Member:
singring
Date:
7/13/2009
Since the mid 80s Kreator have been Germany's number one thrash metal export and with this latest album they once again prove why. Hordes of Chaos is a platter of brutal, in-your-face thrash metal just like grandma used to make them.
The album begins with a nice anthemic riff that leads into the viciously fast and aggressive title track. One of the most memorable and engaging thrash metal songs I have heard in a long time, it delivers on all counts: fast, memorable riffing, angry vocals and cynical lyrics. The rest of the album follows in much the same vein - most tracks maintain the breakneck pace and lyrically revolve around the more destructive and dark political and social issues. Kreator certainly wear their opinions on their sleeves, and Mille Petrozza, lead axeman and vocalist, screams every line with utter conviction.
Like all thrash albums, Hordes of Chaos stands and falls with the quality of the riffs. Most of the songs deliver in this department, with the first three tracks and “Absolute Misanthropy” as well as “To The Afterborn” standing out. The album does suffer a slight lull in songwriting quality in the middle, but the problem of maintaining the high-octane momentum afflicts a lot of thrash albums.
The production is solid, very meaty and bass-heavy for a thrash album, perhaps a bit on the muddy side, but definitely perfectly engineered for your headbanging pleasure. In fact, the band states that they consciously decided against using click-tracks and other studio gadgets to recapture the 'raw' aspect of their music, and they most certainly succeeded. The performances are vibrant and go directly for the jugular.
Hordes of Chaos will probably not win any originality prizes or adulation from non-thrash enthusiasts, but it will please the band's fans and all friends of thrash in general. For what it is, the album succeeds - a big, juicy slice of metal that is perfect for venting the frustration of a long and exhausting day.
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