Kreator's work has been consistently in the vein of pure thrash, with the exception of four albums (Renewal, Cause for Conflict, Outcast and Endorama) during the 1990s when they undertook serious experimentation. Incorporating Industrial, Gothic and Avant-Garde elements into their sound, the results were uneven in some fans' and also critics' eyes. The band has since incorporated melodic death metal elements into their thrash sound, particularly that of the gothenburg scene.
Kreator formed as Tyrant in 1982 in Essen, Germany. The original lineup featured vocalist/guitarist Miland "Mille" Petrozza, drummer Jurgen 'Ventor' Reil, and bassist Rob Fioretti. They soon changed their name to Tormentor and released two demos. They changed the name of the band again to the final one, Kreator and signed to Noise Records in 1985. The name Kreator is not just a play on the English word "creator", it's also a name of a demon in the German mythology. Mille thought it was a cool name so the band settled with this new name instead of "Tormentor".
They recorded their debut album, Endless Pain, in just 10 days. Legions of black and death metal bands call it one of their major influences. The band hired the late Sodom guitarist Michael Wulf for the albums tour.
Wulf was in the band for a few days and didn't play on the band's next album, 1986's Pleasure to Kill, despite his getting credit. A new guitarist, Jörg "Tritze" Trzebiatowski joined the band and he played on this album, which is widely considered a thrash classic. Produced by Harris Johns (Helloween, Voivod), it is arguably one of the heaviest, fastest albums in metal, while showing the band growing in talent and technical ability. The song "Flag of Hate" became an early hit, and the band became one of the most promising up-and-coming European metal acts. With Tritze the band started their first tour ever (before the release of Pleasure to Kill they had only played 5 gigs total). The band closed out the year with the Flag of Hate EP.
In 1987 Kreator released Terrible Certainty, which is often considered to be Kreator's best album as the arrangements on the album were more complex and the tempos more varied. The album featured another hit "Behind The Mirror", and the band's popularity continued to grow. They managed to find enough time and money (coming from the concerts) to finance another EP Out of the Dark ... Into the Light.
In 1988 Kreator signed with major label Epic Records. Their debut with Epic, 1989's Extreme Aggression, recorded in Los Angeles, became a metal hit. Continuing the Terrible Certainty formula while showing the band still progressing musically and with better production by the well-regarded Randy Burns (also Megadeth among others), the album featured the band's first major singles and music videos, the title track and "Betrayer", becoming major hits on MTVs Headbangers Ball. They toured North America with Suicidal Tendencies, which greatly expanded their popularity outside of Europe.
In 1989 German director Thomas Schadt made a documentary about Kreator (focusing on the social aspect of heavy metal in the Ruhr Area) titled Thrash Altenessen (named after the band's hometown, a suburb of Essen). Tritze left Kreator after Extreme Aggression. In 1990, with new guitarist Frank "Blackfire" Gosdzik (also formely of Sodom), the band released Coma of Souls. This album was not quite as praised as the bands previous few albums (many felt the album was "rushed" and repetitive), but still managed to do quite well, with "People of the Lie" becoming a hit. However, things changed in the 90's. With many other thrash bands such as Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, and others changing their sound for a more commercial approach, Kreator began experimenting with death metal and industrial metal around this time.
The result was 1992s Renewal, which featured heavy death metal and industrial influences. While reaching a newer, more commercial audience, the band upset many longtime fans, accusing them of "selling out". The band, once known for being an excellent live act, had disappointing shows and tours for this album due to the industrial influences.
The excruciatingly taxing touring commitments that followed took the band as far as South America, but understandably left them physically and creatively exhausted. The band began to fall apart around this time, founding member Rob Fioretti left the band after the recording of the album as he wanted to spend more time with his family and was replaced by Andreas Herz, who never played any official release. In 1994 Reil left as well, leaving Petrozza the sole original bandmember. Reil was replaced by Joe Cangelosi. Herz left in 1995 and was replaced by Christian Giesler. To make matters worse, their contract with Epic was dropped. Now on G.U.N. Records the new lineup put out the album Cause for Conflict that year. The result was their most modern album at that time, the sound on this album had influences from Pantera and Machine Head, a slight return to a harsher sound than on the previous album.
Gosdzik and Cangelosi left in 1996 and were replaced by Tommy Vetterli (formerly of Coroner), and, surprisingly, Jurgen Reil. The band continued to experiment with their sound, releasing Outcast and Endorama, both of which experimented with goth and ambient influences, incorporated samples and loops and even found Petrozza trying a few different singing styles on for size. It also retained the groove metal influences. The record sales went down, by the end of the '90s the band reached both commercial and critical nadir. Though frontman Mille Petrozza never cared about this: "For us, success doesn't define in record sales. So all our albums have been successful for us, because we've achieved what we were aiming for...".
However, in 2001, with new guitarist Sami Yli-Sirniö, the band released their "comeback" album Violent Revolution, which saw the band returning to their classic thrash style (albeit they used a lot of melodic metal and so called Gothenburg metal riffs). It was praised by fans and critics alike. The tour was extremely successful and introduced Kreator to a younger generation of metal fans. A live album Live Kreation and live DVD Live Kreation: Revisioned Glory were released in 2003, and a new studio album - still retaining a style closer to old school thrash metal - Enemy of God was released in 2005. This album also saw a special edition re-release in 2006 called Enemy of God: Revisited. In early 2006, Kreator toured North America and Canada with Napalm Death, A Perfect Murder, and Undying. In 2007 Kreator had a European tour with Celtic Frost and Waatan. Kreator were to tour 2008 with King Diamond, Leaves Eyes, and Cellador, however the tour has been cancelled due to back issues with King Diamond.
In July of 2008 Kreator entered the Titonus Studios in Germany with producer Moses Schneider to record their twelfth studio album: Hordes of Chaos. The record was mixed by Colin Richardson and released worldwide under Steamhammer Records on the 13th January 2009. The record has been described as their most organic album to date because, barring vocals, guitar solos and some melodies, the album was recorded in a live setting on analog tape recorder with very few overdubs. Frontman Mille Petrozza noted that this was the first time they have recorded an album this way since Pleasure to Kill in 1986.
The album was released in three different formats. The standard edition was issued in a jewel case and features the 10 album tracks. A deluxe edition features a bonus DVD with a making of the album documentary. The LP version of the album has different artwork to the other versions.
The album debuted at number 165 on The Billboard 200 chart in the US, with first week sales of approximately 2,800 copies.
The album was re-released as the 'Ultra Riot' box set edition in mid 2010. It featured new artwork, extended liner notes, promo videos, a bonus disc with demo tracks and cover songs and various pieces of memorabilia (such as a photobook, sticker, poster and photo card).
Kreator toured on the back of this album throughout 2010, and Mille has recently confirmed that 2011 will primarily be a song-writing year for the band.
Pandemonium
Kreator Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can't you feel it coming down
Pandemonium in my brain
Over and over and over and again
Over and over and over and again
Over and over and over and again
Over and over and over and again
And now you see the truth
Swallow this bitter pill
As all religion dies for you
And all the things that happened
In all those times long gone
Gave birth to life like lies
Apocalyptic pandemonium
Pandemonium in the air
God has left us in despair
Desperate could not stand the pain
Over and over and over and again
Over and over and over and again
Over and over and over and again
Over and over and over and again
Now that your world is burning
Now that it ends in tears
Inferno has arrived
Nothing can make it disappear
And all the things that happened
In all those times long gone
Gave birth to life like lies
Apocalyptic pandemonium
Pandemonium
A psychodrama is dragging you
Out of a life surreal
A better future waits for you
A life that might have been
So give your soul and you may live
Limitless fantasies
This celebration of the night
Can light your shattered life
If you believe...
The opening lines of Kreator's "Pandemonium" describes the chaos and destruction that is taking place all around. The lyrics portray a sense of impending doom and the inevitability of the apocalypse. The reference to 'Pandemonium' is significant because it refers to the capital city of Hell in John Milton's "Paradise Lost." The demons of Hell gather in Pandemonium to discuss the war against God and his angels, and in the song, this term is used as a metaphor for the chaos of the world coming to an end. The song expresses the idea that the end of the world is not a religious prophecy, but rather an apocalyptic event that will destroy everything.
The second verse of the song shifts its focus to a bitter truth that the world's religions have died, and there is no belief in any form of spirituality or faith. The lyrics suggest that a significant event in history has caused people to lose faith in religion. The third verse describes the arrival of an apocalypse, and all the disasters that resulted from the chaos. Pandemonium is in the air, and God has left humanity in despair. The song suggests that there is no escape from the apocalypse, and humanity is doomed.
Line by Line Meaning
Pandemonium all around
There is chaos and disorder everywhere.
Can't you feel it coming down
The sense of impending doom is palpable.
Pandemonium in my brain
There is chaos and confusion in the singer's mind.
Over and over and over and again
This chaos is repetitive and unending.
And now you know the answer
The artist reveals a previously unknown truth.
And now you see the truth
The listener has gained insight into reality.
Swallow this bitter pill
The truth is unpleasant but must be accepted.
As all religion dies for you
The listener must abandon their faith.
And all the things that happened
Historical events have shaped the present.
In all those times long gone
The past influences the present.
Gave birth to life like lies
The singer believes that life is falsehood.
Apocalyptic pandemonium
The chaos is akin to the end of the world.
Pandemonium in the air
The chaos is pervasive and inescapable.
God has left us in despair
The singer feels abandoned by a higher power.
Desperate could not stand the pain
The pain is too great to bear.
Now that your world is burning
The listener's world is crumbling.
Now that it ends in tears
There is sorrow and grief at the end.
Inferno has arrived
The singer feels that hell has come to Earth.
Nothing can make it disappear
The chaos is impossible to eradicate.
A psychodrama is dragging you
The listener is being pulled from a delusional life.
Out of a life surreal
The listener's former life was unreal or dreamlike.
A better future waits for you
A brighter tomorrow is on the horizon.
A life that might have been
The listener could have had a different, better life.
So give your soul and you may live
The listener must relinquish control to experience true life.
Limitless fantasies
An abundance of possibilities awaits.
This celebration of the night
The darkness commemorates something significant.
Can light your shattered life
The singer believes that something positive can come from the chaos.
If you believe...
Faith is necessary for the listener to see a way forward.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: MILAND PETROZZA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind