UMUR "Enemy of God" is the 11th full-length studio album by German thrash metal act Kreator. The album was released through Steamhammer/SPV in January 2005. "Violent Revolution (2001)" marked a return to a more "straight" thrash metal style for Kreator, who had spend most of the 90s experimenting with their sound. It turned out to be a career wise move as their popularity again rose to heights they hadn´t experienced for a number of years. Therefore it didn´t come as a surprise that the band milked the album and their new found popularity to the maximum, touring extensively and releasing both a live album and a DVD in 2003 ("Live Kreation") before starting work on a new album...

...and Kreator take no chances on "Enemy of God", which pretty much continues the same melodic oriented thrash metal style of "Violent Revolution (2001)". A music style with strong ties to their 1990 album "Coma of Souls". So in many ways "Enemy of God" is the sibling album to "Violent Revolution (2001)", and those who enjoyed the latter will pretty surely appreciate the former too. Stylistically the music is thrash metal with a great melodic sensibility which occassionally touches melodeath territory, but always sounds unmistakably like Kreator. The beat is steady mid- to fast-paced, the riffs are solid, the guitar solos/harmonies are well played and melodic, and Mille Petrozza sounds pretty much as raw and aggressive as ever. He does spice up his vocal performance with more melodic tinged parts than he did on the "classic" 80s albums though, and "Enemy of God" generally sounds like a mix of contemporary and more derivative influences.

Like it´s predecessor, "Enemy of God" features a powerful and detailed Andy Sneap production, which suits the music well. The 12 tracks on the 55:48 minutes long album are all well written, but it´s hard not to notice that there´s been virtually no development of sound and style since "Violent Revolution (2001)", and although it´s understandable that Kreator wanted to ride the wave of success which was initiated with that album, I can´t help feel that "Enemy of God" isn´t an album which exists on it´s own premise. It simply feels a bit formulaic and written this particular way because Kreator knew that this was the sound the fans wanted and expected from them. When that is said it´s still another high quality release by Kreator and a 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.

Warthur Kreator's followup to the career-reviving Violent Revolution presents the absolute angriest thrash metal I've ever heard - and in a genre which includes the likes of Slayer, pre-Black Album Metallica, and pre-tinfoil hat Megadeth that's saying a hell of a lot. Dragging thrash metal out and making it dance like the 1980s never ended, Kreator produce an album here to rival anything in their discography and are unafraid to shout about it. Mille Petrozza in particular deserves props as lead vocalist for investing his lines with a passionate intensity that borders on the truly apocalyptic. If Kreator are the Enemy of God, then on the basis of this album the big guy better put his running shoes on.

That said, he might have a fighting chance - the album is a little over-long, and becomes wearing before it hits the 50 minute mark, and on some cuts like One Evil Comes - A Million Follow the shallowness of some of the material ends up becoming evident.

Kingcrimsonprog German Thrash Metal band Kreator have really been on a high since releasing their Violent Revolution album in 2001. The band forged a new direction by combining a return to roots Thrash Metal sound with hints of Gothenburg, Melodeath and even Metalcore incorporated into the overall style.

2005’s Enemy Of God was the second album in this new style, the band were refreshed and recharged musically and put out a brilliant quality album with hundred’s of riffs, mixing high speeds, grooves and occasional dark melodic moments with dual guitar harmonies. The overall production quality is fantastic; the sound is heavy, clear and crisp.

The band themselves are on top form, with longtime members Mille and Jurgen put down great performances on their respective instruments as well as vocally. Kreator have had a few line up changes in their career but Enemy Of God sees a stable line-up enter the studio; Christian, has been with the band since 1995’s Cause For Conflict album and Finnish guitarist Sami Yli-Sirniö joined on the band’s previous album Violent Revolution.

Standout tracks include `Dystopia’ and `Dying Race Apocalypse,’ which are among the finest the band have yet to release. The overall quality of the album never really dips at all however; Enemy Of God is absolutely solid from beginning to end and doesn’t have any filler or weak material to speak of.

In summary; Kreator no longer have to live in the shadow of their 1980′s heyday, the band are producing relevant and important music now, still pushing boundaries and releasing top quality albums. Enemy Of God is a strong and impressive album that is really worth giving a go, especially if you enjoyed either Violent Revolution or their career highlight Hordes Of Chaos.