Kev Rowland Kreator have always been deemed to be one of the most important thrash bands to come out of Germany, and that they are still going in the current day (and this week have released a new album, to be reviewed soon), is a testament to their drive and fans. Indeed, three members of the band in 2001 which worked on this album are still there in 2022, with only bassist Christian Giesler no longer with the band, having left in 2019 after 25 years in the role. So why the interest in such an old album? Simply because it has been released by Nuclear Blast as a massively expanded anniversary edition. As well as the original album, it has been released long with a huge selection of assorted live bootleg recordings, grouped together under the name ‘Bootleg Revolution’. This captures the band at various festivals and concerts around the world, including countries like Brazil, Korea and Istanbul, and at German Festivals like Wacken and Waldrock.

A great deal of work has been undertaken on the 41 (yes, forty-one) tracks which have been made available on this additional set, and it is three hours in length as we get different recordings of the same song at different places. For such an old album it has really stood up to the test of time, being incredibly melodic for a thrash release without ever tipping into melodic rock, rather just tightening up and sweetening the genre somewhat. All Kreator fans will already have the original album so is it worth picking up one of the multiple available formats to grab the additional live cuts? Fortunately Nuclear Blast have thought of that already and ‘Bootleg Revolution’ is available as a standalone, and if you are a real fan then you may well want to have a live set which contains three different versions of the same song, but if you are that dedicated you are probably going to get one of the physical combined versions anyway. I had not played the original for some time, and it is fascinating to hear it sounding as vibrant and current as it does, which shows what an impact it had when it originally came out as the scene has now caught up with them. It will be interesting to see if Nuclear Blast continues this idea with other releases, as it is certainly a good way of revitalizing the older catalogue.  

UMUR "Violent Revolution" is the 10th full-length studio album by German thrash metal act Kreator. The album was released through Steamhammer/SPV in September 2001. It´s the successor to "Endorama" from 1999. Starting with "Renewal" from 1992, the 90s were generally a decade where Kreator experimentet with their sound after achieving God like status on the German thrash metal scene of the 80s along with Sodom and Destruction. The experiments with sound and style were not to the satisfaction of all their fans, and it didn´t help much that Kreator followed-up "Renewal (1992)" with three more albums that sounded different from what most fans expected from them, and their profile as one of the most prolific German thrash metal acts began to fade during the decade. They of course achieved artistic satisfaction from their experiments but the majority of their fans turned their thumbs down (Disclaimer: This is a general observation and not necessarily my personal opinion of the 90s albums).

Therefore it was probably a great relief to those fans when "Violent Revolution" came out as it features a musical style that isn´t far from what is heard on albums like "Extreme Aggression (1989)" and "Coma of Souls (1990)". Especially the more sophisticated and melodic oriented thrash metal style of the latter is a valid reference. Featuring a powerful and meaty Andy Sneap production Kreator´s thrash metal style was carried into the new millennium under the best possible conditions.

Since the release of "Endorama (1999)" there´s been one lineup changes as guitarist Tommy Vetterli (Coroner, 69 Chambers) has been replaced by Sami Yli-Sirnio (Waltari, Barren Earth). The usual suspects are Mille Petrozza (vocals, guitars), Christian Giesler (bass), and Jurgen "Ventor" Reil (drums).

The material on the 12 track, 56:43 minutes long album are well written, and while not all tracks stand out equally much, "Violent Revolution" generally is a very entertaining release. The delivery of the music is highly professional and the powerful and detailed production is also a great asset. Solid thrash metal riffs, melodic lead harmonies and well played solos, and Mille Petrozza´s distinct sounding raw vocals on top. Add Ventor´s easily recognisable drumming style to the mix and you got the "classic" sound of Kreator. Just less savage and a bit more sophisticated and melodic than what they sounded like in the late 80s/early 90s.

Highlights include "Reconquering the Throne" (very apt title for the opening track on this particular album), "Servant in Heaven - King in Hell", and the brilliant title track. The 7:34 minutes long "Replicas of Life" is also a standout track to my ears. It features a mellow clean guitar opening with Petrozza singing goth rock type vocals, before the track gets faster and more aggressive thrashy.

So upon conclusion "Violent Revolution" is a welcome thrash metal comeback for Kreator (although it´s a more mature form of thrash than what they played in the 80s). They are arguably very good at both writing and playing this style of music, and although a few more experiments and a bit more variation between tracks could have made the album more interesting and a little less derivative of their past glories, "Violent Revolution" is a high quality release through and through and a 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.

Kingcrimsonprog Kreator; the German Thrash Metal legends responsible for `Pleasure To Kill,’ and `Extreme Aggression,’ have another title to add to their list of classic albums. 2001′s `Violent Revolution,’ is unquestionably one of the best metal albums of the decade.

This is one of the slickest, most well written and above all catchiest albums in the pantheon of metal. The riffs are memorable, the solos are impressive and the drumming is fantastic, if ever an album was to be described as rock solid, this is it.

Mille’s vocals greatly improved with this album, mixing what he had added on the bands more experimental 90′s music with his ferocious 80s roots to create a new vocal style he would continue to use on the absolutely fantastic `Enemy Of God,’ and `Hordes of Chaos,’ albums.

The production is top notch, with a great smooth guitar sound and punchy kick drum, perfect for all the double kick drum patterns and dual harmony guitars.

The title track `Violent Revolution,’ is by now a classic, and one of the best songs the band ever released and then on top of that songs like the awesome `Reconquering the Throne,’ and the very catchy `Servant in Heaven King in Hell,’ fill the album out perfectly with no lull in top quality music.

If you like Kreator at all, then Violent Revolution will become one of your favorite albums before the disc finishes spinning, its really that good. Many Thrash bands are returning to heavier music these days, but few have done so quite as successfully as Kreator.