Kingcrimsonprog
Kreator’s debut album Endless Pain was released in 1985 when the German trio were under 18 years old. As you can imagine, the album is much rawer and less polished than the albums which would follow, both in terms of studio sound quality and in the band’s own performances.
The band at this stage didn’t entirely seem to have mastered the art of switching between sections in songs, and some of the transitions are pretty awkwardly made here and there. Sometimes, the drumming seems to drift in and out of time as well.
Despite these problems, the album features some of the band’s best-loved works like ‘Tormentor,’ and ‘Flag Of Hate,’ which would grace many Kreator concerts for years to come. After its release back in 1985, the album would become influential to a generation of thrash, black and death metal musicians.
Endless Pain contains a lot of music that demonstrates what the band would later become as well as a fair amount of music that sounds unlike anything the band would ever repeat. ‘Bone Breaker,’ and ‘Cry War,’ being two examples of the later category.
If you are curious about Kreator, definitely try another album first. If you have become a fan however, feel free to give Endless Pain a try. It is rough and raw, but it is still a lot of fun to listen to and historically interesting to boot.