Pure thrash, but not quite as you know it
If the cover doesn’t do it, check the title. If you’re still uncertain, them the song titles are your final clue.
The fourteenth studio album of Kreator’s long career, “Gods Of Violence” is a thrash metal record. That’s all it wants to be, that’s all it is ever going to be – and what’s more, it does the job in an incredible way.
But, here’s where things get interesting. Because main man Mile Petrozza is savvy enough to know you’ve got to change things up, so album number 14 starts with “Apocalypticon” which features some orchestration courtesy of the Italian masters of such things, Fleshgod Apocalypse. And before he’s done and the record concludes an hour or so later, we’ve had guest vocals from German indie pop stars, spoken word passages and a whole load in between.
After this grandiose beginning, though, it’s “World War Now” that jolts you into thinking this might be a little special. All Slayer-isms – one presumes – are intentional, as Petrozza takes on current affairs in fell swoop.
Follow up, “Satan Is Real” does the same to religion (believe us, when he spits out the opening line “martyrs, you cannot kill us all….” You best run for cover) but does so over a genuinely mighty groove.
An enormous statement of intent, the opening tracks here – the first trio completed by the viscous “Totalitarian Terror” – sets the stall out for all that is to follow. The title track ushers itself in on the back of some gentle acoustics and Harp played by a 12 year old maestro, Tekla-Li Wadensten, but the guitar work here – as everywhere else – from Sami Yli-Sirniö is quite incredible.
A record that recognises its rightful place in the moshpit, “….Violence” is choc-full of rabble rousers. “Army Of Storms” is an almost power metal thing that makes you want to go over the top in the name of metal, and “Hail To The Hordes” is influenced by NWOBHM, but is happy enough to include a Bagpipe in its riff. “Lion With Eagle Wings” is straight up, heads down, headbanging stuff, and “Fallen Brother” is a proper chugger.
However, just when you thought you’d got “Gods Of War” pegged, then Kreator still manage to surprise. “Side By Side” which sees Petrozza “spitting into the ugly face of hate” is in actual fact a song which takes on homophobia, and there isn’t many albums of this type that have ever bothered to write such an anthem.
In that spirit, perhaps, of taking chances, the album ends with its most ambitious effort: “Death Becomes My Light” – the story of near death experience – is as good as it gets, and ends a superb record in the right way.
In these days of genres, sub genres and post this and post that hybrids, Kreator only know how to do it this way, and that’s their way. This isn’t for the poser in the skinny jeans and the Testament shirt he bought in Top Man to look “rad”. Instead “Gods Of Violence” does it’s killing the old way, but the fact it does so with a bit of a twist means it is all the better for it.
Rating 8/10
