KREATOR — Gods of Violence (review)

Album · 2017 · Thrash Metal

4/5 · 2017-07-31
siLLy puPPy

While many old school thrash metal bands are having a hard time keeping their old school flames a-burning, certain bands sound like they never had it blow out in the first place. While the big four of thrash metal: Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer may be around well into the 21st century, they are quite inconsistent in their abilities and commitment to pumping out a quality product that sounds as passionate as what they released in their 1980s heyday. That doesn’t seem to be the case for the leader of the “Big Teutonic Four” namely KREATOR who debuted all the way back in 1985 and has maintained a steady stream of quality thrash metal releases even if they at times took the liberty of straying into goth or whatever they chose to confront. However beginning with 2001’s “Violent Revolution,” the band has released a few stellar high quality thrash metal albums that although less raw and more melodic than their 80s origins, still pack a powerful punch and retain the passion that cast them as one of Germany’s most highly regarded thrash metal acts of the ages.

GODS OF VIOLENCE, the band’s 14th studio album may pick right up where the predecessor “Phantom Antichrist” left off in compositional style and recognizable musical delivery but KREATOR continues well into the 21st century with a passion for their craft that is as admirable as the first phase of their thrash metal career only perhaps a bit more fine-tuned for modern day production and hybridization with a more melodic molding that actually puts them in the same camp as modern day melodic death metal bands like Amon Amarth and Arch Enemy. The band as usual is led by the thrash metal vocal style of Mille Petrozza offering his dual guitar assault with Sami Yli-Sirniö on GODS OF VIOLENCE as is the familiar frenetic drum assault of Jürgen ‘Ventor’ Reil in cahoots with Christian Giesler’s bass talents. While the filthy metal distortion and early thrash metal feel is in full effect, the mixing and production skills of the Jens Bogren, Ted Jensesn and Johan Örnborg team offer the most pleasant modern recording processes of any extreme metal album of modern times.

Like many old school thrash bands that are like cockroaches and refuse to go away, KREATOR continues to capture newer audiences with their fierce no nonsense approach to furiously well-crafted old school thrash metal. While the originality factor has clearly never been KREATOR’s biggest playing card, they do however offer an uncanny string of consistency that never fails to deliver exactly what is expected of them complete with very competent compositions that while having dipped more into the melodic side of metal never ceases to capture the renegade zeitgeist spirit of reckless abandon that KREATOR exhibited from day one when their debut album “Endless Pain” contributed to the overall blueprints of not only the thrash metal scene but also of significant value to the black and death metal scenes as well. Old school thrash bands releasing new albums in the 21st century is very hit and miss for me as there seems to be a fine line between business as usual and adding enough oomf to create a relevant listening after so much evolution in the metal universe.

KREATOR, for me, offers an outstanding retro experience of old school thrash while offering the modern day accoutrements of production and ever so slight evolutionary factors in their own sound. A masterpiece this is not, but a pleasant listening experience while others fail, it is. What really sells me on the continued existence of KREATOR is just how passionate they seem to feel about the music. They never once seem tired and bored with what they are releasing. GODS OF VIOLENCE could easily have been released by a younger band who has a KREATOR worship fetish but in this case it is the band themselves who never let that flame flicker out for even a second. While it is true that the band frightened off fans in the 90s after experimenting with their sound and seem to have found a rather formulaic approach to their music ever since their return to a predictable melodic thrash sound, the fact that they can nail that sound so effortlessly both compositionally and in performance ensures that they will have a loyal following for quite some time. I, for one, am totally on board and eagerly await the hopefully many future releases to come.

more than 2 years ago
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Nightfly wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Loving this album a lot myself.

Vim Fuego wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Liking this a lot.

siLLy puPPy wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Cool. Facebook now makes comments here! Glad it grew on ya ;)

MMA_Facebook wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Comment via MMA Facebook review share:

"I initially dislike this album bc overwhelming melodic elements...but over repeated listen, It's easier to dig this album 3.5/5"

https://www.facebook.com/MetalMusicArchives/posts/10155007533255186?comment_id=10155007649440186¬if_t=share_comment¬if_id=1501577834881973