Extreme Aggression

The festivities of mass consumerism are upon our jolly hohoho-carcasses, so what better way to celebrate than whip the counter full of some yummyyum, bloody moshpit action. No one can deny the influence of Kreator to the world of extreme metal, especially in Europe. From the down-n-dirty asskickin' first albums onto their fourth record, Kreator displayed what could have not been translated better into a title - EXTREME AGGRESSION! With a whole lotta technicality to boot. With the opening title track (well OK, change it to plural form), Mille and the current crew set a very recognizableand acceptable agenda. RiffRiffRIffRiffRiffSCREAAAAAAMMMDoubleBassThrashbeatRIFFRIFF! Brutality, I say. Brutality! Ventors drumming is surgically precise despite all the speedy massacre-pounding. A hateful cauldron filled with very catchy and furious guitar riffing, all laced up with Petrozzas very recognizable, dry bark filled with venom. Some might consider his voice a love/hate-factor, but for thrash this is the supreme form of vocals. Manic solos buzz around the standardly powerful thematics of alienation, independence, a rotten society, hatehatehate and even some literary influences. Love Us Or Hate Us (my personal favourite off the disc, DAMN that chorus slays) and Stream Of Consciousness mix some mid-tempo madness in with the slaughter for brilliant dynamics. Some Pain Will Last and Betrayer kick into a speed metal vein with some excellent NWOBHM-drenched harmony leads added in. Many of the drum breaks have an instant magical ability to have ones fist reach for the ceiling in pumping action. Describing the rest of the album would basically be repeating about the awesomness that preceded. Many songs also display slight death metal-spices with the crooked song and riff structures. The doubled solo in Fatal Energy even gives me the feel of a grand classical epic, although it isnt any Paganini-auf-metal-done-Yngwie-style. The production is very good in balance albeit a bit dirty, but seeing this as a slice of fantastic thrash, the grittiness compliments the material very well, even to the ears of a hifi-production wanker like myself. If one digs thrash and riffmarathons that give some nice tests for muscle endurance, Extreme Aggression is very recommendable listening. And the gods are watching from lofty places/Indifferent to you and me//the test is through, the human race destroyed/Destroyed by the fatal energy.....of this album!!!