As long as dark ideologies are shadowing the future, due the rise of new forms of fascism, and antidemocratic and savage capitalism, hate is becoming stronger day by day. Hate towards immigrants and their different cultures, LGTBQ+ people, poor, nature (Brazil is suffering extremely due the devastation of Rain Forest and the 'clandestine' mining on Amazon), and as is clear on many countries, hate becomes institutionalized (Brazil is a fine example). It's like getting back to nazi government, with people screaming 'Deutschland über alles' ('Germany above all'), putting something above everything, including the lives and values. And maybe this is a good way to thing about "Hate über alles", the title of the new album of KREATOR.

As one of the pillars of German Thrash Metal, the quartet is known for having a way of evolving its musical work throughout the years: from a brutal Thrash/Death Metal on its beginning (the days of "Endless Pain" and "Pleasure to Kill"), passing by the classic Thrash Metal age (when their music became internationalized, the days of "Terrible Certainty", "Extreme Aggression" and "Coma of Souls"), going through experimental phase during the 90's (the age that goes from "Renewal" to "Endorama", that is extremely important for the band's music today), the coming back to Thrash Metal (on "Violent Revolution" and "Enemy of God"), and finally what the band is presenting on their albums since "Hordes of Chaos": a mix of their golden age on Thrash Metal with modern melodies inherited from traditional Heavy Metal and Old School Melodic Death Metal. It's obvious that some fans had a hard time dealing with the change of Christian Giesler (the left the band on 2019) and the coming of Frédéric Leclercq to play the bass guitar (people usually remember him due his playing on DRAGONFORCE, forgetting that he plays on extreme Metal bands as LOUDBLAST and SINSAENUM, and that in the end of things, such concepts mean nothing), but what is guaranteed after hearing to "Hate über alles": the band is really living a great moment of its career, and released a perfect album! It's a step ahead of what was heard on "Gods of Violence", and there are some little touches that bring elements from their experimental days and even from their classic Thrash Metal times.

There is a thing that is clear when heading about the production team: it's the first time the band hired Arthur Rizk (producer, mixing) and Sascha Bühren (mastering), and the music was brought to an edge that everything sounds clean and defined (as one can check on "Strongest of the Strong"), but brutal in the aggressive parts (take a bit on "Hate über alles" to check this aspect). And what great set of instrumental tunes! The guest on the album: the German Pop singer Sofia Portanet is the guest on additional vocals on "Midnight Sun", and what a lovely piece of art on the cover, another great work of Eliran Kantor.

After an instrumental intro, "Sergio Corbucci is Dead" (Sergio was a an Italian film director, screenwriter and producer that died on 1990), a massive and aggressive song (where their old Techno Thrash Metal essence becomes clear), "Hate über alles", fast and brutal, but tempered with charming melodies and with a remarkable chorus and excellent guitar riffs and solos. Following the same fast tendency, "Killer of Jesus" shows some apotheotic moments where the bass guitar and drums unleashes an oppressive weight. Slowing the rhythms, "Crush the Tyrants" is oppressive, built with slow parts that create an oppressive ambience that is filled with sharp and catching melodies. One of the singles of the album, "Strongest of the Strong" is a charming song plenty of excellent melodies and hooking melodies and riffs, but the personal tunes of the vocals and singing that bring tears to the eyes of the fans (these aggressive normal tunes of Mille's vocals are inheritance of the experimental days of the band but are really amazing).

"Become Immortal" shows some parts that shows influences of classic Hard Rock and traditional Heavy Metal due the melodic hooks of the leads and riffs (and the chorus will be shouted at the band's shows for sure), and what great bass guitar parts. "Conquer and Destroy" shows the same elements from the previous song, but with storming fast parts. "Midnight Sun", another Single of the album, is really abrasive and sinuous, a Thrash Metal song (tempered with some experimental touches of the 90's), with charming melodic touches and great atmospheric parts of the female vocals (that creates a charming contrast), and it's a hit for sure. In a classic Thrash Metal trend comes "Demonic Future", a moshpiting song with that catchy fast musical arrangement, but what lovely melodic chorus (and the drums are really great, guiding the rhythms wisely).

A calm and tender beginning (with clean vocals) introduces the blow in the face called "Pride Comes Before the Fall", another moment where the classic essence of the quartet's work appears but dressed with a modern and aggressive outfit. And to close the album, the band unleashes a chaotically brutal and melodic set of contrasts on "Dying Planet", based on a slower set of rhythms, but the aggressiveness of the guitar riffs is enough to cause pain in the ears (and the vocals and backing vocals are amazing), and what great apotheosis at the end of it.

One can say that 'oh, it's not like in the past' or another set of words of complaints. But one thing I, a witness that followed the band's career since the beginning of 1986, can state: that KREATOR today is the best Thrash Metal band in activity, always evolving and delivering its best, refusing to do 'more of the same' (while others are just living off their past, or living a kind of 'retirement in activity'). "Hate über alles" is really a new classic that time will praise in the future.