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.
Trauma
Kreator Lyrics
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[M: Petrozza/Gosdzik/Fioretti/Reil ú L: Petrozza ú c Dark Wings]
[I gave this song a new title since it is the first version of "Winter Martyium", only available on the "Renewal" demo. Listening to the song today I wonder why it did not make it onto the album. Especially the lyrics are cool since they deal with the typical autumn/winter depression I have to go through every year of my life. The drumming is amaz-ing, respect to Ventor at this point.]
Passing of perception unforseen reaction
Staring out the window into the ice cold air
Through concentrated death and rainfall of despair
Visionary eden turns to hell
Winter martyrium
Freezing me from inside
Pastlife delirium
As my tears turn to ice
Snow the white empress, frost the ice cold forest
At mountains of dead bodies I drank the sweetest wine
Spring awaits lust for the autumn dominatress
Life remains a dream within a dream visionary symbols
ancient shine
Summer's gotta come bringing back the sun
Zero to none, winter awaits us all
Mystic awareness
With God conversing wide awake in your sleep
Shining discovery mankind martyrium
Planets of terror, hatred and deceit
To live it means to suffer to die to live forever
I'm left here with the others we could not die together
And as I saw them dying I knew it had begun
Emotional massacre
A visionary kingdom come
[Taken from the single "Behind The Mirror" ú 1987]
.::melVtec::.
The song "Trauma" by Kreator, originally titled "Winter Martyrium" on the "Renewal" demo, deals with the theme of depression during the winter season. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of the cold, barren landscape and how it contributes to feelings of hopelessness and despair. The passing of perception and unforseen reaction likely refer to the sudden change in mood that can occur during the darker, colder months. This is further emphasized by the line "Memories of summer causing my depression," as the contrast between the warmth and brightness of summer and the bleakness of winter can be overwhelming.
The imagery in the song is particularly striking, with references to snow as the "white empress" and frost as the "ice cold forest." The singer also describes drinking the "sweetest wine" at mountains of dead bodies, perhaps referencing the allure of death and the acceptance of mortality that can come with depression. The final lines of the song suggest a sense of communal suffering, as the singer is left with others who could not die together and witnesses their emotional massacre.
Overall, "Trauma" is a poignant exploration of the impact of seasonal depression and the feelings of hopelessness that can accompany it.
Line by Line Meaning
Passing of perception unforseen reaction
The unexpected response to what was perceived
Staring out the window into the ice cold air
Looking out the window to the icy atmosphere
Memories of summer causing my depression
Recalling the memories of summer, leading to sadness and dejection
Through concentrated death and rainfall of despair
By means of intense death and despair, rain pouring down
Visionary eden turns to hell
The idyllic paradise turns into a place of agony
Winter martyrium
A season of suffering
Freezing me from inside
Being frozen from within
Pastlife delirium
Experiencing hallucinations of previous times
As my tears turn to ice
The tears freezing as they fall
Snow the white empress, frost the ice cold forest
Snow personified as a queen, with the icy forest being her domain
At mountains of dead bodies I drank the sweetest wine
Drinking the sweetest wine amongst mountains of corpses
Spring awaits lust for the autumn dominatress
The desire for the dominatrix of autumn, as spring approaches
Life remains a dream within a dream visionary symbols ancient shine
Life is but a dream full of symbols and ancient glory
Summer's gotta come bringing back the sun
The return of summer, and the revival of the sun
Zero to none, winter awaits us all
From nothing to oblivion, we all face the winter of life
Mystic awareness with God conversing wide awake in your sleep
Mystical consciousness, communicating with God while awake in sleep
Shining discovery mankind martyrium
A brilliant revelation, mankind's martyrdom
Planets of terror, hatred and deceit
Worlds of terror, hatred, and treachery
To live it means to suffer to die to live forever
Life is to endure, to die, and to live on
I'm left here with the others we could not die together
Left behind with those who could not die together
And as I saw them dying I knew it had begun
As I witnessed their death, I knew it was the start of something
Emotional massacre
A killing of emotions
A visionary kingdom come
A kingdom of visions come to life
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: FRANK GOSDZIK, JUERGEN REIL, MILAND PETROZZA, ROBERTO FIORETTI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind