The initial thought that comes to mind after one whirl through Kreator's fifteenth album is that it's the most daring record the band has ever issued that didn't suck. The Essen extremists may have never thrown in the towel the way some of their contemporaries did during metal's lean years when there was not only grunge to contend with, but the public's subsequent and inexplicable fascination with nü-metal and they're being rewarded for longevity and loyalty to the cause. The last decade beginning with Phantom Antichrist has been particularly kind to Kreator, and they've been particularly creatively kind to their fans. But those who grew up with the band during their classic five album neutron bomb stint from 1985-1990 aren't quick to forget about the facelessness of Renewal, which was probably the most misleading use of the word in the history of the word.
If anything, Hate Über Alles has poured more concrete into the foundation of Kreator's penchant for injecting infectious, rallying cry choruses into rip 'n' tear thrash metal. This isn't something entirely novel and their work as such shouldn't come as a shock to anyone even remotely familiar with the band — no one should have to think very hard to recall the important bits from "Riot of Violence," "Toxic Trace," "Flag of Hate," "Betrayer," "Satan is Real" and "Hail to the Hordes." This particular collection of songs, however, elevates the maturity of the song writing and arrangements to where the unkempt riotousness of the band's vaunted past makes greater connections with their mature present.
