Kreator
Encyclopedia
Kreator is a thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...

 band from Essen
Essen
- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...

, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, formed in 1978, but formalized in 1982 under the name Tormentor. They originally performed a speed metal style with Venom
Venom (band)
Venom are an English heavy metal band that formed in 1979 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Coming to prominence towards the end of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, Venom's first two albums—Welcome to Hell and Black Metal —are considered a major influence on thrash metal and extreme metal in general...

 influences. Their style of music is similar to their compatriots Destruction
Destruction (band)
Destruction is a German thrash metal band. They are considered one of the "three kings" of the Teutonic thrash metal scene, the others being Kreator and Sodom...

 and Sodom
Sodom (band)
Sodom is a German Thrash metal trio from Gelsenkirchen, formed in 1981.Along with the bands Kreator and Destruction, Sodom is considered one of the "big three" of Teutonic thrash metal...

, the other two big German thrash metal
Teutonic thrash metal
Teutonic thrash metal is a regional scene of thrash metal music that originated during the 1980s in Germany. Along with Bay Area thrash metal, East Coast thrash metal, and Brazilian thrash metal, it was one of the major scenes of thrash metal in the 1980s....

 bands. All three of these bands are often credited with helping pioneer death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....

, by containing several elements of what was to become the genre. Kreator's work began in the vein of pure thrash metal but ventured into industrial
Industrial metal
Industrial metal is a musical genre that draws from industrial music and many different types of heavy metal, using repeating metal guitar riffs, sampling, synthesizer or sequencer lines, and distorted vocals. Founding industrial metal acts include Ministry, Godflesh, and KMFDM.Industrial metal's...

 and gothic
Gothic metal
Gothic metal or goth metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music that combines the aggression of doom metal with the dark melancholy of gothic rock. The music of gothic metal is diverse with bands known to adopt the gothic approach to different styles of heavy metal music...

 from 1992 to 1999, before eventually returning to their classic thrash sound to date.

To date, Kreator has released twelve studio albums, two EPs, one live album and three compilation albums. The band released its debut album Endless Pain
Endless Pain
Tracks 11-14, marked with an asterisk, are bonus tracks on the 2000 reissue CD from the End of the World demo, which was released when the band was still known as Tormentor...

in 1985. Although many of their previous albums, including Pleasure to Kill
Pleasure to Kill
The tracks marked with an asterisk are bonus tracks from the re-released and remastered versions. They are taken from the Flag of Hate EP."Choir of the Damned" is extended on the CD version...

(1986), were quite popular in the United States, Kreator did not experience major American commercial success until the 2009 release of their twelfth studio album, Hordes of Chaos
Hordes of Chaos (album)
-Credits:*Mille Petrozza - Guitar, vocals*Sami Yli-Sirniö - Guitar*Jürgen Reil - Drums*Christian Giesler - Bass guitar*Moses Schneider - Producer*Colin Richardson - Mixing*Joachim Luetke - Artwork-Charts:-External links:**...

, which peaked at number 165 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

 and debuted at #16 on the Media Control Charts
Media Control Charts
The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie...

, the band's highest ever chart position in Germany. The band is currently working on new material for a thirteenth studio album, which is due for release in 2012.

Formation and early releases (1982-1986)

The band was formed as Tyrant in 1982 in Essen, Germany. The original lineup featured vocalist/guitarist Mille Petrozza
Mille Petrozza
Miland "Mille" Petrozza is a German guitarist and singer. He is best known for being the lead vocalist of the band Kreator...

, drummer Jürgen 'Ventor' Reil
Jurgen Reil
Jürgen "Ventor" Reil is the long-time drummer for German thrash metal band Kreator. He is one of the only two original members left in the band, although he has left it "at least twice" due to personal differences, but has come back....

, and bassist Rob Fioretti. They soon changed their name to Tormentor and released two demos. They changed the name of the band again to the final one, Kreator and signed to Noise Records
Noise Records (Germany)
Noise Records was a German record label founded by German music industry personality Karl-Ulrich Walterbach in 1983 as an expansion of his company Modern Music Records. Noise Records specialized in thrash and melodic speed metal. It was sold to the Sanctuary Records Group in 2001 and ceased any...

 in 1985. The name change came from the label, as there already was a band by the name Tormentor from Hungary.

Kreator recorded their debut album, Endless Pain
Endless Pain
Tracks 11-14, marked with an asterisk, are bonus tracks on the 2000 reissue CD from the End of the World demo, which was released when the band was still known as Tormentor...

, in just 10 days. Many black
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....

 and death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....

 bands consider it to be a very influential release. The band hired the late Sodom
Sodom (band)
Sodom is a German Thrash metal trio from Gelsenkirchen, formed in 1981.Along with the bands Kreator and Destruction, Sodom is considered one of the "big three" of Teutonic thrash metal...

 guitarist Michael Wulf
Michael Wulf
Michael "Destructor" Wulf was a German guitarist, well known for playing in German thrash metal bands, Sodom and Kreator. He died in 1993 after a motorcycle accident.- References :...

 for the album's tour.

Wulf was in the band for a few days and didn't play on the band's next album, 1986's Pleasure to Kill
Pleasure to Kill
The tracks marked with an asterisk are bonus tracks from the re-released and remastered versions. They are taken from the Flag of Hate EP."Choir of the Damned" is extended on the CD version...

, despite his getting credit. A new guitarist, Jörg "Tritze" Trzebiatowski joined the band and he played on this album, which is widely considered a thrash classic. Produced by Harris Johns
Harris Johns
Harris Johns is a European music producer, who used to be more active in the 80's in the heavy metal and punk scene, working for a lot of named bands, such as Helloween, Coroner, Tankard, Sodom, Voivod, Kreator, Ratos de Porão, Slime, Daily Terror and many others. Most of his productions were...

 (Helloween
Helloween
Helloween is a German power metal band founded in the mid 1980s by members of Iron Fist and Powerfool. The band was a pioneering force in the European Power Metal movement and their second and third studio albums, Keeper of the Seven Keys, Pt...

, Voivod
Voivod (band)
Voivod are a Canadian heavy metal band from Jonquière, Quebec, Canada. Their musical style has changed several times since the band's origin in the early 1980s...

), it is arguably one of the heaviest, fastest albums in metal, while showing the band growing in talent and technical ability. The song "Flag of Hate" became an early hit, and the band became one of the most promising up-and-coming European metal acts. With Tritze the band started their first tour ever (before the release of Pleasure to Kill they had only played 5 gigs total). The band closed out the year with their first EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...

, Flag of Hate
Flag of Hate
-Personnnel:*Mille Petrozza - guitar, vocals*Jürgen Reil - drums*Rob Fioretti - bass guitar-External links:*...

.

Rising popularity (1987-1991)

In 1987, Kreator released their third studio album, Terrible Certainty
Terrible Certainty
Tracks 9-13 are bonus tracks from the remastered version. They are taken from the Out of the Dark ... Into the Light EP.-Personnel:Kreator* Mille Petrozza – vocals, guitar* Jörg "Tritze" Trzebiatowski – guitar* Roberto "Rob" Fioretti – bass guitar...

, which is often considered a high-quality Kreator album as the arrangements on the album were more complex and the tempos more varied. The album featured another hit "Behind the Mirror", and the band's popularity continued to grow and a video for "Toxic Trace" was created for MTV play. They managed to find enough time and money (coming from the concerts) to finance another EP Out of the Dark ... Into the Light
Out of the Dark ... Into the Light
Tracks 6-8, marked with an asterisk, are European CD bonus tracks.The American vinyl version swaps the order of the studio tracks and the live tracks , and adds a sixth track: "Gangland", a Tygers of Pan Tang cover.-Personnel:Kreator...

.

Berlin based independent record label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...

 Noise Records
Noise Records
Noise Records was a German record label founded by German music industry personality Karl-Ulrich Walterbach in 1983 as an expansion of his company Modern Music Records. Noise Records specialized in thrash and melodic speed metal. It was sold to the Sanctuary Records Group in 2001 and ceased any...

 licensed Kreator for the territories outside of Europe and Japan to the major label Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...

 in 1988. Their fourth studio album and debut with Epic (for limited territories) Extreme Aggression
Extreme Aggression
-Personnel:Kreator*Mille Petrozza - guitar and vocals*Jörg Trzebiatowski - guitar*Rob Fioretti - bass guitar*Jürgen Reil - drumsProduction*Martin Becker - photography*Randy Burns - producer, engineer*Dan Clements - background vocals...

, recorded in Los Angeles, became a metal hit in Europe upon its release in 1989. Continuing the Terrible Certainty formula while showing the band still progressing musically and with better production by the well-regarded Randy Burns (also Megadeth
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...

 among others), the album featured the band's first major singles and music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...

s, the title track and "Betrayer", becoming major hits on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....

s Headbangers Ball
Headbangers Ball
Headbangers Ball is a music television program consisting of heavy metal music videos airing on MTV2, MTV Australia, MTV Two , MTV Adria , MTV Brand New, MTV Portugal, MTV Finland, MTV Arabia, MTV Norway, MTV Sweden, MTV Denmark, MTV Greece, MTV Türkiye, MTV...

. They toured North America with Suicidal Tendencies
Suicidal Tendencies
Suicidal Tendencies is a U.S. crossover thrash band founded in 1981 in Venice, Los Angeles, California by Mike Muir, its leader and only permanent member. The band is sometimes credited as one of "the fathers of crossover thrash"...

, which greatly expanded their popularity outside of Europe.

In 1989, German director Thomas Schadt made a documentary about Kreator (focusing on the social aspect of heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...

 in the Ruhr Area
Ruhr Area
The Ruhr, by German-speaking geographers and historians more accurately called Ruhr district or Ruhr region , is an urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With 4435 km² and a population of some 5.2 million , it is the largest urban agglomeration in Germany...

) titled Thrash Altenessen (named after the band's hometown, a suburb of Essen). Tritze left Kreator after Extreme Aggression. In 1990, with new guitarist Frank "Blackfire" Gosdzik (also formerly of Sodom
Sodom (band)
Sodom is a German Thrash metal trio from Gelsenkirchen, formed in 1981.Along with the bands Kreator and Destruction, Sodom is considered one of the "big three" of Teutonic thrash metal...

), the band released Coma of Souls
Coma of Souls
-Personnel:Kreator* Mille Petrozza – vocals, guitar* Frank "Blackfire" Gosdzik – guitar* Rob Fioretti – bass guitar* Jürgen "Ventor" Reil – drumsProduction* Recorded at Eldorado and Image Studios* Produced by Randy Burns...

. The album was not quite as praised as the bands previous few albums (many felt the album was "rushed" and repetitive), but still managed sell and maintain popularity quite well, with the singles "When the Sun Burns Red" and "People of the Lie" becoming hits.

Experimentation (1991-2000)

The early 1990s brought a decline in the popularity of traditional thrash metal. With many other thrash bands such as Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...

 and Anthrax
Anthrax (band)
Anthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City, formed in 1981. Founded by guitarists Scott Ian and Danny Lilker, the band has since released ten studio albums and 20 singles, and an EP featuring Public Enemy. The band was one of the most popular of the 1980s thrash metal scene...

 changing their sound for a more commercial approach, Kreator began experimenting with death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....

 and industrial metal
Industrial metal
Industrial metal is a musical genre that draws from industrial music and many different types of heavy metal, using repeating metal guitar riffs, sampling, synthesizer or sequencer lines, and distorted vocals. Founding industrial metal acts include Ministry, Godflesh, and KMFDM.Industrial metal's...

 around this time.

The result was Renewal
Renewal (album)
-Personnel:Kreator*Mille Petrozza - Guitar & Vocals*Frank "Blackfire" Gosdzik - Guitar*Rob Fioretti - Bass guitar*Jürgen "Ventor" Reil - Drums, ProgrammingPersonnel*Kreator - Producer*Tom Morris - Producer, Engineer, Mixing*Mark Prator - Engineer...

, released in 1992, which featured heavy death metal and industrial influences. While reaching a newer, more commercial audience, the band upset many longtime fans, accusing them of "selling out
Selling out
"Selling out" is the compromising of integrity, morality, or principles in exchange for money or "success" . It is commonly associated with attempts to tailor material to a mainstream audience...

". The band, once known for being an excellent live act, had "disappointing" shows and tours for this album due to the industrial influences.

The excruciatingly taxing touring commitments that followed took the band as far as South America, but understandably left them physically and creatively exhausted. The band began to fall apart around this time. Founding member Roberto Fioretti left the band after the recording of the album as he wanted to spend more time with his family and was replaced by Andreas Herz, who never played any official release. In 1994 Reil left as well, leaving Petrozza the sole original bandmember. Reil was replaced by Joe Cangelosi. Herz left in 1995 and was replaced by Christian Giesler
Christian Giesler
Christian "Speesy" Giesler is the current bass guitar player for Kreator. He first appeared on Cause for Conflict, replacing original bassist Roberto Fioretti, and has been with the band since...

. To make matters worse, their contract with Epic was dropped. Now on G.U.N. Records the new lineup put out the album Cause for Conflict
Cause for Conflict
* The Japanese release, digipack version, and limited edition metal box set included the track "State Oppression" which was originally written and performed by Raw Power.-Personnel:Kreator*Mille Petrozza -Guitar & Vocals, Lyricist...

that year. The result was their most modern album at that time, the sound on this album had influences from Pantera
Pantera
Pantera was an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas. Formed by the Abbott brothers, Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell in 1981, bassist Rex Brown would join in late 1981 with vocalist Terry Glaze. Looking for a new and heavier sound, Pantera had Terry replaced in 1987 with Phil Anselmo as...

 and Machine Head
Machine Head (band)
Machine Head is an American heavy metal band from Oakland, California. Formed on October 12, 1991, the group was founded by Robb Flynn and Adam Duce. There have been 4 member changes since their inception. The current lineup of the band comprises Flynn , Duce , ex-Vio-Lence guitarist Phil Demmel ,...

, a slight return to a harsher sound than on the previous album.

Gosdzik and Cangelosi left in 1996 and were replaced by Tommy Vetterli (formerly of Coroner
Coroner (band)
Coroner is a Swiss thrash metal/progressive metal band from Zurich. They garnered relatively little attention outside of Europe. Formed in 1983, the band broke up in 1996, but decided to reform 14 years later. The band will perform at multiple live venues and festivals around the world in 2011,...

), and, surprisingly, Jürgen Reil
Jurgen Reil
Jürgen "Ventor" Reil is the long-time drummer for German thrash metal band Kreator. He is one of the only two original members left in the band, although he has left it "at least twice" due to personal differences, but has come back....

. The band continued to experiment with their sound, releasing Outcast and Endorama
Endorama
-Personnel:Kreator*Mille Petrozza - Guitar, Vocals, Producer, Cover art, Concept, Design*Jürgen Reil - Drums*Christian Giesler - Bass guitar*Thomas Vetterli - Guitar, Guitar synth, Producer, ProgrammingProduction*Tilo Wolff - Guest vocals...

, both of which experimented with goth
Gothic rock
Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...

 and ambient
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...

 influences, incorporated samples
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...

 and loops
Music loop
In electroacoustic music, a loop is a repeating section of sound material. Short sections of material can be repeated to create ostinato patterns...

 and even found Petrozza trying a few different singing styles on for size. It also retained the groove metal
Groove metal
Groove metal is a subgenre of heavy metal. It was often used to describe Pantera and Exhorder.- Characteristics and origins :Pantera's Cowboys from Hell album from 1990 was described as "groundbreaking" and "blueprint-defining" for the groove metal genre...

 influences. The record sales went down, by the end of the 1990s the band reached both commercial and critical nadir. Though frontman Mille Petrozza never cared about this: "For us, success doesn't define in record sales. So all our albums have been successful for us, because we've achieved what we were aiming for...".

Return in style (2001-2009)

In 2001, with new guitarist Sami Yli-Sirniö
Sami Yli-Sirniö
Sami Yli-Sirniö is a Finnish guitarist who plays rock and metal. He spent part of his life in Germany and thus has strong ties with the German metal scene...

, Kreator released their "comeback" album Violent Revolution
Violent Revolution
*The limited edition digipak contains the bonus track "Violent Revolution" .-Personnel:Kreator*Mille Petrozza - Vocals & Guitar*Sami Yli-Sirniö - Guitar*Christian Giesler - Bass guitar*Jurgen "Ventor" Reil - DrumsProduction...

, which saw the band returning to their classic thrash metal style. Despite containing a lot of melodic and so called "Gothenburg metal" riffs, it was praised by fans and critics alike. The tour was extremely successful and introduced Kreator to a younger generation of metal fans. Yli-Sirniö, who lived in Germany, was known to be a good guitar player, so the band recruited him.
A live album Live Kreation
Live Kreation
Live Kreation is a two-disc live album by German thrash metal band Kreator. Released in 2003 by Steamhammer Records it contains 24 tracks recorded at various points during the band's extensive 2001-2002 tour. A limited edition digibook was also released featuring exclusive 36 pages deluxe colour...

and live DVD Live Kreation: Revisioned Glory
Live Kreation: Revisioned Glory
Live Kreation: Revisioned Glory is a DVD by German thrash metal band Kreator that was released on June 24, 2003. It was also released as a limited edition boxset that included the DVD, the double live album Live Kreation, an exclusive 36 page deluxe colour booklet and a full colour poster.The DVD...

were released in 2003, and a new studio album - emphasizing more on the gothenburg influences – Enemy of God was released in 2005. This album also saw a special edition re-release in 2006 called Enemy of God: Revisited. In early 2006, Kreator toured North America with Napalm Death
Napalm Death
Napalm Death are a death metal band formed in Birmingham, England in 1981. While none of its original members remain in the group, the lineup of vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway, bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mitch Harris and drummer Danny Herrera has remained consistent for most of the band's ...

, A Perfect Murder
A Perfect Murder (band)
- Band members :* Frank - Vocals* Carl Bouch - Lead Guitar* Gagnon! - Rhythm Guitar* Luc - Bass Guitar* Chaussé - Drums-History:A Perfect Murder was formed in 2001 in Drummondville, Quebec Canada by Carl Bouchard. Their first EP, Blood Covered Words, was released the same year...

, and The Undying. Kreator were to tour 2008 with King Diamond
King Diamond
Kim Bendix Petersen , better known by his stage name King Diamond, is a Grammy Award nominated Danish heavy metal musician. As a vocalist, he is known for his extensive vocal range, in particular his usage of falsetto. He is the lead vocalist for both Mercyful Fate and the eponymous King Diamond...

, Leaves Eyes, and Cellador
Cellador
Cellador is a power metal band from Omaha, Nebraska, formed by guitarist Chris Petersen in 2004. After a rotation of a few member try-outs in the band's earliest days, Cellador's album line-up was cemented in 2004. The band eventually signed to Metal Blade after playing a show with The Black Dahlia...

, however the tour was canceled due to back issues with King Diamond.

In March 2008, the At the Pulse of Kapitulation
At the Pulse of Kapitulation 1990/1991
At the Pulse of Kapitulation: Live in East Berlin, 1990 is a DVD by German thrash metal band Kreator released on March 21, 2008. This DVD includes Live in East Berlin VHS from 1990 re-mixed in 5.1 Digital Surround Sound and re-edited version of Hallucinative Comas VHS from 1991...

DVD was released, featuring Live in East Berlin
Live in East Berlin
Live in East Berlin is a VHS by German thrash metal band Kreator released in 1990 by Noise Records. It was recorded on the Extreme Aggression tour.-Track listing:#"Some Pain Will Last" - 6:15#"Extreme Aggression" - 4:27#"Under the Guillotine" - 4:36...

and Hallucinative Comas
Hallucinative Comas
Hallucinative Comas is a VHS by German thrash metal band Kreator released in 1991 by Noise Records.-Track listing:#"Intro"#"Twisted Urges"#"When the Sun Burns Red"#"Interview"#"People of the Lie"#"Dr. Wagner part I"#"Interview"...

on one disc. Both had previously been available on VHS only and were long out of print. The band had also began working on their 12th full length album in late 2007/early 2008 and began recording in July 2008. Recording for the album, dubbed Hordes of Chaos
Hordes of Chaos (album)
-Credits:*Mille Petrozza - Guitar, vocals*Sami Yli-Sirniö - Guitar*Jürgen Reil - Drums*Christian Giesler - Bass guitar*Moses Schneider - Producer*Colin Richardson - Mixing*Joachim Luetke - Artwork-Charts:-External links:**...

, was wrapped up in late August, with the album being released in January 2009. On 23 January 2009, the band began their "Chaos Over Europe" tour in Tilburg (the Netherlands) with Caliban, Eluveitie and Emergency Gate as other acts. In April 2009, the band embarked on a North American headlining tour, co-headlined by Exodus
Exodus (band)
Exodus is an American thrash metal band formed in 1980 in Richmond, California. Spanning a career of over 30 years, Exodus has gone through numerous lineup changes, two extended hiatuses, and the deaths of two former band members. Guitarist Gary Holt remains the only constant member of the band,...

, and featuring Belphegor
Belphegor (band)
Belphegor is a blackened death metal band from Salzburg, Austria. They originally formed in 1991 under the name Betrayer before changing their name in 1993. They are named after the demon Belphegor.-Early years :...

, Warbringer
Warbringer
Warbringer is an American thrash metal band. The band formed in 2004. Warbringer is signed to Century Media Records. Century Media signed Warbringer after seeing them at a local show in LA. Originally, a Century Media rep was at the show to see another LA thrash metal band but decided to sign...

, and Epicurean. In late 2009, Reil was forced to sit out some tour dates due to personal issues, with Marco Minnemann
Marco Minnemann
Marco Minnemann is a German-born drummer, composer and multi-instrumentalist. He lives in Lake Elsinore, California.-Biography:...

 temporarily taking his place.

Recent events (2010-present)

Kreator signed with Nuclear Blast
Nuclear Blast
Nuclear Blast is an independent record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The record label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label moved on to releasing albums by melodic...

 in early 2010, before embarking on a North American tour in March to celebrate their 25th anniversary. A European tour with Exodus, Death Angel
Death Angel
Death Angel is a Filipino-American thrash metal band from Concord, California, initially active from 1982 to 1991 and again since 2001. Death Angel has released six studio albums, two demo tapes, one box set and two live albums....

 and Suicidal Angels, called 'Thrashfest', took place in late 2010. According to Mille Petrozza
Mille Petrozza
Miland "Mille" Petrozza is a German guitarist and singer. He is best known for being the lead vocalist of the band Kreator...

, Kreator will enter the studio in January 2012 to begin work on their next album with producer Jens Bogren
Jens Bogren
Jens Peter Daniel Bogren is a record producer, mixer and recording engineer who has worked on albums by Opeth, Katatonia, Soilwork, God Forbid, Iron Mask, Amon Amarth, and Symphony X, amongst others...

.

Current line up

  • Miland 'Mille' Petrozza
    Mille Petrozza
    Miland "Mille" Petrozza is a German guitarist and singer. He is best known for being the lead vocalist of the band Kreator...

     – vocals
    Singing
    Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...

    , guitar
    Guitar
    The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

     (1982–present, founder)
  • Sami Yli-Sirniö
    Sami Yli-Sirniö
    Sami Yli-Sirniö is a Finnish guitarist who plays rock and metal. He spent part of his life in Germany and thus has strong ties with the German metal scene...

     – guitar (2001–present)
  • Christian 'Speesy' Giesler – bass
    Bass guitar
    The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

     (1994–present)
  • Jürgen 'Ventor' Reil
    Jurgen Reil
    Jürgen "Ventor" Reil is the long-time drummer for German thrash metal band Kreator. He is one of the only two original members left in the band, although he has left it "at least twice" due to personal differences, but has come back....

     – drums
    Drum kit
    A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....

    , vocals
    Singing
    Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...

     (1982–1994, 1996–present, founder)

Former members

Guitar
  • Michael Wulf
    Michael Wulf
    Michael "Destructor" Wulf was a German guitarist, well known for playing in German thrash metal bands, Sodom and Kreator. He died in 1993 after a motorcycle accident.- References :...

     (†) – guitar (1986, one show only) (ex-Sodom
    Sodom (band)
    Sodom is a German Thrash metal trio from Gelsenkirchen, formed in 1981.Along with the bands Kreator and Destruction, Sodom is considered one of the "big three" of Teutonic thrash metal...

    )
  • Jörg "Tritze" Trzebiatowski – guitar (1986–1989)
  • Frank "Blackfire" Gosdzik – guitar (1989–1996) (Mystic (Bra), ex-Sodom
    Sodom (band)
    Sodom is a German Thrash metal trio from Gelsenkirchen, formed in 1981.Along with the bands Kreator and Destruction, Sodom is considered one of the "big three" of Teutonic thrash metal...

    )
  • Tommy Vetterli – guitar (1996–2001) (Coroner
    Coroner (band)
    Coroner is a Swiss thrash metal/progressive metal band from Zurich. They garnered relatively little attention outside of Europe. Formed in 1983, the band broke up in 1996, but decided to reform 14 years later. The band will perform at multiple live venues and festivals around the world in 2011,...

    )


Bass
  • Roberto "Rob" Fioretti – bass (1982–1992, founder)
  • Bogusz Rutkiewicz – bass (1988, one gig in Budapest
    Budapest
    Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...

    ) (Turbo
    Turbo (Polish band)
    Turbo is a Polish heavy metal band. It was started in January 1980, in Poznań, by Henryk Tomczak . Turbo is one of the most important bands in polish heavy metal. Turbo's most famous album is Kawaleria Szatana , considered an opus of Polish heavy metal...

    )
  • Andreas Herz – bass (1992–1994)


Drums
  • Joe Cangelosi – drums (1994–1996) (Whiplash
    Whiplash (band)
    Whiplash is an American thrash metal/speed metal band. The band was founded in 1984 in Passaic, New Jersey by the three Tonys: Tony Portaro , Tony Scaglione and Tony Bono . Joe Cangelosi replaced Tony Scaglione in 1986 when he left for a small stint with Slayer...

    , Massacre)
  • Marco Minnemann
    Marco Minnemann
    Marco Minnemann is a German-born drummer, composer and multi-instrumentalist. He lives in Lake Elsinore, California.-Biography:...

     – drums (2009 September - October Tour Drums)

Discography

  • Endless Pain
    Endless Pain
    Tracks 11-14, marked with an asterisk, are bonus tracks on the 2000 reissue CD from the End of the World demo, which was released when the band was still known as Tormentor...

    (1985)
  • Pleasure to Kill
    Pleasure to Kill
    The tracks marked with an asterisk are bonus tracks from the re-released and remastered versions. They are taken from the Flag of Hate EP."Choir of the Damned" is extended on the CD version...

    (1986)
  • Terrible Certainty
    Terrible Certainty
    Tracks 9-13 are bonus tracks from the remastered version. They are taken from the Out of the Dark ... Into the Light EP.-Personnel:Kreator* Mille Petrozza – vocals, guitar* Jörg "Tritze" Trzebiatowski – guitar* Roberto "Rob" Fioretti – bass guitar...

    (1987)
  • Extreme Aggression
    Extreme Aggression
    -Personnel:Kreator*Mille Petrozza - guitar and vocals*Jörg Trzebiatowski - guitar*Rob Fioretti - bass guitar*Jürgen Reil - drumsProduction*Martin Becker - photography*Randy Burns - producer, engineer*Dan Clements - background vocals...

    (1989)
  • Coma of Souls
    Coma of Souls
    -Personnel:Kreator* Mille Petrozza – vocals, guitar* Frank "Blackfire" Gosdzik – guitar* Rob Fioretti – bass guitar* Jürgen "Ventor" Reil – drumsProduction* Recorded at Eldorado and Image Studios* Produced by Randy Burns...

    (1990)
  • Renewal
    Renewal (album)
    -Personnel:Kreator*Mille Petrozza - Guitar & Vocals*Frank "Blackfire" Gosdzik - Guitar*Rob Fioretti - Bass guitar*Jürgen "Ventor" Reil - Drums, ProgrammingPersonnel*Kreator - Producer*Tom Morris - Producer, Engineer, Mixing*Mark Prator - Engineer...

    (1992)
  • Cause for Conflict
    Cause for Conflict
    * The Japanese release, digipack version, and limited edition metal box set included the track "State Oppression" which was originally written and performed by Raw Power.-Personnel:Kreator*Mille Petrozza -Guitar & Vocals, Lyricist...

    (1995)
  • Outcast (1997)
  • Endorama
    Endorama
    -Personnel:Kreator*Mille Petrozza - Guitar, Vocals, Producer, Cover art, Concept, Design*Jürgen Reil - Drums*Christian Giesler - Bass guitar*Thomas Vetterli - Guitar, Guitar synth, Producer, ProgrammingProduction*Tilo Wolff - Guest vocals...

    (1999)
  • Violent Revolution
    Violent Revolution
    *The limited edition digipak contains the bonus track "Violent Revolution" .-Personnel:Kreator*Mille Petrozza - Vocals & Guitar*Sami Yli-Sirniö - Guitar*Christian Giesler - Bass guitar*Jurgen "Ventor" Reil - DrumsProduction...

    (2001)
  • Enemy of God (2005)
  • Hordes of Chaos
    Hordes of Chaos (album)
    -Credits:*Mille Petrozza - Guitar, vocals*Sami Yli-Sirniö - Guitar*Jürgen Reil - Drums*Christian Giesler - Bass guitar*Moses Schneider - Producer*Colin Richardson - Mixing*Joachim Luetke - Artwork-Charts:-External links:**...

    (2009)
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