Kreator - Hordes of Chaos (CD)
 

Hordes of Chaos is the 12th studio album from thrash metal veterans Kreator. Bringing in a new producer for this album, Kreator aimed to create an album with a more live feel and not a heavily computerized sound, comprised of absolute perfectly pitched and synchronized beats. This was a very wise move as Kreator have a earned themselves a very solid place in trash metal history, with over 25 years on the scene and have toured the extensively through the bulk of it. Getting a live sound in the studio is a very tricky thing, you need the instruments to sound big and powerful but without having them sound too compressed and over produced or noisy and un restricted.

Hordes of Chaos is the third studio album of the decade for Kreator and sees them head back to their thrashier sounds of the eighties. Again, there is a reason why Kreator have been around for so many years; the fact that they can write great song’s and are technically very talented is a start. Hordes of Chaos has a great dynamic to it with fast driving thrash riffs, slower clean riffs, some great lead guitar harmonies and some steaming vocals. Hordes of Chaos can be described as sounding like a cross between Slayer, Megadeath, Testament and Iron Maiden, it tends to go between the heavier and softer spectrums of thrash.

Compared to older thrash albums, the key ones being from the eighties from the big boys like Metallica, Megadeath, Slayer and the rest, Hordes of Chaos doesn’t quite reach that standard but compared to the young thrash bands coming through and the current thrash releases this is comparably very strong. Hordes of Chaos is a well rounded album with some great riffs and wouldn’t disappoint any thrash fan as it has all the elements you’d want and expect.