Kreator - London Review

Having not long arrived back from London, the March gigging madness is almost over. I have a one more gig this month, a local affair tomorrow afternoon, but a hectic and enjoyable month is almost over. April is still busy, and I am already looking forward to a long Easter weekend away, but it will not be as busy as March - which saw gigs both local and further afield. The reason for the latest trip away, back to London after a couple of Midlands adventures, was to catch the German thrash metal band Kreator on their latest UK tour. I have been a Kreator fan ever since I saw them for the first time back in 2014 - when they co-headlined in Bristol with Arch Enemy. I largely went to the show to catch Arch Enemy live for the first time, and did some casual listening to Kreator beforehand, but I came away from the show a big Kreator fan - and this is something which has continued on since, with all of their albums since getting some love on here in the form of reviews. It is perhaps odd, then, that, until last night, I had not seen the band live again. They have returned to the UK a handful of times since that 2014 tour, but for whatever reason I was never able to make any of the shows. I had a ticket to see them with Lamb of God in 2020, but the show was postponed a number of times due to the pandemic - and then finally due to the closure of the O2 Academy in Brixton due to safety and security concerns following some deaths at a concert. The show was re-scheduled once again, but I was unable to make this final date - so I ended up with a refund years after first buying the ticket. That show promised to be a great one, too, so I was sad to miss it, but these things happen - I just made sure that I would catch them next time. As such, when the band's most recent European tour was announced last year, which included a handful of UK shows, I jumped at the chance - and picked up a ticket. The London show back at the re-opened Brixton Academy made the most sense, given that the other two shows were in Manchester and Glasgow, so I booked a ticket and had months to wait. The night really was one to look forward to, too, as it was not just Kreator on the bill which stood out. The night promised to be a great night of thrash and death metal - with the UK's own death metal pioneers Carcass, Californian thrash kings Exodus, and their fellow Californian noise merchants Nails rounding out the lengthy and impressive bill. Big bills seem to be becoming something of a thing again of late. Classic rock bands used to do this sort of a thing a decade or so ago, but bills with notable bands from top to bottom somewhat died out for a while. They really make sense, as it gives gig-goers value for money whilst likely helping keep costs down for the bands. It does mean shorter sets all round I suppose, but in this economy bands have to make big-scale tours work somehow - and I would not be surprised to see this trend continue and become quite popular again. With fours bands on the bill, though, it meant an early 5:30pm doors time - so by the time I had been standing on the sloping Brixton Academy floor until just before 11pm I really was done in. These long shows are certainly more of a struggle than they once were - but that is the price of getting older I suppose. Perhaps I will opt for a seat at the next lengthy show of this nature - especially at the Brixton Academy as the sloped floor does add to the overall strain on the ankles and knees, despite it affording good views throughout. The venue has never really been a favourite of mine, though, as the sound is often quite mushy there - and I just find Brixton in general quite an unpleasant part of London to spend time in.

By the time I got to the venue not long before the advertised door time the queue was already circling around the block and almost back to the venue again. The venue opened later than planned, too, which was starting to annoy some around me in the queue - but by the time the queue stated moving everyone was quickly inside, and the delay outside meant less time hanging around inside. The changeovers between each band were largely quick, so there was not too much hanging around, and it did not seem like too long before Nails took to the stage. Despite having heard of the band, they were the only band on the bill that I essentially knew nothing about and had not seen live before. I knew that they were something of a punk/metal crossover with very short songs - and they were afforded around 30 minutes which certainly got the crowd going. Despite the early start, there was already a good-sized crowd in attendance when Nails took to the stage - and given the amount of Nails merch that I saw around the venue there were clearly quite a few in attendance who were fans. Nails will never be my thing, and they certainly were not helped by the aforementioned mushy sound, but for half an hour or so I could appreciate the band's no-holds-barred attitude. Mixing hardcore punk, thrash, and death metal, the band's sound was largely chaotic. Each song came and went in a matter of moments, with generally only one or two riffs per song, and extended soloing or instrumental sections of note were largely kept to a minimum. Frontman Todd Jones seems to be the main guy in the band, with the other members all fairly recent recruits, and he managed to whip up quite a bit of energy early on. Moshing was a feature throughout the whole night, but even during Nails' set early on there was plenty of it - and the crowd certainly cannot be accused of taking thing easy early on. Nails' whole set was intense, too, which the crowd only fed off further. The band clearly only really do one thing, so there was little in the way of variety - but this worked given their short set. It was nice, too, to see a newer band on a bill of otherwise veteran bands who kicked off their respective careers in the 1980s. Nails' were easily the most caustic and unapologetic of the lot, too, and the show carried on at a pace from here.

It was only around 20 minutes later that Exodus hit the stage - and the veteran thrash legends were afforded 45 minutes to show the crowd why they are often considered one of the best thrash bands in the business. I did think that they might have sat above Carcass in the running order, as Exodus to me are the bigger band, but both Exodus and Carcass had the same amount of time on stage - so perhaps it was to give the crowd a break from thrash between Exodus and Kreator. I last saw Exodus live at the 2022 iteration of Bloodstock Open Air - but since then there have been some changes in the band, with classic frontman Steve 'Zetro' Souza departing once again to be replaced by a returning Rob Dukes. It was my third time seeing Exodus overall, but it was both my first time seeing the band with Dukes and my first time seeing the band with both Gary Holt (guitar/vocals) and Lee Altus (guitar) on stage together. Holt was on Slayer duty the first time I saw the band live and Altus was absent for unknown reasons at that aforementioned 2022 show - so it was great finally seeing the band's guitar duo of the past 20 years playing together. With only 45 minutes the band did not have a lot of time to play with, so they immediately kicked off with 3111 from their newly-released album Goliath (expect a review of it here in due course). Two songs from this new album were played, including a live debut of the title track, but generally the set was made up of classics the past. I think that it is fair to say that Dukes is not universally loved by the Exodus fanbase, but I enjoyed his performance last night. His voice might not be as unique as Zetro's, but his stage presence was good - and I think he sounded pretty powerful, despite the mushy sound once again striking somewhat. He spoke to the crowd well throughout, too, I felt - and seemed at home singing material from all eras of the band. His previous era was returned to with the lengthy Deathamphetamine, which was arguably the first big overt crowd sing-a-long - but the band set out their stall pretty early with the evergreen Bonded by Blood, one of thrash's most important tracks. Despite the mushy sound, the band still powered through. Jack Gibson (bass guitar/vocals) was quite high in the mix, meaning that his robust playing cut through the mush a little - whilst it is always great to see Tom Hunting (drums/vocals) on stage given all the health issues he went through a few years ago. The legends did not need to do much to get the crowd going, either, and there was plenty of singing during the mid-paced Blacklist and another old classic A Lesson in Violence. The aforementioned Goliath allowed the band to slow right down and deliver something doomy - but largely this was a pace-fest. The later closing duo of The Toxic Waltz and Strike of the Beast showed this - and it was obvious by the time that the band's 45 minutes came to an end that they had achieved what they had set out to. The setlist was:

3111

Bonded by Blood

Deathamphetamine

Blacklist

Goliath

A Lesson in Violence

Raining Blood [Slayer cover]/The Toxic Waltz

Strike of the Beast

The changeover between Exodus and Carcass was also pretty quick, and it was not too long before Brixton was being treated to some gnarly death metal from one of the best British bands to ever do it. As was the case with Exodus, this was my third time seeing Carcass. I first saw them in this very venue in 2022 on a bill with Arch Enemy - and I then caught them headlining in Exeter the following year. Carcass are not a band I listen to often, but their more recent work is excellent - and 1993's Heartwork is a true classic. The band managed to fit 10 songs into their 45 or so minutes on stage - and they barely stopped for breath. Jeff Walker (vocals/bass guitar) only spoke to the crowd very briefly - and they knew that they had to make the time count. Each riff and solo from the excellent guitar duo of Bill Steer and James Blackford impressed the crowd - and there was plenty of moshing and grooving during the set, even if some of the primal thrash energy which whipped up the crowd elsewhere was lacking here. The sound was also a bit clearer for Carcass' set, which helped the band's more technical side to shine. Walker's throaty growls were nice and clear, and the occasional times that Steer added his deeper growls, generally during older songs, the vocal contrast worked nicely. The guitar contrast between the two guitarists also worked well, with Steer's more NWOBHM-esque approach to leads and the shreddier Blackford ensuring that each solo hit hard - and the mix of thrashy, faster death metal riffing and slower, groovier riffs kept the set interesting. Much of the band's canon was covered during the set, but Heartwork received the most love with four of its cuts included. Buried Dreams and the more anthemic No Love Lost were two such numbers that were deployed early on, with hooky riffs and guitar leads filling both - but there was time for the band's more technical side with longer cuts like Incarnated Solvent Abuse and the newer Dance of Ixtab (Psychopomp & Circumstance March No. 1 in B), with the latter showcasing plenty of the band's trademark groove. Carcass had a hand in spearheading the British grindcore scene in the late 1980s with tracks like Genital Grinder, which was deployed later in the set, but the band kept evolving - having quite a lot to do with both the technical and melodic death metal subgenres. Along with the Swedish bands, Heartwork was a seminal release in developing the latter - and Death Certificate and a closing rendition of the title track likely reminded the crowd why. The band's set never felt as intense as that Exeter show from 2023 - but a sold-out club is always going to feel sweatier and more enclosed than a larger room. That 2023 show is likely the most extreme show I have been to in terms of a headline act - so Carcass will always be one of those bands I remember fondly, and I still wear my shirt from that night pretty regularly. It was good to catch up with them again after a couple of years - and they added some proper grime to what was otherwise largely a fast-paced and thrashy evening. The setlist was:

Unfit for Human Consumption

Buried Dreams

Incorporated Solvent Abuse

No Love Lost

Tomorrow Belongs to Nobody/Death Certificate

Dance of Ixtab (Psychopomp & Circumstance March No. 1 in B)

Genital Grinder

Exhume to Consume

Corporal Jigsore Quandary

Heartwork/Carneous Cacoffiny

The changeover between Carcass' and Kreator's sets was a bit longer - as a big curtain covered the stage whilst Kreator's gear was set up. I do not remember the band having much of a 'show' when I saw them with Arch Enemy some years back, but this time they went all-out - with devil statues, a huge model of the band's demon face logo, and a horned riser which drummer Jürgen 'Ventor' Reil made the most of. Afforded an hour and a half, too, this was very much a Kreator show, despite the bill which had come before, and the German four-piece delivered a strong set which largely focused on their newer material despite the inclusion of a few older classics. Kicking off with Seven Serpents from their latest album, the band sounded great from the off. As was the case with Carcass' set, Kreator had a much better live sound. The guitars had much more definition as a result, and frontman Mille Petrozza could easily be heard above the rest of the band. To match the devilish stage show, there was also plenty of fire throughout. I think a recent Powerwolf show had Kreator beaten in terms of fire, but there was still plenty of pyro throughout the show last night - with one notable moment later on seeing two dummies or similar set on fire. Petrozza took a few opportunities to speak to the crowd, indulging in some pretty typical thrash schtick at times, but he did a pretty good of getting the crowd going - even though the powerful 16-song setlist was doing fine on its own. Early highlights included the excellent and slightly folky Hail to the Hordes - whilst Satanic Anarchy, also from the latest album, came across really well on stage. Petrozza's voice has barely aged over the years, and in fact I think that he is a stronger singer now than he was in the 1980s - and Sami Yli-Sirniö (guitar/vocals) is a potent guitar foil for him, handling most of the solos. Petrozza soloed occasionally, though, especially during the older numbers - with both People of the Lie and Betrayer coming fairly early on to shake up the focus on the past 20 or so years. Some die-hard fans may think that Kreator's more anthemic recent work lacks the ferocity and urgency of their early work - but I generally prefer the band's newer material, with the groovy, mid-paced Krushers of the World and the breakneck pace of Hordes of Chaos (A Necrologue for the Elite) showing that they can still deliver the best of both worlds. The former was also dedicated to former Manowar guitarist Ross the Boss, whose death had been announced earlier in the day. There were certainly many people in attendance enjoying a set which largely focused on the band's newer material - and I think that Kreator have done well to somewhat reinvent themselves in recent times and stay relevant. Headlining a venue like the Brixton Academy is not easy for a thrash band that is not one of the Big 4 - and, although the bill helped, Kreator are likely bigger now than they ever have been. Anthems like Phantom Antichrist and the much more overtly melodic 666 - World Divided are a big part of the band's current appeal - but it was still great to hear some older classics wheeled out towards the end such as the fast-paced Endless Pain. I have to say that by the end my feet were really started to hurt, so I was quite glad when the set was coming to an end - despite Kreator's performance being excellent. The chugging Violent Revolution and the oldie Pleasure to Kill were a great duo to close things out on - and I was soon back out into the Brixton night ready for a lie down! The setlist was:

Seven Serpents

Hail to the Hordes

Coma of Souls/Enemy of God

Satanic Anarchy

Sergio Corbucci Is Dead

Hate Über Alles

People of the Lie

Betrayer

Krushers of the World

Hordes of Chaos (A Necrologue for the Elite)

Satan Is Real

Loyal to the Grave

Mars Mantra

Phantom Antichrist

Endless Pain

666 - World Divided

The Patriarch

Violent Revolution

Pleasure to Kill

Apocalypticon

Despite the length of the evening, and the state of my legs and feet afterwards, it was great to catch Kreator last night - backed by such a strong bill. The quality of the bands on display was excellent and it is always good to see veteran metal bands still sounding powerful and vital. Given that I had not seen Kreator for 12 years, it was great to finally see them live again - and I hopefully will not need to wait as long to see them for a third time.