Well, here it is, the 16th album from German thrash metal titans Kreator, entitled "Krushers of the World". The 10-song album further develops the quartet's already overly melodic style. This time, the riffs, guitar harmonies, and orchestral arrangements resulted in a much softer and less extreme album, which could of course be called a natural development, but die-hard fans may not fully appreciate this new direction, even though the album sounds super crushing and amazing thanks to Jens Bogren. In my opinion, the first four songs are the best, and of course the band knows this very well, as they have made music videos for them. "Seven Serpents" is a savage track with super-fast guitar and drum parts, which is definitely a great opener for the new album. "Satanic Anarchy" is much more measured, focusing on melodies rather than speed, peppered with catchy vocal themes. The third track is the title song, which is the most groove-oriented and also the most epic, and is sure to be a hit live. "Tränenpalast" begins like a fairy tale, but shortly thereafter transitions into typical Kreator-style riffs with an "Outcast" vibe, and the alternation between Mille and Britta Görtz's vocals works surprisingly well. The fifth song is "Barbarian". It starts off like an accelerated version of the first riff of "Ripping Corpse", at least that's the impression I got at first listen. It is a rather melodic composition with great solos that give the song a heavy metal feel, especially in the last part where tapping can be heard. With "Blood of Our Blood", they dive even deeper into the world of heavy metal, with anthemic vocals and the aforementioned spice from the "Outcast" album. "Combatants" continues with truly powerful grooves, marching tempos, epic guitar melodies, and memorable singalongs. The eighth track, "Psychotic Imperator", is fairly typical in terms of its riff structure and vocal parts, but there is a cool, eerie section in the middle with creepy choirs in the background. "Deathscream" lends aggression to the album with its thumping double bass drum patterns, scratchy guitar riffs, and harsh vocals. But all of that evaporates in the final, closing song, "Loyal to the Grave", which, in my opinion, is overly cheesy and rather soft. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed listening to "Krushers of the World", so I can confidently recommend this 44-minute-and-25-second album to all thrash metal maniacs worldwide! This box set includes the new album on gold/red ink spot vinyl (5 songs per side), with a 4-page insert and embossed logo on the cover, which actually looks better than it sounds, ha-ha... Plus, the exclusive "Krushing Classics: 1985-1990" live album, recorded in 2023 at the 70000 Tons of Metal, on double transparent orange vinyl. The latter is a very good addition, containing some absolutely brilliant old songs. Well, this incredibly well-sounding live recording contains 13 songs with a total playing time of 65:30 minutes. The band is in its element and plays tightly throughout the entire concert, except for a few spots in the songs "Terrible Certainty", "The Pestilence", and "Terror Zone", where minor mistakes crept in, but despite this, it is a very enjoyable live concert. In addition to these vinyl records, the album and concert recording are also available in a 2CD digipak format, accompanied by a well-designed 20-page booklet. The box also includes an exclusive, LP-sized, 24-page photo album, as well as a beer coaster and poster featuring Zbigniew M. Bielak's incredibly detailed and breathtaking cover artwork. If you're a Kreator fan, you definitely need to get your hands on this box set! Hurry before it's gone forever...