Kreator - Terror Prevails (2010)

Terror Prevails is quite different from Kreator's prior live offering Live Kreation, because where that was drawn from a number of performances to get the best sounding versions of each song on the track list, this is all recorded from a single set at the Rock Hard Festival in May 2010 at the Gelsenkirchen Amphitheater. What's also unique is that this was not sold in stores independently, but included as a digi pak with Rock Hard's December 2010 issue. Terror Prevails is only half of the set, with a second disc being reserved for a future magazine, and thus it does feel mildly incomplete. But what's not in question is the excellent sound quality here and the solid, brief set you'll get, and in fact I much prefer it to Live Kreation when all is said and done.

In just 40 minutes here, Mille and crew manage to capture an amazing energy which spans a number of their excellent albums. It opens with "Choir of the Damned/The Pestilence" and it sounds as fresh as if it had been recorded for one of their recent studio albums! Petrozza does sound a little fainter than his usual bark, but it works really well, and the guitars are absolutely perfect. After this the band breaks into more modern territory with "Hordes of Chaos" from their most recent full-length, "Phobia" from Outcast, and then the knockout combo of "Enemy of God" and "Impossible Brutality" from Enemy of God, all of which likewise sound superb and get the crowd going apeshit hogwild insane. I know I would be! The rest of this first offering is made up of another stroll through classic territory, with "Endless Pain", "Pleasure to Kill" and then "Terrible Certainty", all of which honor their original incarnations with pride.

If only all live albums were this quaint and deserving of your money, we'd be in paradise, but the kicker is you can get it for the price of the damn magazine (which, admittedly, is not that cheap). I mean, outside of Destruction's epic Live Without Sense from 1989, this is the best live German thrash albums I've ever heard, ripping with clean and powerful tones, nice atmosphere and a good sense for the crowd reaction, not to mention the incredibly professional performances of the individual lineup, even if we have to listen to Mille shout 'mosh pit' in his German accent numerous times. I feel a little irate that the whole performance wasn't included together, but it's just a ploy to get you to subscribe or pick up both issues. Capitalist scum! Fortunately, the CD is worth hearing if you can get your hands on it.

Verdict: Win [7.75/10]

http://www.kreator-terrorzone.de/