Enemy Of God

	Kreator - Enemy Of God
	1. Enemy Of God	7. Murder Fantasies
	2. Impossible Brutality	8. When Death Takes It's Dominion
	3. Suicide Terrorist	9. One Evil Comes - A Million Follow
	4. World Anarchy	10. Dying Race Apocalypse
	5. Dystopia	11. Under A Total Blackened Sky
	6. Voices Of The Dead	12. The Ancient Plague

15 years after the demise of the golden age of Thrash metal, we find Germany's veteran purveyors of all things Thrash, Kreator releasing album number 10. It is impossible to have a career spanning over twenty years, lived through fad after fad and not have your share of high and low times. Kreator bear the scars more than most. Whilst never having really broken into the big league outside their native Germany, these perennial Thrashers have always stuck to their guns (and principles) and ploughed on regardless, and often with scant reward for their efforts.

Variation away from a tried and tested formula has always been a strategy fraught with danger, Kreator being one of many bands to find this out much to their peril; "Renewal" and "Endorama" being the most obvious examples. "Enemy Of God", however sees Mille and Co return to what they know best. The end result a classic sounding Thrash album served up in spades. As appears compulsory at the moment for any band considered to be within a light year of the Thrash genre, Andy Sneap produces. This is by no means a criticism however, when an album can be made to sound as tight and punishing as "Enemy Of God", it should come with a health warning!

Post "Endless Pain", offerings have often been labeled as Thrash by numbers. "Enemy of God" can not be pigeon holed so easily however. This album will without doubt appeal to Kreator die hards, but should have something for all fans of extreme music. The 2005 incarnation of Kreator now appear a much leaner and hungrier beast; Mille has returned to an almost venomous vocal style, not heard since "Extreme Aggression" and the introduction of Samy Vli Sirnio whose classically trained lead guitars are the perfect foil for the crushing rhythms churned out by Ventor and new bassist Christian Giesler. One can only think that the revolving door policy employed over the years, that has seen numerous guitarist and bassists come and go, has had a profound impact on the bands development.

Standout tunes from the album are Murder Fantasies, Enemy Of God and Impossible Brutality; the latter of which I believe will be on the Kreator live set list forever and a day from this day forth. With this album Kreator have come full circle, producing an album, first and fore mostly that they themselves as fans of this genre of music would listen to. An album made by the band for the band, and not at all in a self-indulgent way. As a consequence the band have produced a solid album based upon all the strengths that made "Pleasure to Kill" and "Endless Pain" such milestone albums. While "Enemy of God" would have some way to go to supersede the afore mentioned albums, it does demonstrate what Kreator are capable of, and what may have hoped for Germany's finest since the the Bay Area was were it was at.