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I remember the Kreator from the 80s, the one that was a pioneering "extreme" Metal band with front man Mille Petrozza's harsh vocals screaming over some truly raw Thrash Metal. Here we are nearly 30 years since their debut and we have Kreator's 13th studio album, Phantom Antichrist. Like fellow 80s holdovers Testament and Overkill, Kreator are trying to stay true to their roots while not becoming a parody of themselves. But where Testament and Overkill have released some great albums over the past couple of years, Phantom Antichrist sounds like a band going through the motions.

There are riffs aplenty, and some good ones at that, but in the past Petrozza, and whoever else was playing guitar, would unleash a sonic assault that would rip your face off. Now, the guitars politely ask you to observe how darn heavy they are. Everything has been smoothed and polished way too much for this style of Thrash. Petrozza's vocals, which used to be such a distinctive feature of Kreator's sound, are now sort of a featureless bark. I can't really say there is anything bad about the album. I just expect Kreator to grab me by the neck and force me to bang my head, but Phantom Antichrist is too smooth and predictable for that.