I recently watched the unfurling of Armageddon in the form of a cinematic KREATOR video. It was a doomsday vision and the song, absolutely stellar. Once again those obnoxious krauts deliver, thirty odd years withstanding. They are exemplary examples that some things improve with age whilst others literally rot on the vine.

"Phantom Antichrist" is punishing, the riffs royal, the melodious harmonies memorable and those hooks...my god, those searing fucking hooks! Mille Petrozza is a master craftsman; readily able at will to turn base metals into gold...or would that be base gold into metal, err...you get the picture. A synergy and alchemy runs richly rampant through the veins of the fatherland and KREATOR acolytes' worldwide benefit considerably because of it. KREATOR is a reliable source during times of duress, case in point "From Flood Into Fire" a call to arms for metal heads around the earth to stand united against tyranny, oppression and politically charged extreme aggression (no pun intended).What I admire about KREATOR is that they are supercharged with rebellion even after 30 arduous years in the trenches, proving their mettle (metal) with a youthful exuberance that rivals the benevolence of those half their age.

 Let's consider the volatile molten gems on offer here, shall we. Of course there is the unanimously intense title track but let us not reject such incendiary grenades as "Death to the World" and the walloping frisson of "United In Hate". The shining jewel though amongst all of the political upheaval and visions of life's depletion is "Until Our paths Cross Again" which follows their patented end of album tradition of epic grandiosity. The long player in reference in my summation sits quite snug alongside "The Ancient Plague" from Enemy of God and although it tends to meander a bit, sluggishly in pace, the harmonies and counterpoint nuances more than compensate for its shortcomings. Oddly enough its structure is reminiscent of 70's Rock band BOSTON that is if BOSTON was possessed by the devil!!

 My final summary is thus. KREATOR once again transverse through the murk and mire of alarmist theories, doomsday perdition's and par for the course rebellion. Let's not forget the obligatory inner hate for humanity too. But somewhere in that black, beating heart of theirs lie ventricles and arteries that pump strength, hope and life sustaining substance.