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What the hell happened? I thought Enemy Of God was as good a Thrash record as has ever been made, and I was looking forward to a new Kreator album for the first time in my entire life. Now we get Hordes Of Chaos, and while it is not that bad, it isn't very good either.

Most of the problem with this CD is the production, which is severely weak, relegating the guitars to a fuzzy, harmless sound that has no oomph or kick at all. This is a shame, as there are actually some good riffs on here, and some of the leadwork and melodic playing is stellar, but you can't take it seriously when it sounds a feeble as this. Where'd the balls go? Mille sounds okay, but like the rest of the band, he sounds restrained, like he doesn't want to get too worked up. Some of the tracks here, like "Escalation", would fucking kill if they were played with some guts — they'll probably kill live anyway — but here they sound weak.

But the recording isn't the only problem here, as a lot of the songwriting is just second-rate, without any build or drama, and the catchy edge that made the last album so addictive is notably missing. Some of the choruses — as on the title track — are genuinely crappy. Really, can anyone take it seriously when Mille starts the "Everyone against everyone!" part. I snicker every time. And what is with the shitty ballad parts on "Amok Run"? — it's just embarrassing no matter how you try to think about it.

Some good bits do not an album make, and too much of this is just sloppily written and the whole thing lacks the ferocity that used to be Kreator's trademark. You can skip this, you won't miss anything you can't live without.