After a decade of experimentation that was largely met with indifference, the turn of the century gave Kreator the opportunity to reinvigorate themselves by combining their newly found melodicism with the thrash tendencies of their earlier years. With a long standing line up in place for the first time in their career, Kreator went about taking the metal world by storm for a second time.
Violent Revolution (2001)
Generally seen as a ‘return to their roots’ (somewhat erroneously, to these ears at least), Violent Revolution successfully ushered Kreator into the 21st century. Sami Yli-Sirniö replaced the departing Tommy Vetterli on lead guitar, completing what would go on to be the band’s longest running line up. His playing is phenomenal; his phrasing providing the perfect foil for Petrozza’s more brazen lead style. The record itself is a logical progression from Endorama, combining the gothic aura and melodic sensibilities of the 1999 record with the controlled thrashing tendencies of their late ’80s/early ’90s output. Opener “Reconquering the Throne” tears out of the gates, a sublime mix of thrashing speed and accessible melodies, whilst the anthemic title track displays a more restrained aggression. “Replicas of Life” shows Petrozza still has a knack for writing epic length thrashers; the trio of “Ghetto War”, “Mind on Fire” and “System Decay” recalling the tight, mechanical rhythms of Outcast with an added dose of searing thrash melodies. An all round great album with few weak spots, Violent Revolution saw Kreator embrace many aspects of their past as they began their ascent to reconquer the thrash throne.
Rating: 8/10
Highlights: “Reconquering the Throne”, “Violent Revolution”, “Replicas of Life”
Enemy of God (2005)
Arriving four years after Violent Revolution, 2005’s Enemy of God picks up where its predecessor left off, infusing furious thrash riffing with catchy guitar harmonies. And like the previous record, Andy Sneap is once again on production duty. The sound is sleek and clean, but a little too sterile, neutering the ferocity of the music somewhat. The bass drum sound is clunky and proves bothersome, particularly on some of Ventor’s faster footwork, which loses clarity. Thankfully, the material is strong enough to overcome these drawbacks. The title track is an absolute steamroller of A-grade melodic thrash, whilst the speedy interlude of the otherwise mid tempo “Impossible Brutality” is a fantastic succession of blistering riffery. The more popular tracks are on the first half of the record, but the latter half is actually the better of the two, perhaps the strongest run of successive songs of their career (Coma of Souls aside). “One Evil Comes – A Million Follow” is one of the more basic thrashers and possesses an almighty gallop, “Dying Race Apocalypse” and “Under a Total Blackened Sky” cycles through many catchy riffs, whilst the dynamic closer “The Ancient Plague” is captivating; Petrozza’s closing dialogue and Yli-Sirniö’s sublime lead an incredible culmination to an absolute mammoth of a song. Enemy of God built upon the success of Violent Revolution and saw Kreator once again at the forefront of the thrash metal scene.
Rating: 9/10
Highlights: “Enemy of God”, “One Evil Comes – A Million Follow”, “The Ancient Plague”
Hordes of Chaos (2009)
Whilst Hordes of Chaos does little to differentiate itself from the two preceding records from a songwriting perspective, it does strip down the sound and crank up the energy a notch and. After two records that clocked in at around an hour, Kreator made a conscious decision to conceive a more concise record. Recorded live in the studio with minimal overdubs, the organic approach captures a furious energy rarely seen on a Kreator release since Pleasure to Kill. The mix is less clear than that of its two predecessors, but it sound more authentic and helps gives the thrashier material more edge. For the first time you feel time is taking its toll on Petrozza’s vocal cords, but the passion and conviction in his delivery cannot be denied. You can feel the venom dripping from Petrozza’s words as he spits forth the vitriolic lyrics to ”Absolute Misanthropy”, accompanied by riffing that’d be right at home on Terrible Certainty. “To the Afterborn” melds a catchy melodic opening with a breathless final straight comprising rip roaring leads and speedy riffing. “Amok Run” has similar bursts of speed interlaced with guitar harmonies, whilst the peerless fury of “Demon Prince” closes out the record in fine fashion. A tightly written affair, Hordes of Chaos stands tall alongside its predecessors as an essential modern thrash record.
Rating: 9/10
Highlights: “Amok Run”, “To the Afterborn”, “Demon Prince”
Phantom Antichrist (2012)
Kreator’s 21st century rebirth had been slowly building, and with Nuclear Blast’s hype machine now working overdrive, it had reached fever pitch by the time Phantom Antichrist dropped in early 2012. This time around, Mille and co endeavoured to compose an album of epic, melodic thrash anthems. The intention is there to be heard, but unfortunately the execution comes up short. For the most part, the songs just drift by, with little to grab your attention. Crucially, the record is severely lacking in the riff department; a cardinal sin for Kreator. “Death to the World” is a particularly bad offender, with an uninspired riff backing a lazy vocal line in the chorus. Thankfuly, there are a few tracks that do manage to rise above the rest, notably the lively “Victory Will Come” and the rapid fire burst of “Civilization Collapse”, both of which meet the band meet the aspirations the band were aiming for. Another positive is the lead work, which is top notch throughout and the high point of the album. You can hear what Kreator were going for here, but they unfortunately missed the target, resulting in their weakest offering in 15 years.
Rating: 6/10
Highlights: “Civilization Collapse”, “Victory Will Come”
Parts one and two are available here and here. A review of Kreator’s forthcoming album, Gods of Violence, will be up in the coming days.
