Kreator
Enemy Of God

THE REVIEW

Guarantee. A word that fits perfectly with the Teutonic band Kreator. A band that has made intransigence and metallic "proselytism" its cornerstones to unfold a career that now spans almost three decades.

A few days after the release of their latest effort, entitled "Phantom Antichrist," the allure of Mille Petrozza's harsh voice was too strong not to savor once again one of the latest CDs produced by the Germans, as well as one of their most underrated. The offering in question is "Enemy of God," released in January 2005.

The band had ventured into experimental paths with the industrial arrangements of "Cause for Conflict" and the tempered heavy metal of "Outcast" and "Endorama." Works that were unjustly shelved, only to be reevaluated over the years. The reconciliation with the past happened in 2001, with the full-length "Violent Revolution." "Enemy of God" is positioned precisely on the stylistic trail of its predecessor, returning to the aggressively fierce vibe that pervaded their beginnings. A return to thrash metal , therefore, the pissed-off kind, perpetually aimed at criticizing modern political and institutional systems. Easily perceptible hatred in the lyrics of Petrozza, Ventor, and company.

The implementation of all the basic principles that characterized their earliest works resurfaces here. Even more than in "Violent Revolution," this metallic vomit is decidedly more aggressive and "tight": tracks like the fiery "Impossible Brutality" (a song for "destruction") and "World Anarchy" are the incandescent proof of it. But what makes this work interesting is the attempt to add more thoughtful cadences to their classic destructive adherence, a legacy of a work like "Endorama." Petrozza and his band show in tracks like "Voices of the Dead", "Dying Race Apocalypse" and the concluding "The Ancient Plague" that they have assimilated the past in function of the present. A perhaps professional, mannerist scheme, but one that also ensures unpredictability in a classic and pure thrash metal album.

Works of this kind carry deeply rooted prejudices, but they still manage to hit the mark, at least with some exceptions. Kreator's "Enemy of God" is one of these. A massive, fast, and aggressive work, which has all the cornerstones of thrash. The only discordant note is Petrozza's voice, no longer as incisive as in the past. Otherwise, a CD and a band to be reassessed.

1. "Enemy Of God" (5:44)
2. "Impossible Brutality" (4:30)
3. "Suicide Terrorist" (3:29)
4. "World Anarchy" (3:55)
5. "Dystopia" (3:41)
6. "Voices Of The Dead" (4:34)
7. "Murder Fantasies" (4:50)
8. "When Death Takes Its Dominion" (5:38)
9. "One Evil Comes (A Million Follow)" (3:20)
10. "Dying Race Apocalypse" (4:41)
11. "Under A Total Blackened Sky" (4:28)
12. "The Ancient Plague" (6:57)