Kreator
Violent Revolution (Re-Issue)
Thrash Metal
Released 21 January 2022
via Nuclear Blast Records
When German thrash super-titans, Kreator want to treat their fans. They sure know how to do it. In these Covid times, you can’t just embark on a massive anniversary tour. So what can you do? Well, remind them of how good you are by re-releasing one of your most iconic albums and adding on a second part with live cuts to prove that you still rule the stage. Yeah, that would about do it. So we have Violent Revolution, an album that is widely considered to be the spark that kicked off the 2000’s thrash metal revival. Also, guess what, I’ve never actually listened to it until now, well not in full. I’ve seen Kreator live so I know they’re a top-tier band. However, I’ve never taken the chance to listen to this record in full. So now’s a better time than any.
The album is definitely something else. I can hear how this was so influential to the thrash metal community. The riffs are tight and the energy the album produces is relentless. The songs are really well constructed with excellent structure and creative guitar work. The bass and drums lay an excellent foundation and are perfectly in sync. Something that definitely translates to their live show. The pulse-pounding songs hit that sweet spot of heavy and melodic where you can feel every beat of the drums but it still has somewhat of an anthemic quality. Then when the lead guitar kicks in it just put the power levels over the top. Simply put, there are excellent examples of musicianship laced through every part of the record.
Then when you get to the second part of this reissue, aptly named Bootleg Revolution. You hear the band put all of that into practice. Living proof that it wasn’t “studio magic” that made them this good. You feel that genuine passion in each recorded live performance on the album. That musicality lives in them and you feel the energy of the crowd headbanging away. I must say that these are some of the best live recordings I’ve heard on any “live” album. You get just the right amount of live band, talking between the set and crowd noise. All are so well balanced. Looking at the list of places the recordings are pulled from, you really get a grasp of their impact on the metal community at large. Brazil, Korea, Istanbul & Wâldrock Festival. Hearing the reception and how loved they are, really speaks to the metalhead in me.
Obviously, the album is a 10. There’s a reason it still holds up and it is still so loved all these years later and something I would feel comfortable recommending to any newcomer to the thrash metal world. Keep rocking Kreator and I look forward to the next time I can get in a mosh-pit at your show.
10/10
Mick Birchall
Valkyrian Music 