Kreator - Hordes Of Chaos review
| Band: | Kreator |
| Album: | Hordes Of Chaos |
| Style: | Teutonic thrash metal |
| Release date: | January 2009 |
Disc I
01. Hordes Of Chaos (A Necrologue For The Elite)
02. Warcurse
03. Escalation
04. Amok Run
05. Destroy What Destroys You
06. Radical Resistance
07. Absolute Misanthropy
08. To The Afterborn
09. Corpses Of Liberty
10. Demon Prince
+ Hordes Of Chaos [Video][Ultra Riot edition]
+ Destroy What Destroys You [Video][Ultra Riot edition]
Disc II [limited edition bonus DVD]
+ The making of 'Hordes of Chaos'
+ Awakening Of The Gods [Live at Summer Breeze Open Air 2006]
+ Coma Of Souls [Live at Summer Breeze Open Air 2006]
+ Hordes Of Chaos [video]
Disc II [Ultra Riot edition bonus CD]
01. Hordes of Chaos [demo]
02. Radical Resistance [demo]
03. To the Afterborn [demo]
04. World Without Religion [demo version of 'Escalation' - different arrangement]
05. Amok Run [demo]
06. Alle gegen Alle [demo][Slime cover featuring Nagel and Thees Ulmann]
07. You are the Government [demo][Bad Religion cover]
+ Poster
+ Ultra - Photobook
+ Sticker
+ Postcard
+ 5 ? discount code t-shirt
The more I listen to Kreator, the more I like this band and despite what some people can say, I really believe that they're among the best Metal bands (probably better than some famous US Thrash bands?). Their last release "Enemy Of God" was for me one of the best, if not the best, releases of the year 2005 and even if the band didn't do any break during four years, with a legion of live performances, re-edition, DVD etc I think that a lot of people were awaiting this new release. After all, nothing is better than a good old Thrashy release of the German masters especially if it's good and if you cannot be disappointed?. "Hordes Of Chaos" is just an excellent album and proves one more time that Kreator is a real hit machine!
"Hordes Of Chaos", the new Kreator is definitely darker than "Enemy Of God" and probably less easy of access. On a side even if the release features pure hits like "To The Afterborn" or "Hordes Of Chaos (A Necrologue For The Elite)", the whole album is dark and didn't give me the same feelings than "Enemy Of God". It's not really easy to explain it but if the previous release gave violent and revolutionary feelings, this one is more naughty and angry. When you'll listen to "Hordes Of Chaos", you'll become "evil", we don't laugh with this release (especially when you read the good lyrics). But "Hordes Of Chaos" is melodic nonetheless and for sure, this CD follow the road of the two last previous albums. If you don't like the new Kreator, I don't think that you'll like this release especially if you don't like melodic Thrash, but don't worry too, the amazing devastating riffs are still there and the guitars soli are better than ever. No really, the melodies of "Hordes Of Chaos" are great and all the songs of the album are pure blasts!
The production of the new release is really good one more time but probably a lot more direct and loud than on "Enemy Of God". As I know the band wanted something dynamic as possible and they recorded the album in live conditions which gives something a lot more powerful and direct of course. Though it doesn't mean that the sound is bad, at the opposite this is clean as hell but with a naughty angry side which is really pleasant and gives a lot of energy to the record. Despite the fact that the album is short (38 mins) and only features nine songs ("Corpses Of Liberty" is more like an introduction than a real song?), "Hordes Of Chaos" is a great release with fantastic performances by the musicians.
Maybe that "Enemy Of God" was a bit easier of access and featured more "hits" (like "Enemy Of God" or "Impossible Brutality" for example) but "Hordes Of Chaos" remains a great album of violent and aggressive German Thrash. If Kreator can still releases such kind of great albums after so many years, I don't really see what or who will stop them one day? If you like Kreator, "Hordes Of Chaos" is a must and the living proof that Mille and his mates, in addition to be great guys, are also fantastic musicians and compositors. It's good to begin the new year with this release, 2009 should be the year of Kreator one more time!
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 9 |
| Songwriting: | 8 |
| Originality: | 7 |
| Production: | 9 |
Written by Jeff | 13.01.2009
Comments
Comments: 69
Visited by: 570 users
| jupitreas hi-fi / lo-life staff Posts: 6659  |
This album is leagues ahead of Enemy Of God, which was a mediocre album at best, in my opinion. Hordes Of Chaos recaptures the visceral, rip-your-jugular attitude of early Kreator while keeping it interesting with more modern thrash elements. Definitely one of the band's best albums.
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| Darkside Momo Retired elite Posts: 9087  |
Written by jupitreas on 13.01.2009 at 23:54 Well, while I certainly agree with you about 'the visceral, rip-your-jugular attitude of early Kreator', I certainly don't consider Enemy of God to be a bad album, far from it. To my eyes, its only problem is to be similar to Violent Revolution while being a bit less inspired.
---- My Author's Blog (in French)  "You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you" "I've lost too many years now I'm stealing back my soul I am awake"
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| -DC-002- Mastercommander Posts: 1703  |
I'll look forward to getting this. I've been looking for a good thrash album lately.
---- Coldgrits
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| Jason W. Razorbliss staff Posts: 3523  |
Hey, great review Jeff, I'm glad I had a few weeks of pre-listening before I read it too. I more often prefer my thrash to border on the melodic, ultra-catchy accessible style, so at first this disc was a disappointment to me. But upon a few more listens (in moods better suited for angrier thrash), this CD really opened up to me. "Enemy Of God" is still my choice because that's my taste, but this is a killer followup and shows the guys aren't stagnating, but continuing to push themselves. I think it will appeal to a lot of American or modern thrash fans too...
---- "After silence that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music." - Aldous Huxley
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| thesabbathfan Posts: 410  |
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| mankvill Posts: 429  |
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| Daggon Underpaid M.D. Posts: 1689  |
This album is definitely a great opening for 2009, I can see this since now as one of the best releases of the year. I prefer this album over "Enemy Of God" and "Violent Revolution", I'm not saying that "Hordes Of Chaos" is better than those previous releases, each one is a different phase in this new part of the history of Kreator, and each one is truly great for me (I really like the new Kreator), but at this moment I think that Hordes really suits me. The must be proud of this new release, and I can assure that this is just the begining of greater times for this band. By the way, I can't stop listening to "Demon Prince"! great song jejeje.
---- "Les vers savent qu'ils n'ont pas d'ailes, c'est pour cela qu'ils se cachent sous terre"
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| pazuzuovbabel Pazuzu Posts: 301  |
Since i got the leaked version i couldnt stop listening to this master piece...cause Kreator but a new level for the thrash metal with this record ... cause simply "Hordes Of Chaos" ... is the best thrash record in the last 10 to 15 years...it is so aggressive and so melodic in the same time...and i believe if you will catch the fire of this album ....you will find that "Enemy of God" and "Violent Revolution" which was one of your favorites before...just a mediocre releases comparing to this one. and for the review its so nice but i guess it deserve little higher ratings...  and... every one against every one ... 
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| Deadmeat Necrobutcher Posts: 2437  |
Nice review but not the correct rating for an amazing album. IMO the best Thrash Metal album of the last years. The way to play modern thrash. This album is just perfect...
---- Υou've sold your human essence to the cold world of dead and empty things... You're SOLD!
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| Thryce Retired Staff elite Posts: 4346  |
This is certainly one of the better albums Kreator has come up with in many years (next to "Violent Revolution" of course). And while "Enemy Of God" (also a pretty good album) had "hits", it also had a few low points which almost sounded like fillers, while "Hordes Of Chaos" tends to be good all the way and really captivates me all album long. Though I unashamedly laugh in the face of people saying this is a perfect masterpiece and/or best Thrash album in years.
---- Your favorite band sucks.
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| Nightbane Posts: 14  |
I prefer Enemy Of God over Hordes Of Chaos... Songs from EOG are more catchy to me. My favorite song from Hordes is Destroy What Destroys You!
---- Music saved my life
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| Richard elite Posts: 4862  |
What's the limited edition bonus DVD like? Is the 'making of' the album feature worth seeing?
---- 
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| Mort Posts: 34  |
Comparing to this amazing release all thrash in 2008 seems to be lousy despite Thryce's great job to make us think different:)
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck elite Posts: 40071  |
I feel that album is already the single most overrated thrash album of 2009  It is decent, better than the immensely boring Enemy Of God, but to say it is brilliant is going way over the top imo. This one doesn't even come close to their classic releases.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996 
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| Sunioj Posts: 3894  |
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 14.01.2009 at 17:23 Yup. 100%. Though I heard it a few times and I am not going to listen to this again anytime soon.
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| Charly546 Posts: 314 |
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| routa Account deleted |
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| Silent Creeper Senile Veteran Posts: 296  |
I really don't find anything special on this album... Above average thrash album, but nothing more.
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| Charly546 Posts: 314 |
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| routa Account deleted |
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| K✞ulu Seeker of Truth Posts: 2570  |
It's good album. Kinda in the stream of Violent Revolution and Enemy of God, but what really irritated me at times was Millle's vocals Quote: And I'm backing this up.
---- Savor what you feel and what you see Things that may not seem important now But may be tomorrow R.I.P. Chuck Schuldiner Satan was a Backstreet Boy
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| Marfere Posts: 65 |
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| Ragana Rawrcat Posts: 4919  |
Well, as I'm not a Kreator fan (actually before this album I couldn't imagine why everybody likes Kreator), all I can say is that this release sounds good. Even for me. The first song in the album is very catchy, that gives a hope that all album will be +/- good, heh. But still I'm not going to see them live.
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| In Bone Factory Posts: 381  |
I expected more, but anyway in lack of thrash metal these days, it's like a bottle of water in a dry desert. my rate is: 8/10
---- The End Is Nigh ...
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| Damnated Churchburner Posts: 4943  |
Incredibly over rating review. this new album is mediocre at best, usually recycled old songs. pass.
---- Blessed is he that murders Christ in himself and in his fellow men.  Written by TheBigRossowski on 10.02.2009 at 16:01
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| Deadmeat Necrobutcher Posts: 2437 |
Written by Damnated on 17.01.2009 at 01:23 This is the total thrash album! The lyrics are gruesome....!!!!!!!!!
---- Υou've sold your human essence to the cold world of dead and empty things... You're SOLD!
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| BloodTears ANA-thema elite Posts: 11835  |
I didn't think it was that good to be honest. It certainly isn't special. But then again no-one is refering to it as a masterpiece right? People say it's a solid album. I have rated this album with a 7. I think it has great bits here and there, I seem to enjoy "amok run" and "destroy what destroys you" a lot. It is aggressive, it is thrash but it isn't particularly memorable for me.
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| corrupt With a lowercase c admin Posts: 3131  |
After "Enemy Of God" and "Violent Revolution", the thing I find most disappointing about this album are the lyrics. I can deal with a change of sound and new elements to a wornout style, but I can never forgive a band that suddenly stop paying attention to good lyrics. Most of the songs sound like Mille just listened to a few of their old records and then wrote all songs in one day. More like the album of a band of angry 16yos than the new masterpiece of a long-established quality band.
---- 
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| HardSide Posts: 381 |
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| Deadmeat Necrobutcher Posts: 2437 |
Written by corrupt on 18.01.2009 at 13:49 Lyrics of EoG had bigger variety. But the new lyrics are just IN the reallity. Kreator see that people must wake up and see what's happening in the world. And they focus on that. But you can't say the lyrics are not well writen. They are a bit more "catchy". I think Kreator wrote lyrics to fit them in live situations and IMO they did it very well.
---- Υou've sold your human essence to the cold world of dead and empty things... You're SOLD!
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