Album review: Kreator – Hate Über Alles

When you’re a band as long-running as Kreator you can afford to be a little bit experimental. Pushing almost 40 years together, the grandaddies of German thrash metal have released more records than most have had hot dinners, so it’s inevitable that they’d want to occasionally play around with their sound. Latest album Hate Über Alles is certainly no exception. Despite a ropey instrumental intro, the album starts strong, as classic old-school thrash gallops forth from the speakers at full throttle, throwing out more hooks than a heavyweight championship boxer. Strongest of the Strong is obnoxiously catchy and a definitive standout track. It embodies the spirit of true anthemic ’80s metal, promising a high-octane listening experience.

It’s at the mid-way point of the opus, however, where the wheels start to come off. The songs are less catchy and become more of a chore to listen to, giving the impression that after the first six tracks Mille Petrozza and co. just decided to call it a day and occupy play time with filler tracks. Midnight Sun shoehorns in a random passage of cleanly sung female vocals, which make the entire song sound jarring and disjointed. It’s a disappointing turn of events, considering how much promise the first portion of Hate Über Alles has. If you’re considering giving this album a spin, turn it off after Strongest Of The Strong and save yourself the disappointment of a confusing mix up of new wave of British heavy metal and power metal.

Verdict: 2/5

For fans of: Sodom, Destruction, Exodus

Hate Über Alles is released on June 10 via Nuclear Blast Records