Mille's vocals keep their style and cannot be confused with anyone else's, and Ventor also moves quite well in more brutal fragments and you can't hear the passage of time. Unfortunately, this is all that can be - so-so - praised on "Hate Über Alles". The main part of the material is really uninspired, while such attractive additions as a large number of spectacular solos or a change in the position of the bassist do not contribute anything to the current face of Kreator. Most of the songs, although they do not reach the embarrassment of "Gods Of Violence", still suffer from the affliction of sweetening up everywhere, pushing in pathetic, stadium choruses and quite questionable aggression. Nor do such monstrosities as "Become Immortal" (a parody of Running Wild), "Midnight Sun" (with completely unnecessary female singing) and "Pride Becomes Before The Fall" (a sentimental ballad) help, as they sound like songs for those who normally...don't like Kreator.

It's therefore of little consolation that "Hate Über Alles" is slightly better than "Gods Of Violence" - such Kreator is still hard to listen to. On their fifteenth full-length, Mille Petrozza & co. unfortunately focus in apparent music, i.e. well-produced, with melodies for everyone and with an intersting hateful concept, although artificially aggressive, terribly polished and lacking any long-term points. "Hate Über Alles" is an album that fits into a very trivial thought - any way, any faster, any way to earn money.

Originally on A bit of subjectivism...in metal

Most enlightened metal listeners will be aware that Kreator's artistic evolution ended with "Endorama", and all the records they've been churning out since 2001 have been nothing but fairly competent, yet still watered down takes on the "Coma of Souls" formula, with a poppy, almost Arch Enemy-like melodic edge getting increasingly more intrusive with each album. "Violent Revolution" and "Enemy of God" were great, sure, but "Phantom Antichrist" and "Gods of Violence" saw a dramatic increase of sappy power metalisms and poppy song formats, with only Mille Petrozza's trademark riff-mastery keeping things above mere decency and preventing the band from becoming the outright thrash version of Amon Amarth - and yeah, we're speaking of that same German staple of thrash metal which once had the balls to deliver some peak examples of anti-commercialism and fuck-you-attitude in musical form such as "Pleasure to Kill" and "Cause for Conflict". Now, with "Hate über Alles", the transformation has finally been completed: Mille has given up any attempt to write above-average riffs, fully stepping into recycle-land just like Amon Amarth and Arch Enemy did around two decades ago, paving the way for so many bands to follow. The "666 - World Divided" single was already alarming enough in its unprecedented cheesiness - but then the band promised a more "old school" sounding record, selecting Arthur Rizk as a producer, and that made me suspend my judgement, hoping at least for a slight step-up compared to the latest two albums. Unfortunately, I didn't know that "more old school" was a codeword for "even more basic, safe-sounding pseudo-epic stadium metal appealing to Wacken boomers and teen noobs".

Really, I'm not kidding: this album is entirely built on singalong anthemic choruses based around silly Euro-power metal leads, which at this point are so lame and phoned in that they fail to be compelling and "epic" in any way, as some chorus on previous releases still managed to be from time to time (see: "United in Hate" or "Gods of Violence"). Make no mistake, this "anthemic" component doesn't carry any tangible pathos or emotion, as it was instead the case with Sodom's 2000's/2010's era: it's just as hollow and been-here-done-that as it gets. Only the title-track is barely enjoyable, in spite of its cheesy chorus: the main riff is solid enough, there are some genuinely cool power metal leads right after the second chorus, and the solo is total fire; this song would have been a decent addition to "Phantom Antichrist" or "Gods of Violence". However, most other tracks on "Hate über Alles" are just boring, cookie-cutter, wannabe-epic metal mid-tempos which could be described pretty much as you'd describe Amon Amarth - i.e. an emasculated version of Manowar, which is basically an oxymoron and the worst thing you could imagine within the heavy metal genre. "Strongest of the Strong" is the most obvious, stereotypical example, filling all the blanks for pre-chewed, crowd-pleasing Wacken metal, but it gets much worse than that: "Crush the Tyrants" plods along with throwaway Manowar riffing constructed around a beat that rips off "Prevail" (from "Cause for Conflict" - ironically enough, the only Kreator album not to feature Ventor on drums). Even "Satan is Real", as cheesy as it was, still sounded more authentic, ballsy and genuinely memorable than dull, thrash-lite mid-tempos like "Pride Comes Before the Fall". Hell, a lot of the material on "Hate über Alles" struggles to even be called thrash at all: what Kreator meant by saying "more old school" was just a misguided attempt at classic metal revivalism (particularly evident on songs like "Become Immortal") that producer Arthur Rizk is much more competent at with his own band Eternal Champion. And yet, when Kreator gets back in thrash mode for a while, things aren't much better either: the riffing, at this point, is even more stale and derivative than on previous albums, lacking impact or expressiveness, just content to swim in the same stagnant pool of clichés heard on countless modern power metal, melodeath or even metalcore albums in the last twenty years; even when Mille tries to resort for once to his trademark, more long-winded "Terrible Certainty"/"Coma of Souls" type of riffing (such as on "Killer of Jesus"), the foundations are just as generic and unmemorable.

This is as safe and paint-by-numbers as Kreator ever got, and even the album's only attempt at experimenting with the band's formula falls flat due to an evident lack of conviction, self-confidence and songwriting refinement: "Midnight Sun" starts off with one of the album's best riffs by far (reminding me of the title-track from "Gods of Violence", a definite highlight of that record), before settling in for another plodding mid-tempo and introducing the album's female vocal guest which, honestly, sounds quite misplaced and not very at ease on this track, almost like being copy-pasted from a completely different song. The chorus sounds painfully contrived, awkward and uncertain of what it wants to be: a step outside Kreator's modern comfort zone (maybe returning to their late-90's gothic wanderings) or just the usual pseudo-epic/power metal pap clumsily disguising as thrash? Say what you will about "Endorama", but at least that album knew what it was, and it had a different, precise direction that couldn't be mistaken for anything else in the band's discography: "Midnight Sun" just doesn't. It's stuck in a no man's land, between Kreator's secret wish to broaden their horizons beyond the plastic, commercial brand of metal they play nowadays, and the need to cuddle their current fanbase, ending up pleasing no one in the end. Even other attempts at integrating female choirs on other tracks (such as "Conquer and Destroy"), along with the occasional orchestrations, just fit within a lame symphonic power metal framework that might as well be just a wink to the Nightwish/Epica crowd. The band knows they've painted themselves into a corner, where they can do nothing but churn out more singalong power metal anthems with predictable, sometimes outright recycled vocal lines ("the fight goes on, our fight goes on and on" - is that "Future King" from "Endorama"? Curious Freudian slip, guys), built around formulaic mid-tempos that may occasionally stumble across a vaguely cool idea (like one pretty cool choppy riff toward the end of "Conquer and Destroy"), yet never building upon it. The album concludes with "Dying Planet", which goes for a slow, mildly sinister formula that still falls into the most tired tropes and lowest-effort tokens for those kind of atmospheres: at the end, you even hear a blasting, quasi-black metal section with the most cliché tremolo riff imaginable. It may be new territory for Kreator, but it isn't for an expert extreme metal listener; however, it's important to keep in mind that this is not an album made for expert listeners - but rather, for casual fans and newbies, unable to explore beyond what big labels like Nuclear Blast and Napalm Records pump out on a daily basis.

All of the warning signs that could be abundantly heard on "Phantom Antichrist" and "Gods of Violence" have fully blossomed on "Hate über Alles" - the laziest, most mediocre Kreator album to date. Its "melodic/epic metal" formula is trivial, phoned in and predictable in the worst modern mainstream metal fashion, while its sporadic attempts at experimenting outside the box are misguided, half-assed and unsure of themselves: in any case, the album never goes beyond the bare minimum for songwriting in spite of its triumphantly pompous technical proficiency. Even Arthur Rizk's production, while a bit rougher compared to the band's previous efforts, doesn't fundamentally differ from the rigid, brickwalled plasticity of their recent works - and the painted cover art, while still technically impressive, is as stereotypical and dejavu-inducing as it can get: this time, Eliran Kantor just dug up his concept for Soulfly's "Archangel" and changed it up a little. This trend of painted cover arts might be better than godawful 3D CGI artworks from the 2000's/early 2010's era, but we're starting to see so many lookalikes even within this more noble artistic field. Digressions aside, I think the only hope Kreator does have at this point to get out of their comfort zone is to fire their Finnish lead guitarist, the one who brought all those Scandinavian melodicisms starting with "Violent Revolution": if even such an event is not enough to get Kreator out of their melodeath/power metal repetition compulsion, nothing can and the band is forever doomed to remain in autopilot mode - quite a sad ending for the guys who were once able to write something as groundbreaking, experimental and deliberately uncomfortable to listen to as "Renewal", an album that flew in the face of any commercial expectation, easy-listening temptation and fixed musical trend. Kreator have become the total opposite of what they once represented. They're basically dead to me at this point, and I might just go back blasting "Endless Pain" to remember them at the top of their game.

Kreator's another of our enduring, legendary thrash metal bands that took a few lumps during more their experimental self-exploration phase, which usually comes around a decade after their ascent through a slew of thrashing masterworks. All things considered, though, it was never really that bad...Cause for Conflict felt mediocre, although well within their realm of typical aggression, and Endorama's moody, melancholic tinge of Goth rock influence wasn't a total disaster. Their other, more industrial-driven records like Outcast and Renewal ranged from good to great for me, however. I bring this up, because the first track I heard off this latest album, "Strongest of the Strong", featured an interesting use of tasteful female vocals that led me to believe that they'd forayed off into a new direction...and not an unpleasant one.

But it turns out that particular song is an exception here, because this is just a heavy as fuck Teutonic thrashing which put my neck and numerous other limbs in braces. Don't get me wrong, this is richly produced, mature, modern Kreator, more atmospheric than their 80s classics, but it hits like a ton of bricks with some of the fastest pure riffing the band has ever manifest. All of the decades behind them have structured and informed this record, and the only real modernization is a matter of production and tighter musicianship. You've got the utter savagery of your Pleasure to Kill or Terrible Certainty filtered through the more melodic works of recent years like Phantom Antichrist, and then a few refreshing elements like the guest vocals above, which work amazingly well, like a shade hovering above the lightning tremolo picked riffs. Mille's raving bark sounds just as rich as you'd hope, and it still shocks me how the 'Big Four' German thrash frontmen (Mille, Schmier, Gerre and Tom) are still at the top of their game after all these years. This guy is 55 fucking years old...it's astonishing.

He's not the only shining star here, because Ventor still has his hustle behind the kit, and Sami's interplay with Mille's guitars provides a number of ecstatic, melodic moments that really help contrast and balance out the pure ferocity that the band are meting out on the lower end. These tracks sound like 30 years of evolution stacked on top of the ambition they showed with records like Terrible Certainty or Coma of Souls, and while individual riffs might not come across as distinctly catchy, or the chorus parts as obvious, Hate über alles has a lot to unpack, and all of it good. When I see people complaining about this modern Kreator, I have to wonder what they are even thinking. What more could you expect than this?!? It's advanced and interesting, moody and atmospheric, and STILL has the hostile undercurrent the group created in their youths. It's not full of hits that will challenge the Germans' Golden Oldies, you've still got your "Flag of Hate" and "Riot of Violence" available whenever you want to hear them, but they've used all of their experience to produce records with a lot of depth that will forever retain me as a card-carrying fan until I'm wormfood. Stellar record, my fave from them in over a decade.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

German thrash metal pioneers Kreator are back with their fifteenth studio album that properly introduces skllled new bassist Frédéric Leclercq of DragonForce fame. The quartet from the Ruhr has now become an international star ensemble. The four gifted musicians sound particularly hungry and offer forty-six minutes of gripping entertainment on Hate über alles.

There are three categories of songs on this output. First and foremost, we have aggressive, fast and relentless thrash metal that doesn't take any prisoners and is guaranteed to tear your head off. Opening title track ''Hate über alles'' for instance convinces with pitiless rhythm section, fast guitar riffs and aggressive vocals leading to an anthemic chorus that should work splendidly in concert and has the potential to become a modern classic on the band's future setlists.

Up next, this release includes a few mid-paced melodic thrash metal tracks with dominant traditional heavy metal soundscapes. A great example would be ''Strongest of the Strong'' with a mid-paced rhythm section, melodic guitar play and vocals finding the perfect balance between energy and harmony. This song also includes a particularly catchy chorus that both fans of old date and potential new listeners should appreciate instantly.

Finally, this record includes a few more experimental songs with elaborate atmospheres going back to the band's experimental gothic and industrial efforts from the nineties without denying the group's charismatic heavy and thrash metal foundations. One such example is ''Midnight Sun'' that features additional vocals by alternative pop and new wave artist Sofia Portanet whose vocals are fluidly interwoven into the atmospheric, liberating and playful song.

At the end of the day, Kreator's Hate über alles sounds more diversified, focused and skillful than immediate predecessor Gods of Violence that had several ups and downs. This new album can't compete with the band's greatest cuts such as consistent, dynamic and imaginative Phantom Antichrist but could be described as very good heavy and thrash metal album in general and a record in the upper middle section of Kreator's high-quality discography. Faithful fans and adamant heavy and thrash metal fans should definitely check this album out right away while occasional listeners or new fans might want to give excellent compilation Maximum Hate a spin beforehand.

I used to really love Kreator, especially because they were so unpredictable in the 90's. Between unusual experiments like Renewal or Outcast there was again a brutal thrash Album like Cause for Conflict. And with Endorama the band even tried their hand at Gothic Rock/Metal. But I don't think they've dared anything since 2001's (great) comeback with Violent Revolution.

Hate Über Alles is now the sixth album in a row that comes along more or less in the same style. And I was really excited because before the release they talked about the most experimental album since Endorama. But just because a few female vocals are sung over a mediocre song doesn't mean it's a grand experiment. That many riffs, melodies, choruses and lyrics of the last 5 albums are repeated over and over again doesn't make it any better. The title track for example is a great song, but more or less a remake of the song "Hordes of Chaos" from the album of the same name.

In addition, since Phantom Antichrist at the latest, the band has lost a lot of its brutality in favor of anthem-like song structures. Aside from the title track, the only really aggressive song is "Killer of Jesus". The rest is fairly melodic mid-tempo Metal and it all feels very familiar. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing bad here, and if you love bands like AC/DC or Motörhead precisely because you know what you're getting, you should be perfectly happy with Hate Über Alles.

The musicianship is great as always, but again in my opinion there's nothing that stands out or is truly remarkable. And somehow I find the choruses very annoying after a while. Almost every song basically follows the same structure, after a buildup Mille screams the title of the track over a mid-tempo beat. Or in the case of “Crush the Tyrants” he yells “us against you” at least 6 times. And it almost feels like the arrangements and courses of some songs were written with a traditional heavy metal singer like Rob Halford or Bruce Dickinson in mind. But that's not the style Mille can deliver, which is particularly evident on the two closing songs “Pride Comes Before the Fall” and “Dying Planet”.

Unfortunately, Kreator have become pretty irrelevant to me in 2022 because they've been playing it safe for over 20 years now, and while there where at least some outstanding Songs on every Album in their career, i think none of the tracks from Hate Über Alles will stand the test of Time.

Continuing the recent trend of dropping an album every half-decade or so, Germany’s thrash masterminds Kreator prove what proper amounts of time can do for a new record. 2017’s Gods Of Violence wound up taking album of the year for me. While I may not go that far now, Millie and Co. have conjured up a solid follow-up to it with Hate Über Alles. It follows a similar path to what they’ve been doing since 2001’s Violent Revolution, yet twenty-one years later they’ve still managed to keep it interesting.

Admittedly, this one didn’t snatch me in as quickly as the prior two records did. But after a few listens, I was able to capture plenty of interesting ideas being offered. The previous record saw a bit more melody, and while Hate Über Alles doesn’t dial that in as hard, it still remains a prominent factor. “Strongest Of The Strong'' is absolutely loaded with traditional metal hooks with their Teutonic thrashy touch, and the same can be said about “Pride Comes Before The Fall'." The latter cakes on some beautiful singing amongst keys and melodies. “Midnight Sun” certainly focuses on that as well, featuring German new-wave vocalist Sofia Portanet on vocals, adding all sorts of atmosphere.

But there’s a lot of ferocious energy to go around. The very next track “Demonic Future” kicks in with blitzing riffing and nasty drum kicks to contrast perfectly. Amongst this are slower songs that tune into a deeper feeling of dread, meant to match the common theme of destruction, hopelessness, and dystopia. “Dying Planet” really lets us off on a different note, going out with the heaviest dose of atmosphere. This trick seems to be the biggest lateral move Kreator made to help themselves stand out within this disc. You’ll also dig up plenty of doomy fossils within “Crush The Tyrants”.

For a band that has stayed relatively true to one style for two decades, I really appreciate how much they’ve managed to make everything stand out. This is a discography that has been consistently good aside from a small hiccup in 1992 and into 1995, and this may see the most change since Endorama in 1999 (a criminally underrated record). Those looking for an entirely new invention of the wheel, you won’t find that here. But I truly can’t think of anything worth complaining about.

Originally written for Sleeping Village

For such a flashy album title, there's suprisingly little actual hate inside.

This being the 15th album and this year being the 40th anniversary, Mille & Co. probably thought they'd go all out. Unfortunately, in 2022 their idea of going all out means female vocals (which are fine per se, just not all too fitting in that specific song) and sing-along choruses, which, to be frank, sound ridiculous. The rest of it is Kreator as we know them ever since "Enemy of God". And somehow this album loses not only to "Enemy of God", but to every single album since then, even to the direct predecessor "Gods of Violence". This album is so well-polished and so by-the-book Kreator that there's no room for growth, just room for sing-alongs. As it turns out, the 2020 single "666 - World Divided" was a sign of things to come, not just a slightly weird track (surprisingly enough, it somehow isn't featured on the album).

Fortunately, not all hope is lost. Mille's half-barks, half-shouts are still gruff and sorta believable, and some songs really do pack a punch, even though they're not outright aggressive anymore, the title track and "Killer of Jesus" in particular. "Strongest of the Strong" might be cheesy as hell, but the guitars on it are quite well done. Overall, none of the band members has lost their touch on the instruments: Ventor's drumming is at times outright cool, Sami's power metal escapades are well executed and still a nice addition to the trademark Kreator sound. In fact, they MAKE the trademark Kreator sound nowadays. And while Leclercq is no genius performer, his bass parts are solid, and they are audible, which always adds a nice touch to a metal album.

Unfortunately, it sounds like the band somehow lost their energy in the last few years. Much as I'm fond of the tracks I mentioned, most of the others are just plain ineffectual. You do recognize them as Kreator songs, but they just go over your head. Yes, they're heavy, yes, they're pleasant to the ear, but you don't find yourself headbanging along. In fact, as catchy as "Strongest of the Strong" is, the only thing that makes it a Kreator song is Sami's quirks. Without them it might as well be a full-fledged power metal song, which also goes for the entire second half of the album (and Mille has the gall to shout "Remember where you came from!" at one point).

Though truth be told, it's not all that bad. Uninspired as most of the songs may be, you can still listen to them and even enjoy them - the band has polished their skill during their 40 years of existence. The album is thankfully also short enough to not overstay its welcome and manages to grab your attention one last time with "Dying Planet", which evokes appropriate feelings of tension. And maybe, just maybe, I will discover some hidden sides to it after a few years and come to like it as a result (this happened with "Hordes of Chaos", which I initially dismissed, but ended up loving after all).

It's hard not to dive into superlative clichés when talking about Teutonic powerhouse Kreator. Their impact on the European thrash scene of the 1980s and legacy left to subsequent generations is unparalleled in the old continent, placing them on a prominent spot in Heavy Metal’s Olympus. Albums such as Pleasure to Kill, Extreme Aggression or Coma of Souls not only remain iconic references of the genre but also mirror the spirit of an era when Euro bands like Sodom, Destruction, Tankard or Coroner rivaled the mighty American armada that was taking the world by storm at the time. And although Petrozza & the boys have lost some steam since their experimental 1992 foray - Renewal, they kept moving forward, wandering into more adventurous (yet uninspired) territory over the nineties to later return to their roots, albeit with somewhat more melodic nuances. Be that as it may, the lads' perseverance has been paying off as most of their following are still on board, making Kreator one of today's most successful veteran thrash bands outside the Big Four.

As with all albums of the genre, particularly those by old-school acts, I waited for Kreator's fifteenth full-length with moderate expectations, as, with a few rare exceptions, these old dogs can no longer surprise me. It's all been done, redone, and tried out, so it all boils down to the entertainment value that each band or release can offer me; and when it comes to Kreator, the heavier the better. Mille Petrozza's musical and vocal peculiarities advise a focus on aggression, or at least that it be a paramount layer, even when surrounded by melody. Petrozza was never a gifted singer, so one must be careful not to take a step longer than the leg. A common mistake, when you fail to (or choose not to) acknowledge your own artistic limitations. In this sense, the title track and 'Killer of Jesus' are where the band shows its truest, most genuine colors, alongside the speed metal(ish) 'Demonic Future' that somehow reminds me of vintage European underground acts such as Mandator or Apocalypse. While it might seem a bit reductive, Hate Über Alles spreads its wings when it stays simple, closer to its straightforward thrash roots. The title track's imposing yet catchy chorus or 'Killer of Jesus'' ferocious verse are among the finest examples of a successful formula that should have been replicated more often. I certainly understand the aim to diversify and enrich the sound palette, it’s a desirable aspiration, yet I don't think, for example, that 'Become Immortal's' Running Wild-esque approach or the gothic-ish 'Midnight Sun', despite their virtues, add quality to the whole. They do indeed diversify but provide no real value to Hate Über Alles, as do the uninspired choruses of 'Crush the Tyrants', 'Conquer and Destroy' or 'Dying Planet', which even exude some creative mediocrity. Polychromy isn't necessarily synonymous with artistic richness or multidimensionality. Nevertheless, despite its ups and downs, Hate Über Alles does not fail to entertain, if only for being what it is - an echo of times past that keeps us connected to one of the most iconic entities the genre has ever offered. The introductory homage to Sergio Corbucci is also worth mentioning since it lends an unexpected but pleasant cinematic tone to the album's overture while adding an extra European flavor to the mix. And some geographical context, when genuine, enhances any artistic expression.

At this point, we have to ask ourselves what to expect from Mille, Ventor & Co. Some kind of Extreme Aggression or Coma of Souls 2.0? And if that were to happen, would it be truly authentic? Expectations surrounding historic bands are almost always a double-edged sword; while on the one hand we yearn to capture a bygone era, on the other, we seek a degree of freshness that might lend relevance and entertainment value to the music. Hate Über Alles lies somewhere in the middle, swinging between good, average, and even mediocre territory, failing to fully embody either its title or vicious artwork. Because sometimes, violence is the (only) answer or at least stands as the most fitting output for some legendary Teutonic squads.

Originally written for www.sputnikmusic.com

Alternative titles: Kreator Is Dead; Weakest of the Weak

This is just sad. Kreator used to be one of my all-time favorite bands. They could outthrash any of the legendary thrash bands in their prime. Their first five albums are absolutely essential, with Pleasure to Kill and Coma of Souls being among the highest peaks in all of thrash, if not all of metal. This album, on the other hand, is a complete opposite of what I just mentioned. I get it: times change, bands get old, yadda yadda yadda, but that's no excuse to write vapid and artificial trash such as Hate über alles.

So, what's wrong with this album, you ask? Exactly what has been wrong with Kreator's output for the last two decades: generic and uninspired riffage; recycling and plagiarism that even Kai Hansen would be ashamed of; Mille's past-the-prime grating bark; absurdly lifeless and sterile overproduction; big dumb choruses with worthless singalongs and other power metal elements that the band just can't get right (get Persuader's Evolution Purgatory if you want an awesome blend of EUPM and raging thrash), it's all there. Kreator did not change at all since Enemy of God.

This album is a lot like Arch Enemy, Dark Tranquility, At the Gates and such bands. Sure, they're playing fast, there's a lot of screaming, the riffs are vaguely technical etc etc etc, but there's no intensity or conviction whatsoever. It's all polished to the crisp and robbed of the grit and roughness that thrash inherently needs. Some thrash albums like Tempo of the Damned at its best moments can outshine the overproduction with their amazing riffage and powerful songwriting, but rest assured, Hate über alles is not one of those. Now, this IS better than any of the aforementioned Gothenburg bands, but saying that as if it's some sort of a compliment is an utter insult to this once legendary band. I haven't listened to any Kreator album between Violent Revolution and Gods of Violence in at least a year and a half and I can already name several examples of blatant recycling. Compare the title track to All of the Same Blood, Killer of Jesus to Phantom Antichrist, Midnight Sun to Impossible Brutality or Demonic Future and Pride Comes Before the Fall to System Decay. And that's without mentioning plagiarism from other bands. I'm pretty sure there are other examples that I failed to notice, but that's up to you to figure out.

Another thing that pisses me off are the random, nonsensical ideas, like the chantings at 3:05 of Conquer and Destroy, 3:02 of Pride Comes Before the Fall or 5:06 of Dying Planet. Or that fucking lullaby intro to Pride Comes Before the Fall. What the fuck? They fall completely flat, and simply sound like In Flames or Dark Tranquility when they get all "creative".

Crush the Tyrants is a total Manowar/Sabaton styled plodfest that makes Servant in Heaven - King in Hell sound like Hall of the Mountain King, and Strongest of the Strong belongs on Whoracle more than on any Kreator album (seriously, that main lick sounds suspiciously similar to Jotun). Become Immortal is just a rewritten Phantom of the Opera, which is not necessarily a bad thing (Omen had done that multiple times on their first three albums and they still rule), but this is completely sappy and utter tripe. Midnight Sun falls for the "gratuitous female vocals" pitfall, and even those suck. They're overeffected and completely indecipherable. Dying Planet is the only song that shows potential in any notable amount, as it sounds quite eerie and apocalyptic. Unfortunately, even that song does little more than plod along and just makes me want to listen to Cirith Ungol's Doomed Planet. The rest is not even worthy of mentioning. Completely uninspired and forgettable.

Now, there are some promising moments like 1:39 of the title track, and the soloing in general is pretty good on this album. And although I complained about the lameness of the singalongs, Midnight Sun has an amazing chorus that could easily fit on a Persuader album. Unfortunately, Kreator simply does not excel at this kind of thing, and singalongs in general not fit at all with Kreator's brand of destructive thrash. Try to find a single singalong on the first five albums and you'll see what I mean (Total Death and Material World Paranoia come close, but are not nearly as "raise your fists, la la la" as anything on this album). And unlike some people that dislike 21st century Kreator, I don't mind the fact that these albums are melodic (Coma of Souls is also pretty melodic, and we all agree its awesome), nor do I think they are necessarily "Gothenburg faggotry" (songs like Replicas of Life or Civilization Collapse sound to me more like Symbolic-era Death songs than anything from the Gothenburg scene), although there are times where that description fits. The real, main problem is that these melodies are pretty bland and sappy, and most importantly, they fail to create the vicious (and crippling) atmosphere that defines Kreator. Just listen to intros to People of the Lie or Terror Zone and compare them to the intro of Conquer and Destroy, and you'll see what I mean.

Alas, a few great moments here and there a great album do not make. At least back in the early 2000's, they could pull off a solid thrasher like Reconquering the Throne or Enemy of God, or a solid epic number like Replicas of Life or Voices of the Dead. This has nothing like that. These songs are nothing more than a fodder so the band can keep touring. This album might as well have been written by an AI. For all I know, it quite possibly is.

As much as it pains me to say it, Kreator should just call it quits. They don't have nearly enough of fresh ideas to keep writing album after an album. I really wish it were otherwise because there are some small amounts of potential here, but it's all being wasted and buried in the sea of vapidity and mediocrity. This is almost Sabaton-tier in its creative bankruptcy. Nice soloing and the chorus of Midnight Sun aside, I cannot find anything praiseworthy on this album. Even the decent riffs are done to death both by Kreator and numerous other bands. Kreator is dead. They have been dead for 20 years, if not even more, and what we see here is just their lifeless husk. They keep going only because nobody invited them to their funeral.

Edit: THIS THING IS PRODUCED BY ARTHUR RIZK?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Rizk has a knack for creating a sound that flawlessly blends the retro and the modern, so I have no idea what the fuck happened here. This album, despite his involvement, has exactly the same modern sterile production values of the previous four Kreator albums. Wow. I'm speechless. If he couldn't save the band, then Kreator truly is a living (but not ripping) corpse.

Kreator – maybe one or two of you may be already familiar with this name? Well, if not, that’s no problem. Their name is unfortunately much bigger than the music they offer today. Of course, “Hate über alles” will receive a lot of fanboy and Mother Theresa reviews and naturally some of you really like the album whole-heartedly. That’s okay, why not? But for me, the ridiculously titled “Hate über alles” is a pretty ambivalent album.

Yes, I said ridiculous. “Hate über alles” does not focus on aggression and hate. It’s an album that wants to walk the fine line between a certain dose of thrash and commercial considerations. Already this calculating approach does not fit the explosiveness of thrash. Apart from this, the material holds some truly embarrassing elements. “Become Immortal” is a lame and powerless song with squeaky guitars, but it would be at least acceptable without its terrible “ohoho” sing-along section. And why does Mille sing “remember where you came from” on an album that has absolutely nothing in common with the early works of the band? Cynical parody?

But of course, nobody, not even me, expected a full-length that focuses on courage instead of commerce. At the end of the day, I accept the general approach of Kreator. They want to be in thrash what Maiden is in heavy metal and Scorpions are in hard rock – the absolute consensus band. Kreator want to be loved, no matter the cost. But does this excuse terribly soft vocal lines like those in “Conquer and Destroy”? Not to mention the inadequate female vocals in “Midnight Sun”. These kitschy duets make me puke since Theatre of Tragedy’s “Schattentanz”, although here the lady sings in a more robotic than romantic way. The calm intro as well as a soft intermezzo of “Pride Before the Fall” also want to ride the song in the shit, but at the end it reaches a solid level.

All these soft building blocks must of course be compensated. “Killer of Jesus”, wow, what a provocative title! This is t.h.r.a.s.h. 2022, isn’t it? Well, maybe it is, but there shimmers a little lie through every tone of the album. Either you have integrity or not and it seems to me that Kreator once indulged their passion and now they do their job. I admit they do it with expertise and their technical skills are beyond doubt, but “Hate über alles” is a pretty lame result, if you use thrash standards. The level of energy is low and the same applies for the degree of dynamic. Nevertheless, a small number of good songs has crept in. To begin at the end: “Dying Planet” is a sinister, heavy closer, far away from being a typical filler whose only function is to close the output. The mid-harsh “Strongest of the strong” holds the strongest guitar work on a not very strong album. No wonder this track was put on the net as an advance track. “Killer of Jesus” is partly pretty intensive and okay, “Hate über alles” marks a stormy and violent opener, but (and this is a big but) it does not represent the album. It screams: listen, people, we are so goddamn brutal! The infantile artwork wants to tell the same story. But this work is anything else but brutal.

It goes without saying that the production is more or less perfect. Hooray! It avoids sterility and that’s no matter of course when it comes to big players like Kreator with a great budget. I also do not deny that “Hate über alles” leaves a better impression than its formulaic predecessor. Some good sections shape an acceptable full-length, no more, no less. Is this the standard that Kreator set for themselves? Either way, all of you who like the album: have a good time with it, it’s metal and therefore it is okay. I will listen to something else.

What a solid follow-up from 'Gods of Violence'. That one just grew on me. But this one is solid in every way! Mille sounds great on vocals. And the riffs are sick. Fresh and well thought out! The overall quality is not only the music but the sound quality as well! Kreator's career stretches over 40 years and long-time members (Mille & Ventor) are still hacking it. As long as Mille stays on rhythm, cannot go wrong! Sami does a good job in the lead department but not as good as Frank Blackfire (the old lead shredder). This one has a mountain of aggression and technical thrash riffs. They just simply tore it apart here.

I don't necessarily like the lyrics though I never did like their concepts. But the music and overall sound kicked ass. Wish I could see them once again but I'm not sure if that's going to happen. A friend said they're Saxon sounding on this one, though I've never really explored that band. I've just been into Kreator since the late 80's. I'm one that's always hell stuck on 'Coma of Souls'. But they have a lot of good albums to explore such as 'Phantom Antichrist', 'Enemy of God' and 'Violent Revolution' (not in order by release date). Their previous had some good songs as well though overall this one is the key solid release!

I think the compositions themselves are what makes this one so admirable. They really do have it here! They're in their 50's and like fellow thrashers Destruction are still putting out good quality music. There was a brief time when Kreator took a dive with 'Renewal'. I thought that that was the last of them after I heard that one. I was wrong and since they've been thrash which is their roots! I think they've hit a wide array of fans once again showing that they will not compromise! The riffs on here were the highlights the melodies and rhythms simply kicked major ass from all aspects!

Well, I cheated and downloaded the album in skepticism after hearing a few music videos then I heard the whole album! So I made sure to get this on CD! I'm glad I got their physical copy and am no longer skeptical of this one. The music is really strong here. Maybe because they took around 5 years of getting it put together after 'Gods of Violence'. This one is way tighter and more melodic in my humble opinion. Kreator is as strong as ever and this album just shows us that. I know there will never be another 'Coma of Souls', but this one is pretty close! Long live Kreator!

The USA may have been the birthplace of thrash metal, but when it comes to its most extreme adherents, said nation has some utterly forbidding competition on the German front. Whereas the original Big 4 presents something of a balanced equation of extreme, progressive, comedic and mainline expressions of the style, their Teutonic equivalent presents a lopsided scale of unapologetic carnage that could be likened to 3 Slayers and a Metallica/Anthrax hybrid in the group’s lone outlier Tankard. Though the jury has been out for nearly 40 years as to whether Sodom or Kreator presents the most intense expression of pure sonic rage, there is a pretty strong case to be made that the latter has been the more willing of the two to incorporate some modern influences to further augment their craft. Indeed, with Kreator’s latest studio effort aptly dubbed Hate Uber Alles, this quartet of part-time horror show purveyors, part-time political commentators have molded arguably their most balanced package of vintage mayhem and modern ferocity yet.

For those who have rode the train of human horror and social commentary that has been this outfit’s stock and trade for the past couple decades, not much has changed in the personnel front since the early 2000s. The notable exception being the inclusion of former Dragonforce bassist Frederic Leclercq to the fold in the time since Kreator’s last manifesto of rage Gods Of Violence. His contributions when combined with the exemplary post-production work this time around definitely result in a darker and heavier presentation, though most of the standout performances have been put forth by those who have served under the flag of hate for a longer tour. The kit work of long time drummer Jurgen “Ventor” Reil proves about as thunderous as it does versatile, as much of the material found on here explores a more nuanced, mid-paced crevice in the thrash paradigm to go along with the unrelenting flurry of chaotic fills and machine gun double kick work. Likewise, the twin guitar assault of Mille Petrozza and Sami Yli-Sirnio recalls both the dissonant harmonies and blurring speed of classic Slayer, but also taps into some of the more consonant themes occasionally heard out of more progressive adherents to the old Bay Area sound and even parts of the 90s Gothenburg melodeath style.

But when all is said and done, the chief selling point of this album is the brilliant showcase of versatile songwriting that matches the extreme aggression with a more epic and elaborate take on the thrash game. The opening prelude “Sergio Corbucci Is Dead” almost sounds akin to the sort of stereotypical Spaghetti Western soundtrack material associated with the film maker in question and superimposed on what sounds like a military funeral march. In like fashion, much of the pounding metallic anthems that follow reflect this sort of clashing of different worlds, with heavy-ended crushers like “Conquer And Destroy” and “Crush The Tyrants” incorporating a blend of power and old school heavy metal elements to augment the obligatory brutality. Likewise, even when things go off into full speed as on “Killer Of Jesus” there is still a lingering sense of consonant, old school metal charm at play in the riffing approach. Even when things go into full on Slayer mode and the descending harmonies reminiscent of “Raining Blood” hit the speakers on the titan of a title anthem “Hate Uber Alles” and “Demonic Future”, there is an enduring sense of modern precision and technical flair that lends almost as much to a sort of Arch Enemy meets modern Exodus take on things.

In this time where the younger generation seems hell bent on dismissing the wisdom of the elder guard, regardless of what subject the conversation may fall, there is something to be said for a band that is still killing it in a manner that most bands in their 20s can’t match while well into their 50s. Indeed, one of the hallmarks of this album’s charm is how Mille Petrozza’s vocal work has gone from a monolithic extreme growl during their mid-80s beginnings to a highly versatile blend of cleaner and even rawer vocalizations that could embody multiple subsets of metal within a single song. The haunting gang chorus that close out the mid-paced melodic beast “Become Immortal” and the atmospheric low chants that kick off the blistering berserker anthem “Pride Comes Before The Fall” seemingly come out of nowhere in the context of Kreator’s ongoing stylistic evolution, yet fit in seamlessly with the plethora of fresh new takes that this entire album has to offer. It might not outclass the zenith points that exists in this band’s extensive history, be it undisputed triumphs like Pleasure To Kill, Coma Of Souls and their riveting millennial return to form Violent Revolution, but it gets as close as they’ve ever gotten in the past two decades.

Originally written for Sonic Perspectives (www.sonicperspectives.com)

The 15th studio album by Kreator has the most matching title one can unfortunately imagine for the year 2022. Hate Über Alles is quite provocative but gets all the shit happening these days to the point. On the other hand a homage to Dead Kennedys (and everybody who is wondering about such a "patriotic" title got something wrong with Kreator). So it is no surprise that the whole album deals with hate, war, brutalization and environmental destruction. Megadeth once sang "The Threat Is Real" - yes, it is but the threat is not drowning refugees in the Mediterranean Sea but us: everybody on this planet who takes part in the destruction of society and the environment through his / her behavior.

The guys around Mille make a clear statement about this issue in 'Dying Planet', the last track on Hate Über Alles and one of the tracks you have to get used to. It's a slow and creeping track about which Sami Yli-Sirniö told me that it could be their Celtic Frost track. So it is pretty obvious that you can find a lot of Swiss tunes in it. On the album are some more tracks that are not the old-school Kreator stuff so that Hate Über Alles became a more challenging album than the ones after Endorama. But before you stop reading now because of reading Endorama - I can assure you that you won't be disappointed. Kreator built in some more classical heavy metal riffing like in 'Conquer And Destroy' (Iron Maiden and Blind Guardian anyone??? ) or 'Become Immortal' with a lot of NWoBHM-flair, a slight kitschy "ohoho"-chorus and a really fantastic bridge part (and some autobiographical lyrics by Mille) and some quite dystopian tunes on 'Midnight Sun' combined with some female vocals from the German (pop music) newcomer Sofia Portanet whose album "Freier Geist" was Milles favorite album in 2020.

But of course there are a lot of quite typical Kreator tracks on Hate Über Alles like 'Demonic Future' with a lot of tempo changes and the typical drumming by Ventor. The title track which could have also been on Enemy Of God or Hordes Of Chaos, the more brutal albums from the younger past or 'Killer Of Jesus'. Another provocative title and the track starts with a short black metal-like intro. This one is a brutal and melodic song that really kicks ass.

The production is absolutely flawless. This time the guys didn't engage Jens Bogren but a quite unknown American producer called Arthur Rizk (who was recommended to them by Michael Amott) and I guess they made no mistake with that.

So, what's the conclusion? It takes some listening sessions to fully open up Hate Über Alles because they changed some things in their composing approach and don't repeat themselves (what they never did). The songs have a lot of melodic guitar work but nevertheless the album sounds pretty uncompromising. Of course it is no "Pleasure To Kill Part 2" but everybody who knows Kreator will not expect such a thing in the last 30 years.

Rating: 9 out of 10 Hate songs

Originally written for metalbite.com

After succumbing to 20 or so years of mediocre experiments with gothic elements and some more thrashy but still far too contrived material, Kreator's last effort "Gods of Violence" showed a step in the right direction. While lacking in the band's legendary efficiency in their early days, that album was strong enough to symbolise somewhat of a comeback for Kreator. Hate Uber Alles takes this and develops it further, echoing back to the glory days of Extreme Aggression and Coma of Souls but still with an emphasis of a more modern touch. Straight away, the brilliant acoustic progression in the intro explodes into some quality, ripping thrash metal that dips its toes slightly into the melody that caused Kreator's stagnancy in the first place, but instead this time it's executed with overwhelming aggression and shows off a passionate and energetic performance from every member, right as the opening riff to the title track kicks off.

This song is representative of the entire record; frantic verses with raging speed and a brilliant chorus that reminds me of Satan Is Real, and captures the band's newfound commercial sound but it matches the intensity down to a science. Ventor in particular boasts one of his most vigorous performances in the better side of 3 decades, with relentless patterns and a great adaptation to the more harmonic guitars. You could make the argument that this album suffers from Kreator's melothrash tendencies which is a huge misstep, but the songwriting here is just too proficient to dismiss as mediocre or even good. A hugely consistent tracklist showcases an exhilarating use of melody as an overtone to the more thrashy sound of the riffs.

Some sections that take the band out of their comfort zone improve the album, adding some interesting ideas like the tribal intro to Crush The Tyrants. The songs do become a bit predictable with the foundations of the songs being based on the choruses, but these choruses all feature some incredible utilisation of a processed, satisfying and crystal clear guitar tone. Extending from this are the solos, which are purely mesmerising, and show virtuosity that never was really present in Kreator's music prior to Hate Uber Alles. One of my personal favourite tracks is Strongest of The Strong, with its driving atmosphere and amazing melodic articulation in the verses.

Falling only a hair behind Kreator's run of the 5 classic albums, this record is a supreme return to form with an ultra-layered production that sounds organic and massive, if only lacking in pure aggression in some certain areas. The runtime is filled with mind-blowing melodic passages and even some influences of groove metal, with the Lamb of God-esque Demonic Future. The result is an inspired, eloquent album with many memorable moments.

I’ll be honest, I overrated the last Kreator album. Gods of Violence was patchy and frequently tried to do the right thing instead of the most natural thing for the band. I have no qualms about the German thrash legends adding a touch of melody to their formula over the last decade or so, nor that a bit of that seems to come from melodeath, but all the same the quartet know what they are good at, and so do their fans. Hate über alles strikes me as a smart step for old stages Mille Petrozza and Ventor, comparative newcomer Sami Yli-Sirniö, plus Frédéric Leclercq, who really is a newcomer, joining on bass in 2019. Aggression rises above variety on a relatively trim 46 minute set of 10 songs, as well as the title track’s intro…

…which builds into a raging number that does Kreator proud. Really, it should be easy for these guys to write their popular songs, because they rely on a couple of tricks, namely stabbing changes of pace into thunderous fast verses, stabbing changes of pace into Petrozza’s savage shouts, and stabbing changes of pace into flashing solos. Yeah, the faster songs only need the one feature to be effective as long as the band plays tight enough. ‘Hate über alles’ is instant gold. The following ‘Killer of Jesus’ proves the formula can work back to back, although it highlights a disappointing tendency to slow down for the chorus and just repeat the title, which holds back quite a few tracks at such moments. Variety from Kreator these days is a must, so the slower and less dense likes of ‘Strongest of the Strong’, ‘Dying Planet’, and ‘Crush the Tyrants’ make use of floated melodies and stomping rhythms to redirect power in a more emotional direction, rather than through those primitive neck muscles.

As with the last few albums from Kreator, an experiment or two is allowed in too, plus a longer number that features some epic bits and bobs. The former this time around sounds like Cradle Of Filth (no, really) on their recent 3 albums, coupling furious semi-extreme riffing with female vocals, and what’s more it might even be about vampires! Scandalous. Personally I love ‘Midnight Sun’, all the more so because it sees Ventor stepping outside thrash patterns on the drums and the skewed pace squeezing the song shorter, which these guys need to do more often. ‘Dying Planet’ is the lengthy one, and in fact the only song above 5 minutes, though the elongated vocal lines and darker melodies have a corollary in ‘Become Immortal’, which employs choral vocals later on to increase the scope of the experience, ‘Conquer and Destroy’ doing something similar too as a bridge during a more straightforward thrasher. None of these ideas elevate to genius levels, but the common sense approach to album structure and production pay dividends, firstly by sequencing faster songs first, breathing for some anthemic cuts, and then bringing back the fury in the lower half of the track list. I hardly need to say that everything sounds fucking massive.

These days, I find it hard to put my finger on a modern-sounding thrash release and say that it’s truly awesome, yet much of Hate über alles encourages me to do just that, funnily enough with the exception of the rather jolly ‘Strongest of the Strong’ and those lazy choruses. Like Gods of Violence before it, the newest Kreator album feels extremely clinical and benefits in that regard by being a big Nuclear Blast release, though the realization that it’s clinical and still really enjoyable comes back every time I press play. Not to mention, I’m tempted to press play more often than almost any other Kreator album at the moment.