Band:	Kreator
Album:	Cause For Conflict
Style:	Teutonic thrash metal
Release date:	July 1995
Guest review by:	Angelic Storm

01. Prevail
02. Catholic Despot
03. Progressive Proletarians
04. Crisis Of Disorder
05. Hate Inside Your Head
06. Bomb Threat
07. Men Without God
08. Lost
09. Dogmatic
10. Sculpture Of Regret
11. Celestial Deliverance
12. State Oppression [Raw Power cover] [bonus]
13. Isolation

It is well known that Kreator spent most of the 90's experimenting with their sound. From these more experimental efforts only 1995's Cause For Conflict is really recognisably by the same band who gave us monumental thrash classics such as Pleasure To Kill and Coma OF Souls. In saying that though, this really is a different beast to any of the albums from the band's "classic thrash" period. What we have here essentially, is a mishmash of the industrial style of the previous album Renewal, the thrashings of old, and the more experimental, moodier style they would adopt on the next two albums. Opener "Prevail" in one song pretty much describes the rest of the album as it is a mess. It's disjointed but also contains some great explosive moments. Only two songs here manage to escape the modern trappings, and despite their production, really do hark back to their classic thrash of old. (The raging "Catholic Despot" and the massive sounding "Sculpture Of Regret" being true highlights.) The punishing "Lost", on the other hand, may be more modern but is still a great song regardless. Elsewhere, more experimental tracks like the smouldering "Crisis Of Disorder", and the very melancholic album closer "Isolation", (which is the only real signal here of where Kreator where headed next) actually do work, and show a different, but still captivating side of the band. The rest of the album is pretty much forgettable. Modern, punkish thrashers that are decent enough, but are not particularly great songs. Although the last frenetic last 23 seconds of "Bomb Threat" is another blast from the past! This is really a chaotic mess of an album and, as a result, is less solid than their other experimental efforts. There is some awesome stuff on here though, and the rare moments of old school thrash greatness are a very welcome bright spark, amongst their often dreary other 90's output.