CD Review: Kreator - Phantom Antichrist

Written by Natalia Stupnikova Thursday, 03 January 2013 08:38

Artist: Kreator
Title: Phantom Antichrist
Genre: Thrash Metal
Release Date: 1st June 2012
Label: Nuclear Blast

Album Review

Somebody unknown called 2012 as the year of the forthcoming Apocalypse. Such a prediction could scare some sensitive old ladies who got a good new topic for discussions for the couple of months. All other people just indifferently shrugged their shoulders and went about their own usual business. You may joke about the future doomsday as long as you want but if mankind will carry on its “progressing” in the same way and at the same speed then all dark fictions of fantasists will become the reality very soon. That is exactly what German metallers KREATOR talk, no, cry about in their latest studio album titled ‘Phantom Antichrist’. What could be more ruthless than banal statement of facts?! The whine “we all will die soon” touches nobody; shallow philosophic “how bad this world is, probably we all will die soon” can just irritate and nothing more. But when somebody just tells you the truth which you knew before but was afraid to acknowledge its reality - it can turn your world around. And KREATOR’s leader Mille Petrozza tells us in his simple and impartial manner the story about our world and how this story can be ended if…

‘Phantom Antichrist’ doesn’t contain excessive pathetic or affected pathos. The thrash guitar riffs sound as logical continuation of verbal phrases leaving after each of them weighty aftertaste. At the same time this album is one of the most melodic ones (along with ‘Endorama’) in the whole KREATOR’s discography. This melodies are like the eyes of the good friend in which you can see the wisdom of centuries behind the blaze of steel. It is quite difficult to wave aside from such things. How it was written by one of the reviewers: “The mankind voluntarily will go to the Giant Cemetery of History if it will be accompanied with ‘Death To The World’ - you will not need any overlooker with whip!”. ‘Phantom Antichrist’ may be considered as one of the most interesting KREATOR releases in the last years. Initially you may be confused by sharp musical patterns and passages, and bewildered with nontrivial guitar solos. But this is the way how their music interlaces with their lyrics. If you consider the album as one living organism the lyrics is its skeleton while the music is its muscles and nerves.

This album is featured by stunning and, at the same time, straight sound of guitar riffs, very melodic but, at once, very raging and fierce sounding, abrupt tempo changes and Mille’s voice, sharp and critical as never before. KREATOR draw the forthcoming doom of humankind with the bright colours in their song ‘Civilization Collapse’. German thrashers have no mercy to nobody and nothing. There is no way out the present situation. We can just “walk this way through the flood into the fire”...

I don't know if I could trust you
All I know is that I cannot trust myself
Let's face our imperfections now to connect
Capitulation deserves no respect

The track ‘From Flood Into Fire’ is probably the most positive song on the whole album, which gives us the weak hope to survive. ‘Phantom Antichrist’ can be called as “universal album” because you can listen to it both at your home (of course if you are not afraid to scare your neighbours to death) and at the stadium show. Each song can be considered as potential concert hit. If KREATOR decide to play just only this album without any previous songs the crowd will be so tired that its only desire will be just haul to bed and drop dead. As a summary we should repeat that ‘Phantom Antichrist’ is one of the best KREATOR album. Mille Petrozza and Co. reached the new top in their career and once again confirmed their legendary status in global thrash metal.


Tracklist

01. Mars Mantra - 1:18
02. Phantom Antichrist - 4:30
03. Death To The World - 4:53
04. From Flood Into Fire - 5:25
05. Civilisation Collapse - 4:13
06. United In Hate - 4:30
07. The Few, The Proud, The Broken - 4:37
08. Your Heaven, My Hell - 5:53
09. Victory Will Come - 4:14
10. Until Our Paths Cross Again - 5:48


Line-up

Miland “Mille” Petrozza – Vocals, Guitar
Sami Yli-Sirniö – Guitar
Christian “Speesy” Giesler – Bass
Jürgen “Ventor” Reil – Drums, Vocals


Website

http://www.kreator-terrorzone.de/


Cover Picture







Text: Natalia Stupnikova
Help in translation: Anna Kirichenko