Review by UnhinderedbyTalent for Kreator - Renewal (1992)

Playing like 1990’s, Seasons in the Abyss era Slayer meets the equally stripped back Chaos A.D. from Sepultura that was to come out a year after Renewal, Kreator’s experimental album epitomises the change of direction that was so common from the established thrash metal old guard. Toying with a toned-down guitar and a very Tom Araya esque vocal style, Renewal also deploys some changes of pace to keep things interesting as well.

 Fact is though, that when left to the simple stuff, Kreator’s best output on Renewal was when they delved back into the more familiar territory that they had made their name on. The basic riffing of Reflection simply does not need to get lost in the meandering nature of the track. The superb Zero to None is only really let down by Mille’s vocal work, the rest of it stands up well as a (still down tuned) thrasher. I do not really have any problem with the industrial intro track that proceeds it either. If there was any attempt to make such a style more of a staple of the album, then it would soon get old I feel though.

My main problem with Renewal is how amateur it sounds. Notwithstanding that I am listening to a remastered version (which usually means “messed up” in my experience), the album still sounds like a compilation of b-sides and demos that never left the cutting room floor and have been cobbled together by the record label to get every dollar out of the band. It is hard for me to fathom that these tracks were deemed of enough quality to be released at all in some regards.

Severely lacking on the intensity front and hindered by some clunky structures overall, Kreator’s sixth studio album lurches from track to track. Unable to hide the unconventional nature of their guitar playing in the stripped back sound only adds to this feeling of unprofessionalism. For me, the first five Kreator records set a high bar for the band and this record falls well short of the expectations set by its predecessors.