Forward a few years and suddenly a wave of retro-thrash took over the world to the point of saturation. And just like the first one, the Germans stepped up to the plate; though the English deserve some credit this time around. This brings me to the subject of this review: Cripper's third full-length, _Antagonist_. This quintet from Hannover presents some very honest and organic metal, and that grants them a tip of the proverbial hat. Yet I find myself facing a bit of difficulty as I imagine the band's future amidst the current state of genre saturation. These guys sound like they're enjoying what they're doing and I admire that, but unfortunately a lasting impression is never made. The reason for my trepidation is that _Antagonist_ doesn't offer much in the way of uniqueness. This puts Cripper at the risk of being classed in a similar manner to the likes of Evildead, Deathrow and Atrophy from the first wave.

Vocalist Britta Görtz is not the first young woman to enter these macho lands as a vocalist; fellow German thrashers Headshot also have a lady barking at the mic. Technically speaking, _Antagonist_ is mostly a standard meat-and-potatoes kind of thrash album. The drums thump continuously with fervor and passion, while the guitars chug away with a slightly trebly sound. The twelve tracks add up to forty six minutes, and they do have some clever transitions and subtle differences that tell them apart. But at the end of the day, the whole affair is just average. Technical abilities aside, _Antagonist_ doesn't really damage the scene or cause revulsion, but at the same time it doesn't stand out among the herd.