Voices of Transgression: A 90's Retrospective

by

Kreator

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NOTE: There's at least one more version of this cd available on Amazon if this one's too expensive or unavailable.

Germany's Kreator have three basic eras in their impressive discography: 80's hyper-thrash; 90's raw metal savagery & experimentation; and the return-to-thrash era of the 21st century. When vocalist/guitarist Mille Petrozza & his gang put out their first album in '85 he was only 18 years old, which explains the youthful, energetic approach of their first five studio disks. When the 90s hit and grunge was king, hyper-thrash was no longer in vogue. So Mille & crew, now maturer and more seasoned, took to branching out with their primal brand of metal, but not in the order of Metallica's LOAD albums (or even THE BLACK ALBUM), just less thrashy, more raw, more traditional, with a streak of experimentation.

Some fans look down on Kreator's 90's output, but I like it more than their one-dimensional 80's approach, and just as much as their current era, probably more. It has a strong Bathory vibe, especially the vocals and rawness, as well as non-LOAD Metallica. If you like these bands Kreator's 90's RETROSPECTIVE is a must.

A couple songs are unique to this offering: the outstanding "Inferno" and the slow & moody closer "As We Watch the West."

Although Mille's voice & riffing are unmistakable, giving this collection a strong sense of cohesion (all their albums really), there's quite a bit of welcome diversity:

- Two exceptional slower moody & doomy numbers: "Black Sunrise" and "Outcast."

- Mid-paced-and-faster metal glory: "Isolation," "Renewal," "Hate Inside Your Head," "Inferno," "The Chosen Few" and "Golden Age."

- Speedy thrash/punk stuff: "Bomb Threat," "Lost" and "State Oppresion."

- Metallic Experimental stuff: "Endorama," "As We Watch the West" and the cover song "Lucretia (My Reflection)."

My personal favorites are all from the first two categories: "Renewal," "Black Sunrise," "Outcast," "Inferno," "Isolation," "Hate Inside Your Head," "The Chosen Few," "Golden Age" and "Whatever it May Take."

As for track dispersion from the four 90s studio albums: Five cuts are taken from 1995's CAUSE FOR CONFLICT, five from 1997's OUTCAST, three from 1999's ENDORAMA, but only one from 1992's RENEWAL (?). Both "Karmic Wheel" and "Depression Unrest" from RENEWAL deserve a place on this retrospective; they're excellent Kreator tunes and better than over half the songs here. Oh well, I guess that gives people a reason to seek out and purchase RENEWAL, huh?

A great thing about Kreator's songcraft is that they always know how to change tempos or shift gears when the song starts becoming one-dimensional and dull. Take, for instance, the interesting part thrown into the middle of "Whatever it May Take."

Another great thing about VOICES OF TRANSGRESSION - A 90s RETROSPECTIVE is that the songs don't sound dated in the least (unlike, say, some of their 80's stuff). This is timeless material, pure and simple.

GRADE: A