Kreator's 'Hate Über Alles' - Album Review

Following a pretty fruitful period that saw the band release five albums between 2001 and 2017, the German thrash legends Kreator have been rather quiet of late - at least in terms of writing and recording new material. The band have remained a busy live act, but following 2017's excellent Gods of Violence (which I reviewed here) they seemed to take something of a step back. Throughout the 2000s and the 2010s Kreator essentially reinvented themselves following a decade of experimentation throughout the 1990s. Many of the big thrash acts of the 1980s struggled to adapt successfully to the 1990s and the shift in culture that happened during that decade, with Kreator being one of a number of bands that found themselves out of favour. Experiments with gothic and industrial sounds divided the band's fanbase, so many were happy when Kreator essentially returned to their roots in 2001 with Violent Revolution - and have not looked back since. Whilst the Kreator of today is certainly closer in tone to their 1980s classics than their 1990s output, I think that it is fair to say that the Kreator of Violent Revolution onwards is more streamlined and accessible than they were during their heyday. Kreator's early work is just as much proto-death and black metal as it is thrash, and there is little of that in the band's modern output. Whilst I am sure that many would like the band to return to a more extreme sound, their modern sound has really paid dividends. Whilst Kreator have always been popular, in recent years they seem to have been enjoying levels of popularity unlike anything in their career previously. They are regularly found high up on festival bills these days, and this is largely down to the popularity of the band's recent albums which tend to dominate their setlists. As someone who is relatively new to Kreator, and probably starting listening to them around 10 years ago, this focus on their newer material is welcome. Newer Kreator is my favourite era of the band, as their mix of old-school thrash and a more anthemic, Accept-esque sound makes for hooky and memorable songs. It does seem, however, that the band wanted to move into slightly more extreme territories again, though, as can be seen throughout their newly-released fifteenth studio album Hate Über Alles. Whilst the album sits nicely alongside the band's other recent releases, it has more of an extreme edge - and the production is not as clean as has been the case of late. The band moved away from working with Jens Bogren this time, instead choosing Arthur Rizk to produce Hate Über Alles. Rizk has not produced too many bands of Kreator's stature, but his work with Power Trip certainly earned him a lot of respect - and he has also produced releases by Sacred Reich and Municipal Waste. Rizk has certainly brought out Kreator's more extreme side again, though, and the influence of new bassist Frédéric Leclercq (Heavenly; DragonForce; Sinsaenum; Amahiru), who is a lover of extreme metal despite being associated more with the power metal world, probably had an impact, too.

That being said, though, Hate Über Alles is not a drastic departure from the band's work of late. It is still a very anthemic album with plenty of classic heavy metal strut - there is just a bit more of an edge thanks to Rizk's production. The album opens with the brief instrumental piece Sergio Corbucci is Dead, a slow-burning, clean guitar passage that reminds me somewhat of something from an Ennio Morricone soundtrack - despite being fleshed out somewhat with marching drums and choral vocals as it moves along. It acts as the intro to the album's title track, and Hate Über Alles immediately re-establishes the modern Kreator sound from the off. From Ventor's fast-paced double bass drumming to the barrelling riffs of frontman Mille Petrozza, Hate Über Alles is classic Kreator. It is a fast song, and one that never lets up throughout - with the chorus crashing in earlier than might be expected with a slightly jarring transition and some huge gang vocals. The Kreator of today still find plenty of room for melody though, and that tends to come from the guitar leads of Sami Yli-Sirniö - who has been a big part of the band's revival. There are lots of instrumental breaks throughout the song which are built around melodic guitar refrains, and the Finnish guitarist impresses with a shredded solo towards the end of the piece before one final reprise of the jackhammer chorus. Killer of Jesus follows, and the song is very similar to Hate Über Alles - so much so that you may mistake it for an extension of the album's title track if you were not paying attention. Petrozza's riffing throughout is very similar, with classic thrash riffing patterns sitting side by side with the odd tremolo picked section - harking back to the band's more extreme roots. The chorus is similar to the one found in the title track, too, although it relies less on gang vocals so feels less punky - with Petrozza's vocal lines feeling somewhat more melodic. As the song moves on, though, it drops some of the furiousness a little and goes for a more anthemic sound. The riffing early on is very thrashy, but the song's mid-section sees the pace slowed somewhat - and the riffing takes on an Accept-esque quality with chunky chords and a simpler drum groove. This leads into another excellent, and lengthy, solo section which is packed full of soaring, melodic phrases. Crush the Tyrants slows the pace more generally, though, and the song is very much an old-school slab of heavy metal with a strong headbanging rhythm and some riffing that is very much out of the Wolf Hoffmann school of crunch. Kreator have written quite a few songs like this of late, and they always go down well live. Their faster songs are more akin to their roots, but Crush the Tyrants is very much in the band's modern wheelhouse. Petrozza's gritty voice really suit this riffing style, though, and they allow Yli-Sirniö a bit more breathing room - which he makes use of here with some lead injections and another great solo. The band still sound suitably heavy throughout, though, despite the lack of pace - and the thick bass tones of Leclercq help the song to sound massive.

Strongest of the Strong is another mid-paced track, but this time the band have gone for a much more anthemic approach. It is a song that has very much been written with being played live in mind, and it reminds me a little of something that could have appeared on Metallica's 1991 self-titled album, albeit with more bite and attitude - thanks to Petrozza's gruff vocal approach and a a strong focus on guitar leads. The song's opening riff is built around a soaring lead, and there are lots of twin lead guitar moments throughout that inject some classic rock energy into the song. Twin leads are not something that Kreator make use of too often, but they work very nicely here - both within the solo section and to introduce the chorus. The chorus is one of the album's hookiest moments, too, with its shout-along melodies and the gang vocals that carry them all sitting nicely atop another guitar melody. Become Immortal picks up the pace again, but the venom of the album's opening couple of tracks is somewhat absent here - with the band instead going for a much more melodic approach. The song has a slight power metal feel at times, with bouncy riffs and some more twin guitar leads allowing the melodies to shine. The chorus is another anthemic moment, too, and the melodies are delivered in a power metal-esque way - despite Petrozza sticking to his usual gritty vocal approach. A deep-sounding choir is also utilised during the bridge section, which further emphasises the song's power metal-esque approach. This is perhaps down to the influence of Leclercq, who has been writing power metal songs for DragonForce since the late 2000s - and it is hard not to see him having an impact on Kreator's approach to melodic songwriting. Conquer and Destroy opens with a cinematic guitar lead, and the song gradually builds around it - with Ventor's drums gradually increasing in presence until a Petrozza shout kicks off the song proper. This heralds the introduction of another break-neck riff, and the song returns to the band's classic thrash sound. Ventor's double bass pedals drive everything, whilst the riffing throughout is very much reliant on pace rather than melodic note choices. The chorus slows things down somewhat, and opts for a more anthemic vibe, but this is generally a song that relies on pace to make its mark - with the solos generally being some of the fastest moments of shredding heard on the album up to this point. Midnight Sun slows the pace down again somewhat, and the song takes a bit of a different turn. It is very much a classic-sounding Kreator mid-paced track in some ways, but it also has more of an atmospheric side thanks to the vocal talents of Sofia Portanet who sings alone during a haunting pre-chorus before weaving her voice around Petrozza's during a big chorus. I cannot recall Kreator using female vocals in this way previously, but it works really well - and in my opinion the song loses none of its heaviness as a result. Kreator are generally not much of an atmospheric band, but the use of Portanet's vocals and some subtle synths add a lot of depth to the song - and the haunting atmosphere sits nicely alongside the band's traditional crunch.

Demonic Future gets back to business, though, as the song ups the pace again. It is generally a pretty furious thrash track throughout, and it is a song where Rizk's production style shines through. This song would have likely sounded a little cleaner on one of the band's other recent albums, but here it has a bit more of an edge - despite the band's usual approach to melody remaining. The guitar tones sound a little rougher around the edges, which works well for me, and the bass playing of Leclercq is very present in the mix - which has not always been the case of late. As such, the song feels heavier than it otherwise would - and even the guitar leads feel a little meaner. There are still lots of hooks to enjoy, though, as the chorus sounds massive thanks to Petrozza's anthemic shouts - and there are some Iron Maiden-esque guitar leads throughout that boost the chorus' melodic pull further. Pride Comes Before the Fall starts slowly, with some effects-heavy vocals from Petrozza set against a background of dense synths, but soon opens up into another heavy track that mixes mid-paced anthemic riffing with a slightly progressive approach to lead playing and arrangement. The guitar playing throughout the song is very busy, with a diverse approach taken. There are slower moments than feature very prominent leads in a doom-esque way, whilst other sections opt for an all-out shred assault with lightning-fast playing and fretboard gymnastics. The guitar playing does somewhat dominate throughout the track, so much so that it can overshadow the vocal hooks at times. This is not typical for modern Kreator, who very much value their vocal hooks, but it is nice to have a song here that really goes for it from a guitar playing perspective. The album then comes to a close with the lengthy Dying Planet, a song which generally slows the pace throughout and goes for something of a doom sound at times with big crunching riffs, anguished vocals from Petrozza, and melodies which recall the band's previous black metal leanings - albeit slowed down and played through a more anthemic filter. Despite the slower pace, though, the song is still heavy. The riffs are thick throughout, and the drumming of Ventor is surprisingly busy given the overall slower pace. The pace allows the song to sound massive, though, and the subtle orchestrations that sit in the background boost its overall vibe nicely - and help the song to work well as an album closer, giving it that bit of something extra needed for the job. It is another song that sounds a little different for Kreator, but the overall production and Petrozza's approach to singing throughout help it to sound at home - with the doom elements sitting nicely alongside the band's modern sound. Despite the few stylistic experiments throughout, though, Hate Über Alles is still very much modern Kreator and the album is in-keeping with the band's last few releases. The move towards a somewhat heavier production style is welcome, though, and the songwriting throughout is varied enough to keep things interesting - whilst still giving the fans what they have come to expect.

The album was released on 10th June 2022 via Nuclear Blast Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Hate Über Alles.