Album Review: Kreator - Krushers Of The World
Reviewed by Dan Barnes
The undisputed pinnacle of the Teutonic Big Four – meaning no disrespect to either Sodom or Destruction – Essen’s Kreator seem to have a touch of the Napalm Death about their releases since 2005’s Enemy of God, in that their Nineties output saw them lose their way a little but have come back more powerfully with each subsequent album. Leaving a dignified gap between records seems to have allowed the band to develop ideas organically and to enjoy the live fruits of their labours.
Four years on from Hate Über Alles comes album number sixteen, Krushers of the World, with the band maintaining the recording line up of the previous release. Leading up to this album, Kreator have been dripping promo singles out since September’s first appearance of album opener, Seven Serpents. From the outset, it’s clear Mille and company do not intend to grow old gracefully, as the track is full of rampant riffs and colossal drumming, demonstrating that Kreator has returned, at it’s mighty peeved.
Matching blistering verses with catchy choruses is the band’s bread and butter and they manage once again to show there’s room for both anthemic fist-pumpers and face-melters all in the same tune.
Appropriately enough, second single, Tränenpalast, is heavily influenced by Dario Argento’s Susperia and found itself released on Halloween 2025; darker, but still packed with those classic Kreator elements, its atmospheric feel is enhanced by additional vocals from Britta Görtz of German melodic death metal quintet, Hiraes. The pre-Christmas third single, Satanic Anarchy combines unrelenting brutal speed with melodic bridges and a singalong chorus. There’s undoubtable a power metal influence at work deep in this one, with a searing solo barely hiding amid the rumbling progression.
Millie’s ongoing guitar partnership with Sami Yli-Sirniö produces plenty of memorable moments and has been surely a major key to the band’s resurgence since the millennium. Almost ever-present drum-machine, Jürgen Reil keeps time impeccably and his combination with ex-Dragonforce bassist, Frédéric Leclercq, has everything ticking like clockwork.
Those power metal influences rear their heads again on the anthemic closer, Loyal to the Grave; there’s an aggressive metallic groove to Combatants, and the title-track’s rapid, stomping riff is sure to be the same kind of live favourite as God of Violence’s Satan is Real.
But those of us old enough to remember seeing Endless Pain, Pleasure to Kill and Extreme Aggression advertised on the inner sleeves of other Noise Records artists, will be heartened to hear Kreator have brought their thrash mojo and are not afraid to use it.
Barbarian is pure old school: charging riffs, aggressive bridges, unbridled ferocity, all with a pit-filling chorus. Throw in some heavy metal breakdowns and a frenzied solo and we’ve proof – should we need it – that Kreator can still show the youngsters how to Thrash the F out of a tune. For all of Blood of Our Blood’s whiplash riffs and solid rhythms, there is an unmistakable maturity on show that comes with the kind of longevity you get after forty-years-plus on the road.
Psychotic Imperator shows Millie can bark any combination of words and still get all heads bobbin’, and Deathscream’s thrashing assault and choppy guitars come with a hauntingly dangerous chorus.
Krushers of the World’s production is handled by Swedish maestro Jens Bogren, whose pedigree with bands like Opeth, Enslaved, Rotting Christ and Kreator themselves dates back a couple of decades. Everything sounds as it should: crystal clear when needed, down and dirty as required.
Even the running time is geared to providing maximum musical enjoyment, with it clocking in at around fifty minutes, Krushers never outstays its welcome, rather leaves you wanting a little bit more.
Next up for Kreator will be taking to the road to promote the album, with early dates scheduled for late March, when they play a few UK shows with Carcass, Exodus and Nails. Now that’s bound to be one hell of a good time.
