Review of the Album "Extreme Aggression" by German Thrash Metal Band Kreator

German thrash metal band Kreator really opened up my eyes and creative tastes with their brilliant 2005 album Enemy of God. However, their earlier albums should be given consideration as well. Their 1989 album called Extreme Aggression is a raw, heavy album that has not really deviated from their thrash metal approach. The first song called Extreme Aggressions ends in such a way that we are reminded of how the songs in Metallica’s debut album would end. The song ends with a few quick rhythmic taps.

In this 4^th album by Kreator, we hear the style of vocals which would be common in the album Enemy of God which to this day, may be my favorite album by Kreator but that is a tough call.

The song called No Reason to Exist is a song that addresses a topic that has become the reality of life in the United States. Children grow up being told that they will be part of a system that forces them to work too hard and they will feel like they are enslaved from the time they are born until the time that they die. Each one of us knows what is right for us and we should strive to find our own way in life as the song suggests. This concept is expanded upon in the next song called Love Us or Hate Us. This song is about rebelling against the system or status quo and doing what you feel is right for you. Whether people love us or hate us, they should not try to force their ideas or beliefs down our throats. Society can sometimes be very cruel as the song suggests but we have to just stick to our principles and pursue our hopes and dreams. Kreator is trying to bring attention to the various social problems of the world such as hate, greed, lies, and corruption. These themes are addressed in the song called Some Pain Will Last. Back in 1989, these guys must have known what was going on in the world.

The song Betrayer has a melody that we would hear in Ride the Lightning (Call of Ktulu). Don’t Trust is a song that describes a world in which it is very difficult to trust people or government promises. The song talks about a future in which there is no hope.

Bringer of Torture is a short, heavy, and fast song that is creative enough to be given consideration for being one of the album’s highlights. The song is about someone that makes a living off of terrorizing young girls and he will return to prey upon them if they are not careful.

Overall, 1989’s Extreme Aggression is a good 1980’s style thrash metal album from one of the most well-known thrash metal bands in Germany. They would get slightly better with 1990’s Coma of Souls album. The pros are that the vocals are pretty decent for the time, good raw, heavy riffs, and decent song construction. The one con for the album is that it is still kind of a generic thrash metal album with not as much melody as compared to what they would write in 2005.