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Politics, religion, oppression in various forms and sizes…..after almost 3 decades fronting the biggest export of German Thrash, Mille Petrozza still has reasons to be angry. And we should all be thankful for that.

With “Phantom Antichrist” Kreator yet again proves to be one of the most forward-looking Thrash bands in the world. It’s not just the band’s willingness to throw in different ideas that I enjoy about this band because Kreator also has an ingrained talent of writing great songs, of crafting genuinely heavy riffs and of composing exciting music. That’s why I can’t say Kreator has one truly awful album.

“Phantom Antichrist” has an abundance of melody that at times hints at the melodic aggression of, say, In Flames. Yet the album still bears the grittiness and exuberant energy that Kreator always manage to tap into. ‘Until Our Paths Cross Again’ and ‘Death To The World’ are excellent specimens of the band’s talent in making the listener want to grab his air guitar and mosh about like an insane jack-in-the-box. Another peculiarity of this album is the songs’ tendency to shift in and out of mellow bits – though describing the music as ‘Progressive’ would be taking it a bit too far.

While listening to this album I admit I occasionally found myself yearning for the raw sound of “Terrible Certainty” or “Pleasure to kill”. Sonically speaking, “Phantom Antichrist” lays half-way between “Flag of Hate” and the underrated “Endorama” and this might make you hesitate before plunging headfirst into it.

When all is said and done, however, “Phantom Antichrist” remains an enjoyable collection of Thrash Metal anthems.

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