Review Summary: A staggering thrash metal effort, Coma of Souls was an unexpected journey to success.
After a huge success on their fourth full-length, German thrash metal band Kreator founded a new guitarist after Jorg "Tritze" Trzebiatowski left in 1989. Replaced by ex-Sodom guitarist Frank "Blackfire" Gosdzik, the band started to record new material by July 1990. The album's material was finished by August 1990, being released in November the same year, it was produced, mixed and engineered by Randy Burns (Dark Angel, Crumbsuckers, Death, Possessed among others), and received generally favourable to positive reviews from critics.
The final release until 2001 to feature the thrash metal style influences, Coma of Souls was also the last to be issued under Epic Records in the U.S. Most original CD and LP pressings contained a Parental Advisory label on the album's cover though it features no offensive language; usually on subsequent pressings there is no Parental Advisory or Warning label. Coma has been reissued several times, two of them include a 2002 remaster of the original album, and a 2018 deluxe 2-CD remaster featuring a bonus disc with a full tour of Live at Stadthalle Furth, Germany, 1990.
Starting off with the great and talented acoustic guitar intro of Frank Gosdzik on the song "When the Sun Burns Red", the beginning track then explodes out with a energy-filled and aggressive shout-out with a melodic-style but uncontrollable and fierce guitar riff and the talented drumming of Jurgen "Ventor" Reil in the background; this classic start-off is nothing compared to the next few songs!
Next off is the classic title-track, another energetic and raging effort, this brings us to the popular and stunning riffs of one of Kreator's best songs in their career; People of the Lie. One of the most well-written, outrageous and insane songs of all-time!
Though unexpected, the album returns to the style of the title-track, with it's great overpowering riffs but also melodic-based guitar riffs at the same time.
The album then changes to the "When the Sun Burns Red" style on fifth track "Terror Zone", once again it bursts into a totally different dimension of disappointing tracks such as sixth song "Agents of Brutality", seventh song "Material World Paranoia" and tenth track "Mental Slavery", the album kind of lets the newcomers down.
With a sharp and clear production containing guttural riffs, high-pitched solos, throbbing bass lines, talented drumming and aggressive vocals in the style of Sodom's Persecution Mania (1987) mixed with a similar style to Metallica and Slayer, lyrically, Coma of Souls has nothing wrong with the lyrics. Musically, it could have had a better side two, in which I would change with (rather than more melodic melodies), I would make the melodies more crunchier and catchier and pump the amps up!
Although it affects side two, I must admit that Coma of Souls is an overall great and satisfying effort from a band that I can not hate or dislike!
PROS:
- Clear sound and a great production
- Some songs may be surprising to newcomers
- An overall great album
CONS:
- Side two could have been catchier and more solid
- Guitar amplifiers need to be turned up a little bit
- Some songs can or could disappoint
RECOMMENDED TRACKS:
- When the Sun Burns Red
- People of the lie
- World Beyond
- Terror Zone
