Review KREATOR ‘Hate über alles’

Five years have gone by since ‘Gods of Violence’ has been released and now it is up to ‘Hate Über Alles’ to continue Kreator’s incredible journey through the world of riffs. The German metal veterans can look back on more than three decades of immaculate releases and extremely powerful live shows. Mille and his companions are pioneers when it comes the German thrash metal and the band evolved to a metal institution.

‘Hate Über Alles’ is Kreator’s 15^th studio album and for a next time, Mille and Co. launch a longplayer that belongs the most thrilling releases of the year. The title could be seen as a very controversial one. In this context though, album and title are a clear statement against hate and the split of society and must be seen in the tradition of Dead Kennedys ‘California Über Alles’.

The album features eleven songs (one is an intro), all typical neck-breaking metal hymns a la Kreator. What is apparent rather quickly is that the album has a great level of versatility and is as aggressive as expected. It is a 100% Kreator what fans get offered and it feels like the band wanted to create the essence of their early days and bring it to the here and now. In a way, ‘Hate über alles’ combines all phases of the German thrash metal icons.

The first single of the album was title track, an indicator for the sound of the new album. On the one hand referring to the ‘Extreme Aggression’ times and on the other side being equipped with a great chorus, the song is a well-chosen appetizer for the album and worth being the name-giver for the album.

Frontman and founding member Mille is certainly a crucial factor of Kreator and it is more than him only. Kreator is a band that since the beginning counts on Ventor’s drumming. He is the clockwork of Kreator and found with Frédéric Leclercq an excellent partner for providing the ultimate punch for each of the eleven songs on this record.

The second single, ‘Midnight Sun’, shows the versatility of the album. The song is more melodic and in a moderate pace. What is special though is the guest singer. Sofia Portanet gives the song a slightly different touch and feel. Her female vocals are a smartly integrated counterpart to Mille’s metal shouts and that both voices go together very well is what the chorus proves.

‘Killer of Jesus’ easily connects with the title track. The blazing fast track is an old-school Kreator smasher that unfolds right away. I mentioned versatility and ‘Crush of Tyrants’ is a good example. The moderate paced and heavy pounding track is a great counterpart to the first too tunes of the album. It’s a majestic song that leads you to the grooving ‘Strongest of the Strong’, a song with a great chorus and Ventor’s excellent drumming.

‘Become Immortal’ is an anthemic expression and combines an aggressive sound with a solid portion of melody. ‘Conquer and Destroy’ is a typical Kreator song with a blistering solo part and massively working rhythm-section. Headbangers will like to fierce ‘Demonic Future’ and hands over the baton to ‘Pride Comes Before the Fall’. The latter starts calm before the joining riff kicks off a metal hymn.

‘Dying Planet’ means coming towards the end of the album. The six minute closer is a mammoth ending of a the anticipated next great Kreator album.

Kreator never released a bad album, not even in the ‘90s when thrash metal faced some stormy waters. With ‘Hate Über Alles, the thrash metal veterans from Essen continue their series of thrilling metal records and add another stellar workpiece to the discography. Mille, the driving force of Kreator, and his immense passion for his kind of music is the guarantee-factor for great thrash metal. This man loves metal while other bands play metal. Kreator is real … and as loud as usual.