UMUR "Renewal" is the 6th full-length studio album by German thrash/heavy metal act Kreator. The album was released through Noise Records in October 1992 (the band´s last release on the label). It´s the successor to "Coma of Souls" from 1990 and features the same lineup who recorded the predecessor. "Renewal" signalled a major change in sound for Kreator and is a prime example of a fan base divider. While each of the preceding five album releases had featured an increasingly more sophisticated, more melodic, and less savage sound to its direct predecessor, very few fans expected a departure from the band´s signature thrash metal sound like the one they were treated to on "Renewal".

"Renewal" is actually not devoid of thrash metal riffs and rhythms and there are several hard edged riffs and rhythms featured on the album, but it is overall the most atmospheric Kreator album up until that point, and the music also features less thrashy heavy metal elements and even some industrial metal leanings. Miland "Mille" Petrozza has opted for a less fierce vocal approach than ususal too although his vocals are still raw and shouting. All in all "Renewal" is very different sounding to its predecessors. The sound production is also less heavy and aimed at enhancing atmosphere rather than aggression and power.

All of those changes probably don´t sound that great to the ears of a conservative thrash metal listener and Kreator did receive a lot of criticism from that part of their fanbase at the time of the album´s release, but in retrospect the early 90s were a time where many thrash metal acts experimented with their sound either because they felt an artistic urge to try something different or because their sales were decreasing. Kreator were at the height of their popularity, so they definitely belong in the former catagory, and "Renewal" was therefore born out of a need to evolve.

Stylistically the music on the album can be described as atmospheric heavy metal oriented thrash metal with some industrial metal leanings. The atmosphere is dark and the lyrics are bleak and reek post-apocalyptic despair. "Renewal" is a relatively varied album, and in addition to heavy/thrash metal tracks like "Winter Martyrium", "Brainseed" (which is the track on the album featuring most industrial influences), and "Europe After the Rain" (which features an atmospheric middle section though), the album also features some more melodic and atmospheric tracks in "Reflection", "Depression Unrest", and "Karmic Wheel". Especially the latter is a particularly atmospheric track, with a mellow melancholic mid-section featuring audio samples from the suicide of R. Budd Dwyer (the 30th State Treasurer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, who committed suicide in January 1987 by shooting himself at a press conference. R. Budd Dwyer was convicted of receiving a bribe and was scheduled to be sentenced the day after his suicide). It´s just one example of the atmospheric details featured on "Renewal", which make it such a special listening experience.

Upon conclusion "Renewal" was an extremely bold move for Kreator. Making a left-turn like this at the height of their popularity required extraordinary courage. They could probably easily have released "Coma of Souls (1990)" number 2 and been successful with that, but they opted to do something different. Did it work? Probably not for most of their fans, but personally I think it´s their most interesting album. It took some time to get used to, and I wasn´t sold initially, but it has grown on me considerably over the years and to my ears it´s one of those timeless albums, which stood the test of time. The songwriting is intriguing and adventurous, the musicianship is strong, and the sound production is original and interesting. "Renewal" is through and through a high quality release and it´s quite unique sounding too. At least I´ve yet to find anything which sounds like it. A 5 star (100%) rating is deserved.

Vim Fuego The thrash scene changed irreversibly in the early 1990s, with the rise of death metal in the underground grabbing all the attention and leading the way in innovation. There were the first faint stirrings of the spectre of black metal too. There was no blindingly obvious way forward, so bands tried a number of approaches to the changing tide. Metallica and Megadeth slowed down and aimed at commercial acceptance. Anthrax and Flotsam and Jetsam shed members and went rock. Slayer and Overkill didn’t seem to notice, and just ploughed on regardless. Celtic Frost gave up. Kreator looked outside metal for inspiration, and came up with a formula for reinvention, even if it wasn’t well received at first.

‘Renewal’ saw Kreator slow a little, but their sound was powered up by incorporating Industrial and Hardcore into the mix. The result was a crushing album, but it threw off many traditional thrash fans because it wasn’t a traditional thrash album.

Most obvious was the change in Mille Petrozza’s vocal delivery. Gone were the razor sharp screeches, replaced by a throaty hardcore style shout. Also gone were the breakneck rhythm guitar riffs Kreator were infamous for, replaced instead by a more measured gutsier sound. Drummer extraordinaire Ventor also had a bit of a rest. The frantic double bass driven physical workouts he’d been peddling for the best part of a decade had metamorphosed into straightforward but precise and mechanical rhythms, topped with electronic flourishes.

There is no way the band would have released songs as adventurous as the plaintive “Karmic Wheel” during the restrictive musical climate of the 1980s. A study in dynamics and structure, the song starts with a despondent, gloomy vocal and an understated riff. It leads to an extended atmospheric, almost trippy passage, where tortured souls emerge from a vortex, before returning to the main riff, which disappears leaving only the bass and drums to carry the song.

The experimentation and innovation pops up all through the album. The short “Realitatskontrolle” takes the industrial influences to their experimental extreme, with no guitar, a distorted bassline and an effects laden vocal loop. The intro to “Europe After The Rain” is straight from the Discharge school of hateful discordant hardcore. However, it doesn’t stay quite so straightforward. The song also features Ventor’s famous double kick fury, bass-led breakdown passages, and a frantic speedfreak solo. Despite being so twisted, it is still the closest song on the album to traditional thrash.

Kreator’s previous album ‘Coma Of Souls’ was the zenith of the sound the band pioneered in 1985 with ‘Endless Pain’. There was no way forward from there without treading water or going over old ground. Unfortunately, many fans could not see the creative well had run dry for the band, and labelled ‘Renewal’ a sell-out. ‘Renewal’ is a reinvention, not a sell-out. It requires some effort on the part of the listener to try to grasp what the band was trying to do. Those who make the effort will be justifiably rewarded.