Kreator are back and it feels (and sounds) so good! In late October, the German thrash icons announced they'd be releasing Gods of Violence next year and now they're offering a taste of what's to come on the 11-track album with a gory, black and white music video for the title track.

Since 2001, Kreator have stormed the thrash world with their reinvented style, combining the aggression of their early days with a newfound sense of melody and anthemic hooks. "Gods of Violence" does not stray from this battle-tested formula as the band takes listeners on a rollercoaster of tempo changes, accented with nuanced guitar playing like sped up licks capping off the rhythms at times. The lyrics once again focus on a rebellious uprising of the suppressed as they struggle against powerful and violent regimes, a Kreator hallmark.

As for the video, it alternates between shots of the band playing in narrow, concrete hallways and the gruesome narrative. In what appears to be a blood sacrifice, a woman is laid across a table, surrounded by other nude women who slice the sacrificial girl's throat as they look on with a vacant stare. From this scene, a demon is spawned and its significance will likely be revealed in succeeding videos.

"We have prepared an amazing video trilogy with Grupa13 (video production company) for our new album," said Kreator vocalist / guitarist Mille Petrozza. "We believe that they are among the most creative artists when it comes to surreal video art. The story line is linked to our album concept and the first clip visualizes the birth of the Kreator demon."

Gods of Violence, Kreator's 13th studio album, will be release on Jan. 27 of next year and pre-orders can be placed at the Nuclear Blast webstore.

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