Much like their US contemporaries Testament, German thrash legends Kreator have taken a similar roundabout path in their career. From being prime exponents of Teutonic thrash (and indeed part of the Big Three along with Sodom and Destruction), through a mid-period of experimentation and trying to fit into a changed landscape, and now back to what they always used to do best. You want riffs? You have come to the right place. Metal thrashing mad riffs, just like they used to do it.
Interestingly, whilst they may have re-embraced their thrash roots, there’s also a huge indebtedness to Gothenburg with the buzzsaw guitars, and also a tip of the hat to the Viking metal of later Bathory. Well, sod it, let’s go the whole hog and bring up those ridiculous over the top melodies of Amon Amarth. Ridiculous? Over the top? Sure! But hey, this is heavy metal after all.
‘Satanic Anarchy’ is a perfect example of this. Coming straight after the opening “set your stall out” track of ‘Seven Serpents’, it literally begs for raised fists and chants from the crowd. Start the fire indeed! Hordes, gather! Since when did it actually become fun to listen to Kreator? That’s progress, and whilst it may not match up to the intensity of Pleasure To Kill, let’s be thankful that they are still krushing the world in their own inimitable style.
‘Tranenplast’ sounds the most contemporary here, with its ode to Suspiria dipping into blackened territory with additional vocals from Britta Gortz, an extreme metal vocal coach (of all things). It’s dark, gothic, entrancing, and heavy as fuck. Much like the movie. ‘Barbarian’ displays a brutal thrust as drummer Ventor unleashes holy hell, showing no signs of ever slowing down. There’s a wonderful moment of classic heavy metal too, when guitarist Sami Yli-Sirnio channels all those great guitar solo’s from Maiden to Priest into one glorious moment.
And so it goes, with no let up. Anthemic choruses ring out over abrasive blasts of metal. ‘Blood Of Our Blood’ rips the skin from your face with its sheer ferocity, and undoubtedly pyros burn it back when they play it live. The production in this album is second to none, and maybe for those yearning for those long gone days, a little too sanitised, but this is a small criticism when the pristine feel simply highlights the power of the music. Take the riff of ‘Combatants’ which simply pummels you out of existence. Vocally, you can hear every word from Mille Petrozza which is no small feat giving how thunderous the band is around him.
‘Psychotic Imperator’ heightens up the gothic with a fantastic choral effect before dissolving into a masterclass of guitar solo’s. ‘Deathscream’ ramps up the intensity, before the anthemic ‘Loyal To The Grave’ does what every good metal anthem should do and bring’s us all together. ‘Denim And Leather’ for the 21st Century.
On their 16th album, Kreator sound invigorated and with it, a new sense of recognition for their past achievements. That they don’t rely on the past is testament to the faith in their abilities to continue to create heavy metal which not only sounds fresh, but also unites new fans with old. 2026 is only a few weeks old yet Kreator have kicked down the doors and made the first statement album of the year. Kreator are here, metal is here, long live the hordes!
