The Sludgelord: Kreator - Dying Alive (Live Album Review)

Tuesday, 15 October 2013

Kreator - Dying Alive (Live Album Review)

Album Type : Full Length

Date Released : 30/8/2013

Label : Nuclear Blast

Dying Alive, track listing :

1. Intro - Mars Mantra 1:25

2. Phantom Antichrist 4:35

3. From Flood into Fire 5:49

4. Enemy of God 6:06

5. Phobia 3:31

6. Hordes of Chaos 5:17

7. Civilization Collapse (Big Bang) 4:03

8. Voices of the Dead 5:09

9. Extreme Aggresions 4:31

10. People of the Lie 3:19

11. Death to the World 5:12

12. Coma of the Souls (Intro Only) 0:38

13. Endless Pain 3:27

14. Pleasure to Kill 4:13

15. Intro 2 - The Patriarch 0:56

16. Violent Revolution 7:36

17. United in Hate 3:49

18. Betrayer 4:15

19. Flag of Hate – Tormentor 7:16

20. Intro - The Pestilence 13:28

21. Amok Run 4:28

22. Demon Prince 5:29

23. When the Sun Burns Red 5:53

24. Warcurse 4:23

Bio :

Oberhausen, Germany. After 45 dates, German thrash titans KREATOR conclude their extensive European tour in support of their highly successful latest album, »Phantom Antichrist« in their home area. The sold-out show was filmed by 24 cameras, guitar-cams and even moshpit-cams were used to record this masterpiece of a live document. 90 minutes of pure on stage thrash mayhem, 3 video clips and an in-depth backstage documentary make »Dying Alive« the live DVD/Blu Ray you ever wanted! Being released in different formats containing high quality bonus materials, this is nothing but suitable for the kings of teutonic thrash!

„This show on December 22, 2012 was something special for us. One day after the officially announced apocalypse the homecoming show at Turbinenhalle was really intense. Before that we were touring on various continents and played some really special gigs. But none of them was as energized. Fans from all over Germany, Belgium and Holland came to make this DVD something magical. We can rely on our fans and on concerts in the ruhr area anyway. While editing the footage i realized how great all came into place that December night. Thanks to all the fans! This DVD is for you!“ - Mille Petrozza

The Band :

Miland "Mille" Petrozza | vocals, guitar

Sami Yli-Sirniö | guitar

Christian "Speesy" Giesler | bass

Jürgen "Ventor" Reil | drums

Review :

German thrash metal. Deutsch thresh meddle. For me, Kreator are the finest exponents in the genre. Destruction are awesome as are Sodom, but it is Kreator- particularly with their early records- that click with me the most. I'll be honest, I am most familiar with “Pleasure to Kill” and “Endless Pain” rather than, say, “Enemy of God” or “Hordes of Chaos.” On listening to this live exercise in brutality, this state of affairs may have to change. A good deal of the material here is drawn from recent (post 90's) Kreator offerings and that is absolutely a good thing. The band has not rested on their laurels and instead forge forward with a more controlled but still vicious brand of thrash that is distinct from the US bands of the genre.

Kreator's appeal has always been their violent imagery, over the top aggression and speed. All of that is here, wrapped in a more melodic package than their albums from days of yore. The title track of their latest opus rips out of the speakers and you are plunged headlong into a Kreator live show. The sound is absolutely superb and crystalline; comparable, perhaps to Exodus' “Shovel Headed Tour Machine” from a few years back. In fact, Kreator's equivalent in the US scene may well be Exodus; violent, nasty, aggressive; these Germans know how to do thrash right, just like Gary Holt's crew.

I am not about to give you a 24 track run down of everything on this live document, but suffice it to say that the new material (not from the 80's) is much better than I knew; finely crafted, great lead work, great riffs, great vocal performance from Mille Petrozza, very precise drums from longtime sticksman Jurgen “Ventor” Reil. Enemy of God is particularly venomous and the band in that track and all others on here is lock-tight precise. The crowd play their part too; they indulge in call and response chants and are in the right place in the mix. You can tell it is live but, honestly, the sound is so polished that you can listen to this as a kind of best of or a primer to the later era material. That is what I have done and I have ordered the new album “Phantom Antichrist” on the strength of what I have heard here.

Kreator may have broadened their sound- more melody and more thoughtful arrangements- but they still burn rubber VERY fast when they want to. The thrash beats are at the top end of that particular tempo scale and the effect makes you want to imagine what it would be like to see them live; I never have so I can only imagine. The best thrash acts are like a shot of adrenaline in a live setting (Slayer and Overkill spring to mind) and it is easy to imagine that these Teutonic warriors will have the same effect on any hall they play- instant headbanging, instant pits, instant carnage. “Death to The World” exemplifies what Kreator do on this album (and in general) very neatly- and that is from 2012! By the time “Endless Pain” comes up on the track list you will have been converted to their later material so the classics can be viewed as welcome familiar faces. Yes, you get “Pleasure to Kill” and “Flag of Hate” too and other old school classics but really the strength of this live record lies in the quality on display across the entire track list, the sound and production and the performances themselves.

This live album serves a dual purpose then- it works as an excellent introduction for more casual fans like me to the depth of their catalogue and makes you think about catching them the next time they play somewhere near you. Overlooked? They shouldn't be. This is classic thrash of the highest order. Pick up this record and then explore the back catalogue; go and see them when they tour, even. On the strength of this showing you won’t be disappointed.

Words by : Richard Maw

You can buy it here