UMUR "Hate über alles" is the fifteenth full-length studio album by German thrash metal act Kreator. The album was released through Nuclear Blast in June 2022. It´s the successor to "Gods of Violence" from 2017. There´s been one lineup change since the predecessor as long serving bassist Christian "Speesy" Giesler (his tenure with Kreator was from 1995-2019) has been replaced by Frédéric Leclercq (Sinsaenum, DragonForce, Loudblast...etc.). The COVID-19 pandemic probably had something to do with the long time between album releases, but there was actually also five years between the release of "Phantom Antichrist" (2012) and "Gods of Violence", so maybe Kreator have just slowed down a bit. They´ve been quite active in the live environment though, both before the pandemic and also after it was possible to tour again, so they don´t seem to be slowing down their performance rate.

It´s always interesting to listen to a new Kreator album. Most of their output are of high quality, and they´ve also experimented a bit with their sound through the years. Since "Violent Revolution" (2001), they´ve pretty much kept within the same thrash metal with melodic death metal influences area though with only minor differences between their album releases. Sometimes they´ve added a touch of goth metal or some other element to keep things fresh, but ultimately they had begun to artistically stagnate a little (in my opinion). "Hate über alles" is not an album which changes my view on that, but on the other side it´s one of the more varied post-2000 Kreator releases and the quality is as always high in terms of strong musicianship, solid to excellent songwriting, and a well sounding production job as the icing on the cake.

The sound production is slightly more organic compared to the last couple of releases (courtesy of producer/mixer Arthur Rizk), and I think it suits Kreator´s music well. Some of the other post-2000 Kreator releases feature sound productions which are maybe a little to sterile and polished for comfort.

As mentioned the musicianship is strong on all posts, and Leclercq proves to be a good replacement for Giesler. I read an interview with lead vocalist/guitarist Mille Petrozza, where he said that Leclercq contributed to the arrangement of the tracks, and he was especially involved in the arrangements of the guitar harmonies, which the album are loaded with. It´s not that Kreator haven´t been able to write and execute harmony guitar leads before, but there truly are some really catchy and memorable harmonies featured on "Hate über alles", which Leclercq apparently helped arrange.

Stylistically the album features both fast-paced aggressive thrashers, mid-paced heavy thrash/heavy metal tracks, a couple of more melodic oriented heavy metal tracks, and the rare nod towards goth metal (and even a song featuring female vocals), which as mentioned above makes "Hate über alles" a both varied, entertaining, and intriguing release. This is not an album for the all out thrash metal heads, but instead an album for those who enjoy the more sophisticated and adventurous side of Kreator (although they don´t go overboard here like they sometimes did in the 1990s). It´s a grower but certainly a high quality release on all parameters once it´s properly unboxed. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

Kev Rowland There has been a significant change in the ranks since Kreator’s last album, 2017’s ‘Gods of Violence’, with the departure of bassist Christian Giesler in 2019 who had been there since 1995. However, founder members Ventnor (drums) and Mille Petrozza (vocals, guitar) now have 38 years behind them and guitarist Sami Yli-Sirniö has been there for more than 20, so one would not expect there to be a dramatic change in approach. The new man is Frédéric Leclercq, who is probably best-known for Sinsaenum. Musically this is exactly what one would expect from one of the Teutonic Big Four, namely thrash which in this case does not appear to have changed at all in the last 20 or so years.

In some ways that is their charm but also their downfall as there are times on this album when they are very good indeed, crunching through and creating a mighty sound and others when it appears they are resting on their laurels somewhat. Their output has slowed considerably over time, with this being only their second album in the last 10 years, and only their fifth since 2001’s ‘Violent Revolution’. “Become Immortal” tells the story of the formation of the band and what has happened since then and is more than a little tongue in cheek and way too corny to be taken seriously. Some of the songs are more melodic, losing the intensity and thrashing power we have come to expect. A new album means they can get out on the road and tour again, which is where they really belong, and if you are hoping for a crunching masterpiece such as ‘Coma of Souls’ then while strong in places, this is just not in the same league.

The Spotlight Kid While many of the Thrash Metal originators seemed to stumble through the 90’s and 2000’s, or in many cases disappeared completely during this period of Metal being cast out of the mainstream, and for the most part relegated back to the underground. One German band, however, managed to continue to grow and experiment their way through it all and emerge on the other side a refined yet equally potent version of their previous selves. Of course I’m talking about the biggest of the German big four, the Mighty Kreator. This year sees the band release their 15th studio album entitled Hate Über Alles.

Kreator never really lost their creative fire, even if some of their more experimental albums in the 1990’s are considered somewhat controversial to many fans. In recent years however Kreator have really hit their stride. Their new sound really coalesced on 2012’s Phantom Antichrist and through 2017’s Gods of Violence. The approach is still just as fast, heavy and aggressive as their roots, but with added elements of musicality and melody. One might think these additions would diminish the attack and ferocity, however nothing can be further from the truth. Hate Über Alles very much continues in the same vein. However it’s not a copy-paste situation. Leader Mille Petrozza has said that the album was written and ready to go before Covid struck, however the additional time before being able to release and tour it, allowed the band to put more time and attention into the final creative process.

Hate Über Alles opens with a short ode to Ennio Marricone and Spaghetti Westerns in the track “Sergio Corbucci is Dead”. Generally I’m pretty sick of these kinds of non-metal intro tracks that every band these days feels the need to start their albums with, but in this case it's fairly short and well done and quite enjoyable. Perhaps because I’m a big Spaghetti western fan. Next the title track, which is an album highlight, erupts and it’s the full frontal Thrash aggression that has always been the bread and butter of Kreator. Killer riffing, memorable chorus and fantastic guitar playing from Mille and Sami Yli-Sirniö. “Crush of the Tyrants” has more of a mid-paced groove but is no less heavy and memorable. The production and tones throughout are really first rate with everything sounding rich and full and with clear separation yet retaining the overall power. “ “Strongest Of The Strong” is one of the singles and is a fun, straightforward rocker that somehow manages to sound heavier than it probably should. The lyrics on Hate Über Alles are pretty cringe at times but it doesn’t ruin my enjoyment overall. “Become Immortal” is a self-referential song about the history of Kreator itself and is a bit tongue in cheek and more than a little cheesy, but also a lot of fun. “Conquer and Destroy” is another highlight. Opening with some dreamy harmonized guitars before exploding into full speed pummeling aggression. Whereas in the first run of Kreator it was all Thrash, all the time, now the band will include more traditional Heavy Metal and even Power Metal melodies to make their point. While for the most part we get Mille’s great harsh vocals throughout, another unusual addition is the cleaner vocals seen in some of the tracks. The inclusion of female vocals on “Midnight Sun”, by Berlin based singer, Sofia Portanet for example. This song has a decidedly Goth feel mixed into the Power/ Thrash and is an enjoyable diversion.

The drums as usual are helmed by Ventor and he absolutely slays as always. The guy is a beast. Besides the fairly stable line-up here is the one new addition to the band, former Dragonforce and Sinsaenum bass player Frédéric Leclercq. He actually contributed to the writing process with Mille in the final track “Dying Planet” which is another standout track, with some excellent moodiness built into the high speed attack. The song has an epic and somewhat progressive feel to it and is a powerful way to close out Hate Über Alles.

If you are an old school fan and only love classics like Pleasure to Kill, Extreme Aggression and Coma Of Souls, but never could enjoy anything else going forward then this won’t win you over. However for fans who have loved their more recent albums then there is a lot to love on this album. I wouldn’t say it’s one of their all-time greatest albums but it’s an extremely strong release nonetheless. Power, melody, ferocity and Thrash are the names of the game here and Kreator, as always, has delivered a fantastsic album. (originally published on SoT and The Metal Spotlight)