Kreator are indeed a great thrash band. They come from Germany and they started their career of bone-crushing metal in the early 1980s. There is a clear Slayer and Venom influence in their music and their rivals are Destruction and Sodom. They are one of the few thrash bands that are not subject to "selling out". They have always had a thrash vibe to their music which tells me, "Thrash is not dead!!!" Though during the "90s they incorporated an avant-garde and a Gothic touch to their albums, the band still has speed and brutality in their music.
If you remember my Atheist review then you"ll remember the crazy guy that got me into that band. It"s the same here; the crazy guy also got me into this band. I instantly loved it since I am already deeply into thrash metal so I was comfortable from the start. The band is heavier than the bands above them, Metallica and Megadeth aren"t heavy at all compared to all the death metal you youngsters are listening today but Kreator can still hold a candle to them. As well as having fast "chugga-chugga" riffs. They also incorporate melodic parts which doesn"t distract from the music. Take yourself to 2005, thrash is dead. Dave Mustaine plays boring hard rock. You have no idea what Anthrax are doing. Metallica is playing awful nu-metal and Slayer are a normal metal band. There isn"t anything left. Suddenly the underground had an answer. Kreator had released a thrash album in 2005; it seemed strange but proud at the same time. It is intense for a year that introduced generic metalcore. Kreator are the answer to all the thrashers in world as they still make thrash music, good stuff at that too.
The instruments are brilliant to say at least though they have an acquired taste to them. Mainly the vocals, they are really harsh and loud so if that isn"t your bag then you could get torn away. The guitars are first-rate but like all thrash bands, they fall into the trap of the "chugga-chugga" method but instead of just power-chords played fast, they use different chords and they try to make it unique. I think it"s a nice change from the predictability of some bands. I can hear the bass, I"ll give it that but it backs up the guitar too much. The drums are basically your usual double-bass and heaviness. They can play well together though and that"s the main thing. They"re really heavy compared to other thrash bands so if you"re looking for a change, try them out! The album is certainly great but it has a few low points. When I said the guitars have melodic parts, they do give a change but it reminds me of modern metal too much (like Trivium and Killswitch Engage) Of course, the band isn"t in the eighties anymore but that kind of sucks due to the band staying thrash. The songs aren"t that well written to me, the band seem a bit too concentrated on riffs and pulling off fast beats that they forgot to simply work on the songs. Some of the songs follow a same-y pattern, the riffs are supposed to evil but they fail in the process of making the same riffs over and over again. Mind you, some of the riffs are annoying, the chords don"t sound too well together.
There is also a lack of variety, all the songs are evil thrash but the songs sound the same. No variation at all, just the same old riffs recycled. All the songs are just heavy thrash songs, nothing else. I don"t know about you but I can"t listen to them for a long time. Then my brain gets bored and I switch it off. Maybe you just have to be in the right mood to listen to them but the novelty wears off. The album isn"t all bad, looking on the positive things. The album sure is heavy and a breath of fresh air. They are great for just head-banging to but you can"t be in that mood all the time. Only listen to this when you are in the mood and you"ll love every moment but when you"re in the wrong mood, prepare for some mind-numbing crap.
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This Message Edited On 02.16.07
