Hate über alles is the 15th album from German thrashers Kreator. IMO they are the best German thrash band, ever. Seen them live so many times and other than 2 meh albums, Outcast and Endorama their discography destroys. Kreator are not reinventing the wheel but maybe the new bassist Frederic Leclercq (Loudblast) said let’s up the ante a little more.

“Sergio Corbucci Is Dead” is a nice little instrumental which then leads into the scorching title track. It’s impossible not to realize the Holy Shit moment with the razor-sharp opening guitar riff that leads right into a brutal thrash onslaught with Mille letting loose with a monstrous scream. Dude is still one of the best singer/guitarist/frontmen in the biz. The riffs are scorching and the chorus is mainly the title track repeated multiple times. There’s so much piss n vinegar in his vocals I can feel the spittle nail me through the speakers. The song is relentless and album #15 proves Kreator are not slowing down with age. They’re strictly hell bent on removing your head.

“Killer of Jesus” starts right out the gates in brutal thrashing madness. Excellent and catchy chorus and the rhythm section on the fast parts are incredible. The guitar riffing is so damn great. Ventor continues to excel as one of the finest drummers in all of thrash metal. About halfway into the song the slow down, with the anthemic moments, are pushed to the forefront. Kreator started doing this on the Phantom Antichrist album a decade ago. The song then gets into the thrash and speed with a terrific ending.

“Crush the Tyrants” is a great moody groove number. The chorus is excellent and Millie’s thick German accent coming through as “Us against you” is repeated over and over in a catchy fashion. Since the band slows things down with this track there are guitar solos and some melodic riffing with great melodies throughout the song. It’s a song that should make it into their live set. A great chest beating change in the chorus arrangement towards the end would have many fans holding up their horns while headbanging in unison. The album then continues along this path for a bit with more slower moments.

“Midnight Sun” is a highlight during this patch as the riffs are fast; however the song is slower in nature. Sofia Portanet adds some haunting female vocals to this song. The fast riffing over the slower rhythm section and the alternating vocals of Mille and Sofia makes this one of my favorite songs on this album. It’s pretty damn heavy too.

“Demonic Future” brings back the speed and the double bass drums over the fast moments are excellent and chest collapsing. The fast riffing and solos are all gelling well in this song and the slower moments add to a multi-faceted track. The rest of the album has some slower moments and some faster parts with “Dying Planet” ending in an epic and emotive fashion.

Hate über alles continues the trend with Kreator adding more atmospheric, melodic and anthemic passages  (‘i.e “Become Immortal”) . My only gripe is I do wish the middle section of the album had a faster song. 5 straight slow songs on a thrash metal album is a little too much imo. This is thrash so you gotta have some more speed. The writing and production is incredible though. This is the finest produced Kreator album and has my vote for the best produced metal album of 2022. The album cover is excellent with their mascot adorning the cover, just with longer horns. Damn fine album from thrash veterans who’ve influenced 1,000’s of bands for over 30+ years!

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