Kreator
September 26th, 2002
Studebakers, Burnaby BC
Review By Darrin Pope
Being
a die-hard fanatic of Kreator since 1988, my anticipation for this show was extreme!
Kreator has not toured Vancouver since 1996 - prior to my move out West.
First of all, seeing a band in a small venue is almost a surreal experience. Being able
to see the artist actually play their instruments up close along with their accompanying
mannerisms is a luxury that only more intimate settings can provide. I was so close to the
band that my arms rested on the top of the sound monitors!
Despite
the small venue and crowd, the band was very enthusiastic and gave a flawless performance.
Kreator’s frontman and guitarist, Mille Petrozza’s voice was strong
& powerful. An
outstretched clawed fist often accentuated his vocal delivery. This was “classic
Kreator!”
After playing the shows opening number, "Reconquering the
Throne", Mille screamed to the
crowd that it was “fucking amazing to be back in Vancouver” and noted how long
they have been absent from touring the States and Canada. The band then tore into the
title track of their latest album Violent Revolution.
Prior
to unleashing “Under the Guillotine” Mille proclaimed “there are some
people that I wish were dead.” Later in the set, Mille screamed to the audience
“Vancouver…I want to kill you”, which preceded the song “Pleasure to
Kill”. Throughout the set, Mille’s song introductions were often delivered in a
serious tone, however with underlying humour and tongue in cheek.
As already mentioned, the bands performance was amazing. Drummer, Ventor was in fine
form and it was a kick to hear him play and sing “Riot of Violence.” His drumming
was especially standout on “Extreme Aggression” and “Betrayer.”
Bass
player Christian, who has been with the band since 1995 seemed to be having a ball and
showed off his musicianship and head banging skills throughout the performance.
Towards the end of the set Mille sensed the audience’s energy waning and in a
motivational approach, he referred to Vancouver as the “Satanic Capitol of the
word.” This brought out a huge response from the audience and a noticeable laugh from
the bands new guitarist Sami who while a great guitarist was not as animated as the other
3 members.
For
the sets closing, Mille asked the audience a challenging question. “What is the
opposite of love?” The audience astounded the band with their intelligence and
screamed “Hate!” After this question was repeated several times, each subsequent
reply getting louder and louder, the band kicked into their final selection for the
evening “Flag of Hate”. For this performance, Mille and Co. relied on a lot of
their earlier material, and omitted entirely the Cause for Conflict album as well as
Endorama. Both are great albums in their own right, however no match for the
classic Kreator style revisited on their latest album Violent Revolution.
The
remainder of the setlist included, "Tormentor", "Terrible
Certainty", "People of the Lie", "Terrorzone",
"Renewal", "Phobia", "Servant in Heaven King in Hell" and
"All of the Same
Blood", ……No “Toxic Trace!”
This was a very memorable experience and one of the better shows that I have attended
in recent memory. This has been an amazing month for live entertainment in Vancouver.
Seeing god “Slayer” on September 13th and tonight, the “Kreator.”
Many thanks to the band for coming all the way from Germany to play for your loyal fans
in Canada.
