"We have a world tour to every corner of the world. That makes me happy."
Metal runs deep through the veins of music history. It would be best described as a coalescence of sub-genres which spawned from the mid to late-60s metal legendary bands such as Cream, Hendrix, Deep Purple, and Led Zeppelin, to name a few. If you were to stand back and look at an in-depth timeline of the formation of heavy metal up to date, you would witness a constellation of bands which have evolved not only sequentially, but also indirectly influenced each other through the evolution.
Examining this hypothetical chart, you could see that the velocity of this influence has quickened over time. In the '70s and '80s it took about eighteen months for an amalgamation of genres to merge and expand into a new sound, and therefore a new sub-genre. The cycle would go: A band creates new album, it is recorded, mixed and mastered in a studio, and then it's immortalised in vinyl and shipped across seas to record stores and into the hands die hard fans who in turn share the metallic sounds with friends at parties or through copies of cassettes. By the time a copy of a copy of a copy of an album had forged its way into the bedrooms of riveted teenagers around the globe, a new genre of metal had dawned. Hence, we have such a diversity of metal styles.
With the advent of the internet, sub-genres and cultures are forming much quicker and as the technology evolves, the spacial barriers are becoming obsolete. We are no longer restricted by the distance between countries, and we no longer have to go to parties or festivals to converse and discover new artists. Online forums and interactive websites are strengthening an already united community of metal heads and therefore the crossover of sounds has broadened even further.
During the early '80s a fusion of English, American, Canadian and European hard rock, heavy metal, progressive metal and punk formed the intensity of the speed and thrash metal genres. Bands like Mercyful Fate (Netherlands), Venom (UK), Voivod (Canada) and Savage Grace (US) paved the foundation for what are now known as legendary bands: Metallica (US), Slayer (US) and of course, the topic of this article, Germany’s largest thrash metal export, Kreator.
Since they burst onto the scene in 1982, Kreator have released 13 highly intense studio albums with their signature brand of searing European metal, creating a sound that has endeared them to fans worldwide. In 2012 Kreator released their most recent album, 'Phantom Antichrist', which, due to the active metal community on the internet, saw what could almost be stated as the reanimation of Kreater. After that release, the band received their highest ever German chart success.
Lead singer and guitarist Mille Petroza states: “It’s hard to compare times back then [1980s] to now. You really can’t compare an era. Today it is a more experienced scene — it’s grown and the metal community is more connected because of the internet. You know about so many different bands all over the world today. It’s really great.”
For over thirty years Kreator have always proven themselves to be persistent, innovative and an unstoppable force, and with the success of their new album Kreator hit the road and found huge crowds — of both old and new fans — at every gig. From that came their latest offering: 'Dying Alive', a live DVD.
“We have a world tour to every corner of the world," Petroza beams. "That makes me happy. The fans are more energetic than ever and they are always intense. There is no such thing as a favourite place to tour. There’s just nothing to compare, really. Sometimes it even depends on the day of the week you play, you know. Sometimes the crowd is tired if it’s late in a festival or if it’s in the middle of the week — they're maybe tired from work.
"There are a lot of factors which contribute to a good or not-so-good gig, but our fans are always into it. There is never a bid gig. I really thank the fans for their support and really can’t wait to be back in Australia.”
Kreator will play the following dates with San Francisco thrash metal legends Death Angel:
Wed Apr 16 — 170 Russell (Melbourne)Thu Apr 17 — HQ (Adelaide)
Fri Apr 18 — Manning Bar (Sydney)
Sat Apr 19 — The Hi-Fi (Brisbane)
Sun Apr 20 — Amplifier (Perth)
