KREATOR has been one of the most influential European thrash bands. Since their beginning in the early ‘80s as Tyrant to Tormentor and finally KREATOR, the German band has become one of the longest running and popular thrash acts. In 2009 they are still going strong, and their latest CD is ‘Hordes Of Chaos’.
 
‘Hordes of Chaos’ was recorded at Berlin's Tritonus studios under the direction of producer Moses Schneider. Schneider is renowned for his fresh and exceptionally dynamic working methods with bands and artists such as Tocotronic and Beatsteaks. The album was mixed in London by Colin Richardson (Slipknot, Bullet for my Valentine, Cradle of Filth). The result is exactly what one would expect from KREATOR in terms of its energy and stylistic direction. ‘Hordes of Chaos’ brilliantly conveys the same intense energy that KREATOR is known for in their live stage shows.
 

A couple of hours before the show in Amsterdam vocalist/guitarist Mille Petrozza gives us the lowdown on the band’s 12th studio album. Here you can read what he had to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com
 

First of all, how are you? Congratulations on the release of your new album ‘Hordes Of Chaos’, of course we'd like to ask you a couple of questions about it.
I’m doing fine, thanks for your time and start asking.

It’s about 4 years since ‘Enemy of God’ came out, so it seems you did take your time for this new record.

It’s very important to take your time. If you don’t have anything to say, you can’t make a new song. We also where very busy playing shows. And we want to make something that’s worth the waiting. Better some longer time than a bad album.

How did you launch into writing material for ‘Hordes Of Chaos’ and did you guys spend a fair amount of time working on the album before heading over to record it?

All the lyrics where written already. So we went into the studio with a lot of material. We were already rehearsing the new songs so we knew what we wanted.

Did ideas come easily so that you just had to write them down or was it more of a careful composing thing?

Some ideas came very easy and some didn’t. I write down things and later I make a song out of it. The Walker song is coming from 3 different songs I had in mind, and it became one in the end. They were not strong enough for 3 songs but good enough for this one song we’ve created.

What were the goals you had in mind when you started to record ‘Hordes Of Chaos’, any elements you definitely wanted to include on the album?

We just wanted to top the previous album and make this one better. That’s want all bands want, to make an even better next album. We wanted to make another step forward and not backwards. We wanted to make an album that the fans would like a lot. Because the fans are so important to us. They most enjoy themselves at the live shows.

What is the utmost important ingredient for a song according to you?

Ehmm most of the time it’s aggression and if you listen to it, it should take you somewhere. It must do something to you and be catchy and touchy.

What created the idea to play everything live in the studio again? After all, it has been more than 20 years since you've done so?

It was mainly our producer’s idea but when he came up with the idea we thought that we could do some of it live and we did. It’s not all live recording but we really wanted to create this vibe by doing it together and I think that worked out fine.  It gave a certain atmosphere to the album and the songs. We get into the studio and play and we try to capture that kind of feel on tape. This way of working is also the reason why the album is somewhat faster than our previous effort.

Are you satisfied with the production of Moses Schneider? It sounds at least a bit rougher and not as clinical as the previous one.

Oh yeah definitely. We are very pleased with the results. I think it sounds rougher but it doesn’t sound wrong. It sounds different from our other productions but it does sound very much alive.

Can you tell me more something more about Moses?

I have liked his work with several German bands and that was basically the reason. I was looking for somebody who produced a lot in the metal world but I couldn’t find anyone. And me liking Moses and knowing that he is one of the best producers, had to get him. The reason that he is not known worldwide is because he hasn’t worked with international bands that much. But he did work with a lot of German bands.

'Hordes of Chaos' is about 20 minutes shorter than your last two albums, clocking at only 35 minutes. A conscious decision or did the album just turn out this way?

Was it, ha ha. Maybe 12 minutes??? Really? Ha ha ha ha, well we just wanted to focus and put the right music on the album. It’s better to have a few good songs then to many average songs. It had to be fulfilling, so you will play it again and again. Now it stays interesting. Everything when you hear it to long can get a bit boring. So a bit shorter is better in my opinion.

Could you please describe the implications of the title ‘Hordes Of Chaos’, what does it stand for and is there a special meaning behind it?

It’s how we see the world. We are living in chaos all over the world. If you check out the news there is always some weird war or political trouble and it’s really crazy what people can do to each other. The title was actually there before the lyrics were there. It was also a tribute to our fans, because where ever we go there will be fans at the shows creating their own Hordes of Chaos. From Amsterdam to Brazil, there are always people who think alike and everywhere you go there is a “metal” unity and that makes you feel at home. The meaning of the lyrics is different but this was just a good title for this album.

What about the lyrics on this album? Where do you get your inspiration from, is it all about what happens in the world?

Sometimes either that or books or the news or things I read on the internet. It can be anything from a personal conversation to anything I see on the news. Most of the time I absorb certain things and then I have this little book where I write all this stuff when I think that it’s worth to remember and to make a song about that item. With that I try to make a list of song titles and so I will remember it for when I’m making new songs and music.

So sometimes I have the title ready and then I will make the lyrics fit the title.

Are third party opinions (press, fans, etc.) on your music important to you? Or are your music and band the only things that matter?  

It matters what the fans think!! They are the ones who buy our music. And it helps if the media are also positive about the new album. But most of all, it’s about us making this music.

With all the touring and about 12 studio albums under your belt, how far has Kreator surpassed your original dreams and what would you say is the most rewarding part of being in the band? 
It’s just what we love and what we do best!

What were the highlights and low points throughout your career? 

We actually didn’t have much low points. We stand for what we do and most of the low point has to do with the business side of things. The music and the making of music is always the highlight and of cause we had a time in the 90’s when the band was not as strong as it should be but other than that everything happens for a reason and we came out even stronger. As a band we’ve experienced more highlights than low points.

How would you describe your own music and what are your musical influences, are there any particular bands that have been a big influence in your song writing, metal or otherwise?

Thrash, metal and heavy aggressive music. Our influences come from all over the world. That’s bands and what happens around us.

There’s been a thrash revival the past couple of years. Are there any of the younger generation thrash bands that you’ve heard and enjoy?

Yeah, there is this Greek band I like a lot and Violator and Warbringer, so I like bands from all around the world. I don’t know all the new and upcoming bands but I still think there are some bands with great potential and a great future.

Are you looking forward to hitting the road with bands that are not in the same league of metal as you?

Yeah they are all kind of different bands, but they are all metal anyway. The focus of this tour is still on Kreator. It’s good to have a few different bands so people will not get bored and they also hear something else. Yesterday was the first show and as you could see and hear, some things went wrong. We made some mistakes and the sound had to be changed al bit. But that is what happens on all first shows and with all bands of the tour!

So far there has been two festivals confirmed that Kreator will attend. Can we expect more dates for the summer?

Who knows, maybe a few more will follow, we don’t know yet, but if they ask, we will play!

What can we expect from Kreator in the future, where do you see the band going within the next 5 years, and where do you see the band's musical direction going for the next album?

We will see what happens. We are never planning so far ahead. You never know when you have so much inspiration to go into the studio again.  And we will take it one day at the time. We have to enjoy doing this and we will see what comes around.

Touring is always weird. I enjoy playing but all packed together on the bus and all the waiting is sometimes boring. But doing the shows that’s awesome! And I think people can have a most worse life. I’m just very happy doing this and making music.

Any last statement?

Yes, to all our fans, thanks for the support and enjoy our shows!! Thank you for the interview and today we will kick some Amsterdam ass!!!

Thanks for your time,

Talitha
 

Current members:
Miland 'Mille' Petrozza - vocals, guitar (1982-present, founder)
Sami Yli-Sirniö - guitar (2001-present)
Christian 'Speesy' Giesler - bass (1994-present)
Jürgen 'Ventor' Reil - drums (1982-1993, 1997-present, founder)
 
Former members:
Jörg "Tritze" Trzebiatowski - guitar (1986–1989)
Frank "Blackfire" Gosdzik - guitar (1989–1996) (Mystic (Bra), ex-Sodom)
Michael Wulf (deceased) - guitar (1986, one show only) (ex-Sodom)
Tommy Vetterli - guitar (1996–2001) (Coroner)
Roberto "Rob" Fioretti - bass (1982–1992, founder)
Andreas Herz - bass (1992–1994)
Bogusz Rutkiewicz - bass (1988, one gig in Budapest) (Turbo)
Joe Cangelosi - drums (1994–1996) (Whiplash, Massacre)
 
Albums:
Endless Pain (1985)
Pleasure to Kill (1986)
Terrible Certainty (1987)
Extreme Aggression (1989)
Coma of Souls (1990)
Renewal (1992)
Cause for Conflict (1995)
Outcast (1997)
Endorama (1999)
Violent Revolution (2001)
Enemy of God (2005)
Hordes of Chaos (2009)


DVD’s:  
Live Kreation – Revisioned Glory (2003)
Enemy of God – Revisited (2006)
At The Pulse Of Kapitulation – Live In East Berlin 1990 (2008)