KREATOR

One of the longest running and most respected metal groups around, Germany's KREATOR are back doing what they do best — delivering no-holds-barred thrash that is heavy on sheer aggression and short on frills.

To their credit, KREATOR have only released a couple of albums or so over the course of their 20-year career that have strayed from the formula and consequently been met with a less than enthusiastic response from the group's die-hard following. "Enemy of God", like its 2001 predecessor, "Violent Revolution", is classic KREATOR through and through, featuring a healthy dose of high-energy, double-bass-laden rifferama that is as relentless as it is consistent.

Unsurprisingly, KREATOR draw exclusively from old-school influences for most of "Enemy of God", with the likes of SLAYER, EXODUS and even IRON MAIDEN (listen to the guitar harmonies on the first single, "Impossible Brutality") popping up as reference points throughout the nearly hour-long offering.

Much like SLAYER and other bands whose fanatical devotees are content with hearing their heroes churn out what is essentially rehashed variations of their previous output, KREATOR's "Enemy of God" is a largely familiar-sounding affair whose sole connection to the 21st century appears to come in the form of a more modern production approach.

Once again, the group have opted to utilize the services of producer Andy Sneap (MACHINE HEAD, SKINLAB, NEVERMORE, ARCH ENEMY),a collaboration that has resulted in a precision-like assault that at times may actually be a bit too "polished" sounding for its own good.

It's hard to imagine KREATOR's music appealing to a lot of the younger metal fans who have likely been exposed to far more extreme groups before they even had a chance to be introduced to some of the genre's pioneers. If nothing else, "Enemy of God" should at least prove that there is still a lot of life left in what is undoubtedly one of the most successful and influential German metal exports of all time.