V.A. /// KREATOR & SODOM & DESTRUCTION & TANKARD - "THE BIG TEUTONIC 4" (Teutonic Thrash Metal Legends paying tribute to their roots!!!)

V.A. (KREATOR, SODOM, DESTRUCTION, TANKARD) - "THE BIG TEUTONIC 4"
("Legacy Magazine"& "Beastival Festival"; CD):

Okay, here's something pretty cool and interesting, keeping my teenage days in mind and still today at least first and foremost KREATOR but also SODOM as well really own a lot of importance for me. So, yes, when I saw the December 2012/January 2013 issue of the german Metal magazine named "LEGACY" coming with this CD as a free garnish I bought it fascinated by this little compact disc and the question what this will have to offer to me. And so the first new "LEGACY" issue in by far over a decade finally hit my home again and so with this also and especially this little CD that is a exclusive edition in this form that only came with this very "LEGACY" issue, but is also (judging by a promotion site that I saw) released by "NUCLEAR BLAST" (by whom else one might could think...) as a vinyl edition (but don't ask me about any difference, more songs or so), and it seems that this is also sort of a promotion affair for the new (?) Metal Festival named "BEASTIVAL" where all the four german biggies will hit the stage together in this very year of 2013. So, okay, enough of the introducing small talk, now straight to what we get here. Four bands, the big old ones of german or teutonic Thrash Metal, and four songs, each one of every band, and all in all two coversongs of IRON MAIDEN and two of MOTÖRHEAD. Hm, and I still can remember years ago when SODOM released their I think "M-16" titled album and DESTRUCTION their I think "ANTICHRIST" titled album, hm, and I think it was the "VIOLENT REVOLUTION" album of KREATOR as well, when back then everyone was talking about the three german Thrash Metal big ones and when they also toured together under some banner or slogan like this and back then nearly everyone forgot about TANKARD, hm, times are changing, and so today after a decade or even a little bit more than this TANKARD find themselves in this exclusive legends club that is today new named and by now known as "THE BIG TEUTONIC 4". Justified? Justified! So, okay, this is especially sort of a promotion as well as a tribute affair, and really a good one that really gives or makes a lot of pleasure listening to it. KREATOR and TANKARD do covers of old IRON MAIDEN classics, and while TANKARD cover "THE PRISONER" no one else than KREATOR do a cover of the larger than life groundbreaker and lifechanger "NUMBER OF THE BEAST". And what shall I say... They damn fucking conquer!!! Ultra-Heavyness, charismatic aggression, thrashing brutality, as well as catchy melody lines and anthemic potential, they kept the spirit of the original but made it anyhow totally their own. Great!!! Beats it the original?!? Nah, no fucking way, are you kidding me?!? But it's anyway really shining great!!! Respect!!! TANKARD then do a good one with their version of "THE PRISONER", very melodic and clear and clean (especially the lead vocals), really good and interesting, and something that I wouldn't have expected from TANKARD. Thumbs up!!! SODOM and DESTRUCTION then take duties in paying tribute to no one else than MOTÖRHEAD. SODOM with their own version of "IRON FIST" and DESTRUCTION with doing a cover version of "THE HAMMER". They both pretty much add by far more brutality and heavyness to the original ones and SODOM add a very, very present, marking and heavy bass to it as well as typical charismatic (let us call it so...) lead vocals in this typical "Angelripper English" and do all in all a really good job with somehow putting a lot of heavy Punk in the original one and make it so also really pretty much their own little one. DESTRUCTION just play it intense and massive, tight to the point, sheer heavyness, and really in a truly brutal thrashing way. No fancy bullshit, just straight aggression and massive heavyness, very good done, cool shit. So, you see, each band knows to convince, but with KREATOR taking the clear victory, at least if this would have been a contest. The production sound of the songs make my thumbs also start to move up and the cool old school artwork is just great and would also be a really nice and cool shirt motif. Lyrics you won't find, but some nice little linernotes by each band in german. This disc is recommended, if you are into Thrash Metal, especially if you are into Teutonic Thrash Metal, without a doubt. (8 of 10 points)

(http://beastival.com/?lang=en)

*** "FACE THE END OF TIMES AS WE PLUNGE HEADLONG TOWARDS THE DAY!!! CAN'T DENY THE SIGNS WHEN THE SUN BURNS RED THE EARTH WILL TURN FROM BLUE TO GRAY!!!" ***

Hey guys, new month and (first) new post for this one, and we will kick it off like we've finished the last one, which means, dadada, that now comes a 'Videos' posting for ya. I've chosen a video clip of the almighty KREATOR, and this for two reasons: 1.) I love this song, it's my favorite of them, point and fact; 2.) The song and the lyrics really display what's going on currently if ya take a look at the state of the world how we can see it today. You get KREATOR playing and performing their incredible great anthem "WHEN THE SUN BURNS RED" from their (I guess) 1990 release "COMA OF SOULS", and it's taken from their live gig at the "ROCK HARD FESTIVAL" in 2010 (great quality) and it was also shown on the german public T.V. channel WDR (remember "ROCKPALAST"), and the lyrics draw a intense picture of the state of the world today, with the nuclear catastrophe in Japan, the countless 'freedom-building-missions-across-the-globe' of the NATO as well as the UNO, terrorism and islamofascism, all the daily murder, homicides and genocides, the killing of our planet and all life on it by the hands of the 'crown of evolution' and so on and on and on (it's easy to see that Friedrich Nietzsche was right with every single word he wrote once down), yehp, and so you get the lyrics (before the video) and this are the two reasons why you now get this clip. Enjoy it!!!

KREATOR - "WHEN THE SUN BURNS RED"

(the lyrics)

Savage heat is searing

Global warming has begun

Mother Earth is reeling

No protection from the sun

Forest fires are raging

While the rivers turn to ice

Foolish man creating

Mother Nature's cruel demise

Hailstorms, tornadoes

Cold spells, untimely frosts

Heat waves and blizzards

Global death's the cost

Faces the end of time

As we plunge headlong towards the day

Can't deny the signs

When The Sun Burns Red

The earth will turn

From blue to gray

Winter turns to summer

Then the seasons disappear

No one needs a prophet

To explain what's all too clear

Oceans overflowing

Islands drowning everywhere

Leaders wouldn't admit it

Now they're crying in despair

Hailstorms, tornadoes

Cold spells, untimely frosts

Heat waves and blizzards

Global death's the cost

Face the end of time

As we plunge headlong towards the day

Can't deny the signs

When The Sun Burns Red

The earth will turn

From blue to gray

Now rain shall wash away sad remains of man

Cities once so proud will crumble into sand

Buildings all collapse when all is done and said

The guilty ones will die with the innocent...

When The Sun Burns Red

And now here comes the video...

KREATOR - "WHEN THE SUN BRNS RED" (live) (2010) ("ROCK HARD FESTIVAL")

(the video)

Thrash Metal Moshpit over Gelsenkirchen, Germany in 2010

KREATOR - "TERROR PREVAILS - LIVE AT ROCK HARD FESTIVAL 2010"
("Rockpalast Mobile"/"Rock Hard Magazine"/"E.M.P. Merchandising"; CD):

Okay folks, time for a new record review up here and it's also time for some Metal music again on this very blog here. Now you get the review of the newest and current live record of the german Thrash Metal legend of the name of KREATOR. They used to play this year live on stage at the "ROCK HARD FESTIVAL" in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. There they've recorded this live recording of their comcert and this one you now get for free as a free garnish of the "ROCK HARD MAGAZINE" as a little 'Thank you!' to the fans by the band itself, hm, and I don't know if there will ever be a 'commercial version' of this record here, but I think currently not and if it will ever come, hm, maybe time will tell it to us some far away day. So okay, anyhow, I decided to not go and get the whole package of the magazine and this CD and pay the full price, nah, I decided to just get the CD and instead of paying the full price so I payed nothing for it, yes, I fight the rules of capitalism wherever I can fight them, haha;-). Even Metal in general lost a lot and also the most part of its importance it once had to me, okay, it's a thing of the personal taste in music and how it changes over time, but to some stuff, records, and bands I still use to listen to with pleasure and joy. And KREATOR had been right from the start a pretty imprortant band to me, even this whole German Thrash Metal thing wasn't ever really my first choice, but anyhow, KREATOR used to rule always. But over the last years (okay, okay, over the last decade) I really lost them totally out of sight. The last record I was really into of them was the one with "PHOBIA" (still an awesome great track) on it, hm, I think it was (and is) still titled "OUTCAST". After this KREATOR somehow used to disappear for me and out of my view. I remeber that a friend of mine once gave me their "ENEMY OF GOD" (or something like this titled) record some years ago, hm, but I can't tell ya what's my opinion to it, what my opinion was or is, but anyway and anyhow... So yes, now KREATOR are suddenly back in the field of my view, and I can tell ya, how they are back!!! Great!!! Unlike the most guys I know I normally think that live records are always a nice thing if you are a fan of the band(s). (Okay, unless the live records aren't such bullshit like the "LIVE U.S.A." records of METALLICA, okay, okay, you're right.) On this live record we do get nine tracks (don't know if this is respectively was the full set-list of their concert) at all, and I just knew four ("PHOBIA", "ENDLESS PAIN", "TERRIBLE CERTAINTY", and "PLEASURE TO KILL") and 'a half' ("ENEMY OF GOD") songs before. After an intro the Thrash Metal inferno unleashed by KREATOR breaks loose and hell's coming with it. It's really impressive how much they've developed over the time of their existence, just listen to the great guitar work of songs like "THE PESTILENCE" and "HORDES OF CHAOS" (the very best one here on this record, just awesome shit), and also to the incredible well-versed rhythm section and its very rich on variantions being work and structure, and KREATOR always also knew how to write grapping songs and fantastic chorus lines, and this all you do find here brought up to nearly perfection. Some parts also seem like very stand-alone arranged Beatdown parts melted into the very own style of KREATOR's Tharsh Metal, and not to forget that in some moments KREATOR today uses to sound like an even better and more original version of SLAYER than SLAYER itself. I just miss "WHEN THE SUN BURNS RED" (best song KREATOR have ever written, point and fact), "LOVE US OR HATE US" (great larger-than-life band anthem), "RENEWAL" and at least some of the great stuff they've done on their brilliant "CAUSE FOR CONFLICT" record back then. If that wouldn't be the case, then maybe... And the only things that are really annoying me are this stupid and silly "Rock Hard, Moshpit!" chants and screams by Mille to 'fire the crowd up', that really sucks and is damn much annoying, at least to me. Didn't know how obsessed Mille of KREATOR is with this whole Moshpit stuff... So, okay, if you like some good Thrash Metal then go and try everything to get this great live recorded piece of it by one of the very best bands ever to come out of this genre, and definitely the best one of it to come from Germany. The recording sound is brilliant, and the artwork is also a nice one. Damn it, very good stuff that you really should call your own if you're into some hard Metal stuff, so try everything to still get it anyway from somewhere, point and fact. (9 of 10 points)

(http://www.myspace.com/kreator)