''Phantom Antichrist'' is the 13th studio album by German

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an Extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, ...

band

Kreator Kreator is a German thrash metal band from Essen, formed in 1982. Their current line-up consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Mille Petrozza, Miland "Mille" Petrozza, drummer Jürgen Reil, Jürgen "Ventor" Reil, lead guitarist Sami Yli- ...

, released through

Nuclear Blast Nuclear Blast Records is a German record label with subsidiary, subsidiaries located in Germany, the United States and Brazil. It was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Donzdorf. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label moved on ...

on 1 June 2012. The album entered the US ''Billboard'' 200 at No. 130, selling 3,900 copies in the first week.

Release and promotion

The album's title track was released as a limited edition

7" vinyl In music, a single is a type of release of a song recording of fewer tracks than an album ( LP), typically one or two tracks. A single can be released for sale to the public in a variety of physical or digital formats. Singles may be standa ...

single, which sold out very quickly. It has since been released digitally. The

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

is a cover of " The Number of the Beast" by

Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris (musician), Steve Harris. Although fluid in the early years of the band, the line-up for most ...

. Kreator released a music video for "Civilization Collapse" on 28 November 2012.

Packaging

The digipak edition includes a bonus CD containing a documentary about the making of the album and a live set compiled from Kreator's performances at the

Wacken Open Air Wacken Open Air (, abbreviated as W:O:A) is a Heavy metal music, heavy metal music festival, held annually since 1990 on the first weekend of August in the village of Wacken, Schleswig-Holstein, Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Almost all ...

festivals in 2008 and 2011. A very limited edition version of the album is available through the Nuclear Blast online store, which comes in a metal box containing the CD+DVD version of the album, an exclusive live album called ''Harvesting the Grapes of Horror'' which contains the audio from the live portion of the DVD, a red T-shirt bearing the band's logo and the album title, a photocard signed by

Mille Petrozza Miland "Mille" Petrozza (born 18 December 1967) is a German musician. He is the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of thrash metal band Kreator, which he started playing in as Tyrant in 1982 and renamed into Tormentor in 1984. He is also the prin ...

, an A1 poster of the album artwork, and a numbered certificate of authenticity.

Critical reception

The album has a more progressive and melodic sound than previously explored by the band and was generally well received by critics. It won a 2012

Metal Storm Metal Storm Limited was a research and development company based in Brisbane, Australia, that specialized in electronically initiated superposed load weapons technology and owned the proprietary rights to the electronic ballistics technology ...

Award for "Best Thrash Metal Album".

Track listing

Personnel

''Phantom Antichrist'' album personnel adapted from the CD liner notes. ;Kreator *

– lead vocals, guitars *

Sami Yli-Sirniö Sami Yli-Sirniö (born 10 April 1972) is a Finnish musician who is currently the lead guitarist of the German band Kreator and the Finnish metal bands Waltari and Barren Earth. He spent part of his life in Germany and thus has strong ties with ...

– guitars, backing vocals, acoustic guitar on the intro of "United in Hate" * Christian Giesler – bass * Ventor – drums ;Production *

Jens Bogren Jens Peter Daniel Bogren (born 13 November 1979) is a Swedish record producer, mixer and recording engineer specializing in heavy metal music. He has worked on albums by Opeth, Dimmu Borgir, Sepultura, Arch Enemy, At the Gates, Katatonia, Bab ...

– mixing, recording, producing at Fascination Street Studios, Sweden *

Ted Jensen Ted Jensen (born September 19, 1954) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered many recordings, including the Eagles' '' Hotel California'', Green Day's '' American Idiot'' and Norah Jones' ''Come Away with Me''. Early life ...

– mastering at Sterling Sound, New York City * Johan Örnborg – additional recording ;Art *

Wes Benscoter Wes Benscoter is an American artist who is best known for his work album covers, especially heavy metal albums. He also has made covers for magazines and books, and shirt designs, and his art is featured in many galleries around the world. Most ...

– cover artwork * Jan Meininghaus – additional cover artwork, booklet design * Heile for Heilemania – band photos

Chart performance

References

External links

*
''Phantom Antichrist''
at

{{Authority control 2012 albums Albums with cover art by Wes Benscoter Kreator albums Nuclear Blast albums Albums produced by Jens Bogren