I want to get into writing reviews again, as I'm hardly doing any real writing these days. Submitted this to MA. I'm trying to find a style that's actually interesting as writing but also possibly useful to someone trying to make a purchasing decision. So comments on the writing are welcome, as are expressions of dissent or offers to fellate me because my opinions are so awesome.
A swirling guitar riff churns over a frantic cymbal lead in before the whole band comes crashing in and bursts into a charging thrash assault. Milles trademark vocals come in with the almost tangible hostility they havent carried since the bands golden years. The murderous pace continues through the first two verses before slowing down for a slower bridge and solo. Its not until the end of the song that the band pulls out some of their new tricks, with a rather epic melodic outro.
The title track of Kreators 11th full-length, Enemy of God, is a brutal statement of intent, an affirmation that Kreator have truly returned to the business of kicking ass. It is what Reconquering the Throne from the previous album was meant to be an opener that from the first note will remind the faithful exactly Kreator earned their spot on the unholy trinity of Teutonic thrash. At the same time, it is proof positive that the addition of melody to their sound in no way hinders their ability to incite moshpit mayhem.
2001s Violent Revolution was something of a return to the fold after the bands 90s experimentation reached its conclusion with Endorama, a surprisingly good rock album forever doomed to the shitlists of metalheads worldwide for having the Kreator logo on the cover. Yet while Violent Revolution marked a return to thrash, it also brought in a heavy emphasis on guitar melodies. All well and good, but the implementation was poor and the album, although it contained many good ideas, turned out a hodgepodge of bland melodies and rather flaccid thrash riffs.
Enemy of God is having none of that. Although the majority of the material here lacks the raw ferocity of the opener, this is full-out thrash. Melodies are certainly present, but they are fully subordinate to the thrash riffing. Songs like Dystopia and Impossible Brutality are based around fairly groovy, midtempo riffs, while others like the aforementioned title track and the blistering World Anarchy demonstrate utter contempt for the mere concept of restraint, but everything on here is built to get heads banging and fists flying. Kreator are at their best, though, when they give some space to the less thrashy sections, such as the bleak interlude in World Anarchy, the melodic outro to Enemy of God, or the less aggressive Voices of the Dead.
Not all is perfect. The main riff of One Evil Comes A Million Follow flirts with metalcore a bit too much for my liking, and the would-be epic closer The Ancient Plague is something of a dud, with a verse riff that fails to maintain the momentum required for the proper payoff. Deeper in the tracklist songs like Under A Total Blackened Sky and Dying Race Apocalypse, while good songs, dont hit quite as hard as earlier cuts. Yet these are minor complaints. This is an incredibly consistent set of songs that all have their own character, and that is pretty rare. Its hard to pick a favorite, between the headlong death charge of the opener, the epic When Death Takes Its Dominion, and the furious rush of Suicide Terrorist.
This is a very modern sounding album. The guitars are thick and crunchy, the bass inaudible, and the drums full and booming. The sound lacks character, with the kick drums thumping away like on every other modern metal album and the whole affair sounding perhaps a little sterile, but what the production sacrifices in identity it more than makes up for in its ability to capture the violence that is Kreator with precision and clarity. The band has certainly come a long way since Endless Pain. Yet Mille still sounds pissed off as ever. His performance here might lack the raw intensity of some of the bands classic works, and in my opinion he outdid it on the next album, Hordes of Chaos, but he still delivers here, his trademark snarl dripping with menace. This is an album any fan of Kreator or thrash in general should own. Its the perfect marriage of old school thrash sensibilities with modern metal stylings.
A swirling guitar riff churns over a frantic cymbal lead in before the whole band comes crashing in and bursts into a charging thrash assault. Milles trademark vocals come in with the almost tangible hostility they havent carried since the bands golden years. The murderous pace continues through the first two verses before slowing down for a slower bridge and solo. Its not until the end of the song that the band pulls out some of their new tricks, with a rather epic melodic outro.
The title track of Kreators 11th full-length, Enemy of God, is a brutal statement of intent, an affirmation that Kreator have truly returned to the business of kicking ass. It is what Reconquering the Throne from the previous album was meant to be an opener that from the first note will remind the faithful exactly Kreator earned their spot on the unholy trinity of Teutonic thrash. At the same time, it is proof positive that the addition of melody to their sound in no way hinders their ability to incite moshpit mayhem.
2001s Violent Revolution was something of a return to the fold after the bands 90s experimentation reached its conclusion with Endorama, a surprisingly good rock album forever doomed to the shitlists of metalheads worldwide for having the Kreator logo on the cover. Yet while Violent Revolution marked a return to thrash, it also brought in a heavy emphasis on guitar melodies. All well and good, but the implementation was poor and the album, although it contained many good ideas, turned out a hodgepodge of bland melodies and rather flaccid thrash riffs.
Enemy of God is having none of that. Although the majority of the material here lacks the raw ferocity of the opener, this is full-out thrash. Melodies are certainly present, but they are fully subordinate to the thrash riffing. Songs like Dystopia and Impossible Brutality are based around fairly groovy, midtempo riffs, while others like the aforementioned title track and the blistering World Anarchy demonstrate utter contempt for the mere concept of restraint, but everything on here is built to get heads banging and fists flying. Kreator are at their best, though, when they give some space to the less thrashy sections, such as the bleak interlude in World Anarchy, the melodic outro to Enemy of God, or the less aggressive Voices of the Dead.
Not all is perfect. The main riff of One Evil Comes A Million Follow flirts with metalcore a bit too much for my liking, and the would-be epic closer The Ancient Plague is something of a dud, with a verse riff that fails to maintain the momentum required for the proper payoff. Deeper in the tracklist songs like Under A Total Blackened Sky and Dying Race Apocalypse, while good songs, dont hit quite as hard as earlier cuts. Yet these are minor complaints. This is an incredibly consistent set of songs that all have their own character, and that is pretty rare. Its hard to pick a favorite, between the headlong death charge of the opener, the epic When Death Takes Its Dominion, and the furious rush of Suicide Terrorist.
This is a very modern sounding album. The guitars are thick and crunchy, the bass inaudible, and the drums full and booming. The sound lacks character, with the kick drums thumping away like on every other modern metal album and the whole affair sounding perhaps a little sterile, but what the production sacrifices in identity it more than makes up for in its ability to capture the violence that is Kreator with precision and clarity. The band has certainly come a long way since Endless Pain. Yet Mille still sounds pissed off as ever. His performance here might lack the raw intensity of some of the bands classic works, and in my opinion he outdid it on the next album, Hordes of Chaos, but he still delivers here, his trademark snarl dripping with menace. This is an album any fan of Kreator or thrash in general should own. Its the perfect marriage of old school thrash sensibilities with modern metal stylings.
