Disco de Kreator: “Enemy of God”

For those like myself I miss the glory days of Thrash Metal, or more defined, just straight-up killer Thrash Metal. Be it Bay Area Thrash(Exodus, Vio-lence), Canadian Thrash (Annihilator, Razor), Brazilian Blackend-Thrash(Vulcano, early Sepultura), or German Thrash (Destruction, Kreator, Sodom)...I love it with all of my blackened heart. The later of these scenes has given us some classic albums. And it has done so again with Kreator's "Enemy Of God." It has been called upon at a time when Nu-Metal has taken it's last breath and Hot Topic/Ozzfest/Headgiver's 'Nu' Ball has replaced it, forcefully shoving god-awful Metalcore music down our throats and expected it us to accept it. A new genre of music used to replace the dead Nu-Metal Trend. Catering to the masses given it it's sneer and claimage to 'street' and such. But those such as me and those who truly keep the faith of real Heavy Metal nknow the difference. This is our rallying cry against the fashion-obsessed kids with 'emotional' lyrics, faux screams, and wacky haircuts that are parted to the side.

THIS IS THRASH F'NG METAL. IT'S TIME TO DIE!!!

Kreator are a legend, and "Enemy Of God" helps seal that title with every tempo-twisting riffs, double-kick jolting, headbanging moment. Here you won't find any of the 'emotional'or even 'heartfelt' crud. None of this false 'hardcore' or even the always ripped-off Gothenburg riffs. NONE OF THAT. This is straight-up German Thrash Metal. It's in-your-face, it's down-right brutal, with lyrics about real-life violence, murder and Biblical fates. And does it make one want to smash the faces of poseurs in a brick wall.

Song-wise Kreator have finally reached where they left-off with their 1990 classic "Coma of Souls." But much like "Coma Of Souls," "Enemy Of God" is like a skilled fighter that takes it time with taking time beating you senseless, and then delivering it's merciless final blow. Staring off the album thrashing, and raging like no other band can do the title track, "Impossible Brutality,"(It's the same groove taken from Slayer's "Skeletons Of Society" off 'Seasons In The Abyss".) and "Suicide Terrorist" deliver a good pounds to the rib-cage. Then a killer upper-cut with the next two song. "World Anarchy" starts off with a blood-curling scream that only Mille can pull-off. The riffs are nothing less that BRUTAL! There are heavy riffs, and there are riffs that make Slayer cry themselves to sleep. Kreator are not afraid to use those devastationg riffs. About 2:34 it cuts into a really melodic and soft-spoken part and then.....BAM! ARRRRGGGHHHHH!!! Mille screams "TOTAL CHAOS!!!" YESS!!! THRASH LIKE YOU'VE NEVER THRASH BEFORE YOU WORTHLESS CRETINS!!! The anthemic "Dystopia" continutes the brutality in good fashion. But like their previous album, their return to proper form after their mediocre 90's material "Violent Revolution"; it does have a small dip in where it does slow down a bit to let one catch their breath. "Voice Of The Dead" starts off with a nice acoustic piece and then into a killer galloping Maiden-esque riff(Don't confuse it with Gothenburg bands!)that would make the brummies themselves raise a pint. "Murder Fantasies" has a killer scream-along chorus chant "I WANT TO KILL YOU, TAKE AWAY YOUR LIFE!!!" ""When Death Take's It Dominion" features a slightly more technical riffing but continues the headbanging nonetheless. "One Evil Comes-A Million Follow" follows in the same fashion. After what seemed like a tedious moment in the album, it then picks right back up with "Dying Race Apocalypse." Again starting-off with a nice, but longer acoustic bit at 0:40 it kicks in with the the guitars and what definately is, in my opinion, the best track off "Enemy Of God." Ventor's double-bass is triggered, but who cares? It owns. "Under A Total Blackened Sky" is pretty much the same song but with a different tile. Not that it's a bad thing, because as long as it keeps up the momentum...more of it then I say. After eleven tracks "Enemy Of God" ends with it's final, epic delivery. What is the epic moment? It lies within the mastered melodic riffs starting at 4:30 and then builds up, and keeps building up until Mille screams with every blood cell in his veins..."AND SATAN IS HIS NAME!!!!" With such such a moment, you are then left with two things: A moment to raise your devil horns so high that it reaches the heavens and defiles everything that is holy. And one hell of an album.

Kreator have achieved what others have tried, but failed miserably. Kreator have conquered where others have retreated. Kreator have truly forced terror back into Metal more-so than the immature, Hot Topic-loving Slayer's God LUVZ Us All." Kreator wipes their rear-ends with Failtallica's "St. Anus." Not forgetting the ones who have kep the faith strong...Destruction's "The Antichrist" pushed for the true alligence of old-school bands to come back with their metallic onslaught. Exodus proved why they were ALWAYS the true kings of Bay Area-Thrash with their come-back "Tempo of The Damned." With much and many kudos faithfully given to those two bands, Kreator now has thrown down it's spiked gauntlet and drawn the line in the sand. You're either one of the true Metalheads, or you're sleeping in the commercial bed of the wretched Metalcore. Plain and simple.

This ain't no lamb of god, this is ENEMY OF GOD!!

This Album is one of the best Thrash albums ever made so don't listen to Virushan he's tone deaf and what he said couldn't be farther from the truth! Some Metal CD's sound muddy and boring the production on this CD is excellent the guitars sound amazing and the vocals are killer. Buy this CD you'll love it!

To me this album showcases how Thrash Metal is one of the best music genres ever created. The depth, precision, aggressiveness and melody expressed on this album is fantastic. Mille Petrozza's demonic fiery rasp could instill fear into anyone who hears it. But Mille also uses some slowly spoken clean vocals on some songs which give a deceiving feeling of calm and solitude. The guitars are raw and melodic at the same time. The drums thud continuously and go at the speed of a chain gun. And the best part is the poignant lyrics and song structuring that goes with the music, making this album all the more brilliant.

Anyway on to the songs. The album is opened with the hate-fueled 'Enemy of God', a perfect song to open an album like this. It gets to the point straight off. There's no little slow acoustic intro, just a plain crushing riff. The song carries on at quite a fast pace but IMO the best part of this song is towards the end just after the solo. The riff that carries the song to a close is a great heavy one and the guitar hook that accompanies it evokes a feeling of melancholy and sadness. The words that go with the end are great to 'Enemy of God! Answer to the world! Breaking walls of heaven! A thousand fires BURN!!!!' just kickass! Next song 'Impossible Brutality' marches on with heavy riffs and slower but more pounding double bass beats. Catchy chorus and licks on this one. 'Suicide Terrorist' is up next, this song starts off with a really groovy and addictive riff and the drums also follow a groovy pattern. The lyrics on this are also quite good and sung wickedly, 'Suicide Terrorist! Random Killing! Cruelty Obssessed!'. Hmm next up 'World Anarchy' this song boasts quite a good thrash progression at the beginning but Mille's scream is a bit flat lol sounds comical. This song has a brief acoustic part in the middle that slows the song quite well without halting it, the lyrics are spoken and this part sounds almost remorseful....until he rasps 'TOTAL CHAOS! TAKES CONTROOOOL!!!' and the guitars and drums pound on. 'Dystopia' is a pretty cool straight out thrasher really. Not too much to say about it except it's a little mid-paced. Up next is 'Voices of the Dead' one of my favs because it boasts the best solo on the album. To tell you the truth this solo has got to be down as one of the best in heavy metal, i absolutely love it and you owe to yourself to check it out if you ever liked metal! The chorus is a bit yeah not good lol but the verses have good lyrical content and the song is well structured, even the metalcore-ish breakdown before the solo works well. Starts out with a bass solo which is different and likeable, the clean guitar that accompanies it is lovely and Mille's vocals are almost 'soothing' lol. The following 3 songs are all pretty much good thrashers with different tunes and strong musicianship throughout. 'Dying Race Apocalypse' follows in different fashion. The brilliantly played acoustic guitar tune used at the beginning is very catchy. The song turns into a good unconventional thrasher and the guitar hooks on this song are again quite catchy. 'Under a Total Blackened Sky' is a good song contrary to what many think. The solo is very good. The chorus will get you singing to. The guitar lick that leads this song out has a very sombre sound to it. And the last track the semi-epic 'The Ancient Plague'. This song is quite grandiose but without losing it's hard edge. The lyrics are fantastic and contain a lot of insight. This song is full of tempo changes, tone changes and contains lots of techniques. The Amazon preview will show you the slow beginning which gives you only half the full picture of this song. The song starts and stops like one of President Bush's speeches, which means frequently lol. The real treat is when the song goes into a slow acoustic breakdown and then the drum propel it into it's ending riff with such a majestic flourish, i know it sounds ridiculous but you gotta hear it. And the solo is fantastic great way to end the album. The lyrics as well are great, the last words are 'And through the toxic stench of human tragedy, a saviour appears, in a red mask, in front of me.... AND SATAN IS HIS NAME!!!!' and the solo hits, absolutely kickass brilliant!!

Standout tracks for me: 'Enemy of God', 'Impossible Brutality', 'World Anarchy', 'Dystopia', 'Voices of the Dead', 'Dying Race Apocalypse', 'Under A Total Blackened Sky', 'One Evil Comes, A Million Follow' and the epic 'The Ancient Plague'.

To me this album is a pure thrash masterpiece. It's actually a very intelligent album more so than Slayer. Slayer usually revert to using quite overt anti-religious statements. But Kreator usually use suggestive phrases that give you more insight into the music. The flow of this album is great. The thing about it that works well is how it binds aggression and melody together. And the melody is not uplifting or 'happy' it is quite depressing and melancholic. To be able to balance the two together and maintain that fierce brutality is wonderful. They don't lose any aggression because of the melody, in fact it boosts it! Mille's voice again is the perfect voice to deliver that message of being an 'Enemy of God'. This album is kickass and better than anything you'll hear from the Bay Area for a long time IMO. Long live German Thrash! Ooo if you like this checkout Destruction and Sodom they rock to. My last words are to buy this album you will definetly not regret it! Hope that was helpful to you.

\m/

Let's just get it out of the way: "Enemy of God" is *easily* Kreator's best album ever, and is, in all seriousness, in my very humble opinion, one of the finest metal albums (thrash or otherwise) ever made. Not since Metallica's 1988 masterpiece "...And Justice For All" (in my *very* humble opinion the best metal album ever created) have I been as compelled to listen to an album as "Enemy of God." That's quite a bold statement, I know, being that since 1988 we've witnessed such exquisite thrash albums as Anthrax's "Persistence of Time," Megadeth's "Rust in Peace," and Pantera's "Vulgar Display of Power," but honestly, "Enemy of God" competes with all of them, if you can believe it. Since the conception of Metallica's AJFA, I have heard probably 500+ metal albums (every type), and "Enemy of God" is the only one (at least of recent memory) that I simply cannot stop listening to. I've already heard it over 500 times, according to my MP3 player (half of which were accumulated while learning almost the entire album on guitar (by ear) (let me tell you that this stuff is not easy to play...by the end of the title track I'm just about worn down; aside from that, there is exceptionally complex use of harmonics/overlays that I might never figure out (see "The Ancient Plague")). I've given "...And Justice For All" a good two or three-thousand listens, easily (my best guess); someday, "Enemy of God" might just exceed that.

While "Violent Revolution" was a mostly listenable "comeback" of sorts, "Enemy of God," to be frank, makes it sound like complete garbage. There is simply no comparision between the two, and should you give "Enemy of God" a listen, you'll be as immediately hooked on it as I am, I can assure you (if you're a true metal fan, that is...). I couldn't disagree more with prior reviews that the album becomes boring after the first "few" tracks; in fact, while the first two tracks on the album may be the overall best, I believe that the second half is as good, if not better than, the first, with such incredible tracks as "Murder Fantasies," "When Death Takes its Dominion," ""Dying Race Apocalypse," and the masterful capstone "The Ancient Plague," among others. To be completely honest, there is not a track on this album that doesn't approach flawlessness, and I sincerely enjoy them all.

It may have taken the band twenty years to reach what will undoubtedly be their peak, but fortunately the stars *finally* aligned, and the band produced the album they've been trying to create since their inception; one that's worth getting genuinely excited about! "Enemy of God" is a superlative example of what a tried-and-true (though never incredibly successful) metal band can still accomplish in this day and age, while newer American "metal" bands (Lamb of God, Disturbed, All That Remains, Shadows Fall) continue to fail to produce decent follow-up albums this year and last (I suppose we can add Metallica to that list, I must admit).

The bottom line is that "Enemy of God" is a simply masterful achievement; the production is perfect, the songwriting puts them in old-school Metallica territory, and the lyrics/Petrozza's voice match the music flawlessly. The album is an instant classic; the sooner you buy it, the sooner you can get over the fact that you're a die-hard metal fan and you haven't bought it already...

Notice the title, I used not one but TWO songs from the album to kreate it (stupid pun); I am cool.

For starters boys and girls let me get something out of my system - Virushan is a complete idiot and probably didn't even listen to the album in question. At least, I hope he did not, because if he did he is even more of an idiot than I am giving him credit for being. Now that I have that off of my chest let me actually get this so called review rolling. For those of you who are not in the know or are new to this wonderful genre called 'metal', Kreator are sort of a big deal in thrash metal circles. These German titans of thrash have released several quality albums through out the years, many I personally own. "Enemy of God" is their latest effort, and honestly, I was half way thinking Kreator would fall flat on their face with this album and follow the trend started by a lot of other good metal bands and decided it would be cool to suck it up. But, me-o-my, how I was surprised! Kreator still have it in them. They may not be as thrashy or fast as they used to be, but they have been around for nearly twenty years. I would much prefer bands to attempt change and try different styles instead of continuing to release the same ol' same ol' year after year. As I stated before, this album is not as fast as previous releases and actually is more of a hybrid of thrash combined with more melody...a lot of melody actually, and there is nothing wrong with that. Many of the songs are down right catchy and chocked full of riffs. The guitarists are riff monsters and can shred! Though the solos may not be the most technical out there they are very respectable and hold their own, and bottom line, are enjoyable to listen to, and is not that what matters most? As far as vocals go they have a certain aggressiveness and assertiveness to them and are semi-raspy. Seems to be either you love 'em or hate them; I like them a lot. Most of the lyrical content is typical thrash material: end of the world, death, war, ancient plagues, etc. Again, not supremely great but very good and enough variation on the central them to keep things interesting. Pumping through the mix is the bass. Having bass that is audible on a metal CD is not always the easiest feat to accomplish, so that gives you some sort of idea for the quality of production on "Enemy of God". The drums are nice, classic thrash, resplendent with pounding double kick drum rhythms. So it appears I must be traveling onward friends and fellow metal heads, so let me just sum things up by saying this is a great release by the masters of German thrash. Enough of the old mixed with enough new material to kreate just the right amount of sonic destruction. Pick it up new and old fans alike; you will not be disappointed.