Reviews list for Kreator - Live Kreation (2003)

German thrash gods Kreator have been a true enigma in my life since my teenage years & have dominated the other Teutonic thrash heavyweights with great regularity, so much so that if I was to pick my own Big Four of thrash metal they would most certainly be included. Their 1986-1990 era is where it was all at for me personally & I’ve never seen much point in spending a lot of time with the band’s later releases as they’ve inevitably failed to live up to those lofty standards, despite what many diehard thrash aficionados may have you believe. For that reason, the concept of a double live album that comes a good five albums after Kreator’s classic period ended is a recipe that could go either way. A well programmed tracklisting that encompasses the best material from the more recent records combined with a well-placed array of classic era songs could work very well but any prolonged attempt to market the deeper cuts from the less celebrated releases may end up in Snoozeville. Thankfully, Kreator have got the balance just right with 2003’s “Live Kreation” which was compiled from a number of performances across various countries on the tour for 2001’s “Violent Revolution” album.

The most noteworthy element of “Live Kreation” is the production because it’s remarkably & confoundingly good, so much so that I have to question whether producer Andy Sneap has cheated a bit. You see, while Kreator had been one of the top thrash groups for eons by this point, their technical proficiency & perfect precision was never their drawcard. In fact, their general rawness was more the attraction a lot of the time but here we find Kreator functioning like a well-oiled Swiss watch with a wonderful guitar tone & performances that don’t put a foot wrong across the whole 103 minutes. I have to admit that I have serious doubts that front man Mille Petrozza can play this tightly while performing his vocals & thrashing out at the same time. It sounds much more like the two axemen were sitting on stools in a studio completely focused on ensuring that their techniques are spot on & their output is free of the slightest blemish. Regardless of this though, I choose not to dwell on it much as music is music no matter how it’s made & I’ve always appreciated quality production & performances.

Unsurprisingly, the tracklisting is heavily weighted towards the “Violent Revolution” record given that Kreator were touring for that release at the time with the first six tracks from that album appearing here but otherwise it would seem that the band & their management have gone to great lengths to make sure that they included songs from every Kreator album to the time with a good half of the album being sourced from the band’s classic era. The way the 24 tracks have been arranged is excellent as you never have to wait too long for relief if your interest is starting to drift a bit. Personally, I don’t think there’s a weak song on offer but I’d also suggest that the highlights mostly come from the expected inclusions with “Coma Of Souls”, “Terror Zone”, “Betrayer” (my personal favourite) & “Flag Of Hate” leading the way, closely followed by “Pleasure To Kill” & “Under The Guillotine”. Slower doom metal monster “Black Sunrise” is the obvious exception as I found it to be a wonderful inclusion that took me to unexpectedly atmospheric places. It’s rare that the later material is as thrashy or intense as the old favourites though with tracks like “Leave This World Behind” & “Golden Age” venturing right out into traditional heavy metal or even gothic metal territory.

Mille’s vocals are still full of spite as he spits out his lyrics with vitriol. He only goes off course a little when the older stuff gets really fast & intense on a couple of occasions. Drummer Ventor, on the other hand, continues on in the super-efficient, metronomical manner he’s done since 1990’s “Coma of Souls” while new Finnish guitarist Sami Yli-Sirniö nails every run with clear competence. When you take all of this into account, it’s very hard to be critical of such a well-executed, produced & compiled release that’s so chock full of quality. I regard “Live Kreation” as a resounding success for a band that was already well past it’s creative prime & it sits very comfortably alongside similar releases from peers like Sodom, Slayer & Destruction.