Kreator - Phantom Antichrist (2012)

Yep, I'm extremely excited that so many cool thrash records have emerged this year. Kreator have always been a sublime metallic beast. For me the early albums are without equal, they were scathying black thrash assaults, and now the band exist as a more melodic act, evolving with the times but still keeping their sound heavy. I guess for them to record another 'Endles Pain' or 'Pleasure To Kill' is nigh on impossible, those days are gone, but 'Phantom Antichrist' does show signs of that aggression, particularly on the title cut which melts into a catchy melodic chorus whilst 'Death To The World' has an old Slayeresque vibe and sports some remarkable lyrics, with Mille rasping, "death to the world men's Necronomicon, Depopulation, Quetzalcoatl's return." Kreator are very much in a potent league occupied by the likes of Overkill, Testament, Exodus and all the while they can churn out classic metal such as 'From Flood Into Fire' with its Maiden/Priest feel - then the future of thrash metal is in very safe hands. I think real Kreator fans need to realise that we are no longer teenagers, and neither are the band and so if we want the old sound all we have to do is delve into our LP collections, but as it stands now, Kreator - and not a bunch of pretenders - are keeping the thrash fires burning. 8/10