Kreator - 30 years of Cause for Conflict: An album between change and dawn

Image: Kreator – Cause for Conflict [Official Album Cover]

Back in 1995, Kreator released their seventh studio album Cause for Conflict – and even today, it's one of the band’s most controversial records. Few albums from the Essen-based thrash legends have split fans, critics, and even Mille Petrozza himself quite like this one.

But the story behind Cause for Conflict actually starts three years earlier with their 1992 record Renewal. That album was a bold departure from traditional thrash – experimenting with industrial sounds, hardcore elements, and darker atmospheres.
“We wanted to make a kind of Pink Floyd version of Kreator,” Petrozza later told Vice. Looking back, he thinks the producer gave them too much creative freedom: “We needed more direction.”

So after Renewal got a pretty mixed reception, Cause for Conflict was supposed to bring the heaviness back. But of course, it wasn’t that simple.

Between evolution and style change

With a fresh lineup – Christian Giesler on bass and Joe Cangelosi on drums – Kreator aimed to reconnect with their thrash roots while pushing into new territory. The result? An album that’s hard to pin down: at times brutal and aggressive, at others groovy or almost mechanical.

The reactions were just as varied:

• Rock Hard called it “a hammer-blow in the vein of Extreme Aggression,” gave it a strong 9.5/10, and praised Cangelosi’s sharp drumming.

• Metal.de was more reserved: not a new classic, but still an important release for its fearless fusion of thrash and new influences.

• AllMusic was even more critical: “confused and confusing,” with “forced accelerator parts” – just 3 out of 5 stars.

Fans Divided: Cult Favorite or Creative Misfire?

Even long-time fans remain split. Some see it as an underrated gem – bold, groove-heavy, with a unique mix of industrial and thrash. Others dismiss it as a directionless in-between record that lacks real highlights or tight songwriting.

Mille on Cause for Conflict: An Honest Reflection

Kreator frontman Mille Petrozza has also looked back at the album with a critical eye. In a 2007 Vice interview, he said:

“That album was nothing. It was forced and half-baked, and the sound is way too thin. I actually liked the hardcore vibe and how it was a little different, but we were going through so many problems at the time that recording was a total nightmare. The tour after that was depressing too. If I had to name our worst album, this would be the one.”

Tough words – and yet Cause for Conflict remains a key part of Kreator’s story. Love it or hate it, it marked a phase of transformation that paved the way for their return to form in the 2000s with Violent Revolution and Enemy of God.

Highlights & Tracklist

It may not be topping fan favorite lists, but Cause for Conflict still features a few standout tracks:

• “Bomb Threat” – fierce, aggressive, and powered by Cangelosi’s relentless drumming

• “Progressive Proletarians” – groovy, hardcore-tinged and politically charged

• “Lost” – moody and atmospheric with industrial vibes that show the album’s experimental side

Tracklist – Cause for Conflict (1995):

1. Prevail
2. Catholic Despot
3. Progressive Proletarians
4. Crisis of Disorder
5. Hate Inside Your Head
6. Bomb Threat
7. Men Without God
8. Lost
9. Dogmatic
10. Sculpture of Regret
11. Celestial Deliverance
12. Isolation

Final Thoughts on Cause for Conflict

Revisiting Cause for Conflict today, it’s clear how deeply the album reflects the creative chaos of the 90s – with all its highs and lows.

It’s not a classic, but it’s a crucial piece of the puzzle for a band that has always kept evolving. Take a listen and judge for yourself: