kreator - under the guillotine box set

everything about this box set is top notch! the replica pressings of the albums, the nice vinyl colours, the book, the bonus dvd, the tape tormentor e.p., the look of the box and the band mascot usb stick - t-o-p n-o-t-c-h!!!!

helloween - keeper of the seven keys pt.II

the second record i found in that final bin at the record fair in kiel was the second part of the "keeper of the seven keys" saga by german power metal heros helloween. i kind of felt compelled to get the second part after i won an auction for a coloured copy of the first part on a whim on ebay. it just doesen't felt right to leave part one alone on the shelf.

so when i pulled this copy out of the bin i was pleasantly surprised at the great condition and the reasonable price. the seller even lowered the whole price for the two records without me bargaining about it. the band's third album was released in 1988 and is their best selling to this day. musically one gets what the first part was foreshadowing. classic power/heavy metal with another epic piece.

the thirteen minutes and a half long song "keeper of the seven keys" is the centrepiece of the album and is in keeping with part one and its lengthy "halloween" song. all in all i think i enjoy part one a bit more than part two. especially "dr. stein" is too much of a goofy song to me and when there is one thing in music i really loathe besides reggae, than it is ridiculous bands and their songs. yeah, i am humourless like that.

still i like to spin the record occasionally. i am not really sure if i got a first press here. discogs shows me two versions that came out in 1988, mine included, but does not give information which came first. anyway, i like the tour advertisement on the printed dust sleeve. must have been cool shows with iron maiden back in the day. that reminds me that i will see helloween re-united on wacken festival this year. looking forward to it. noise records. 1988.

kreator - outcast (noise re-master series)

the last part in this kreator re-issue series is about the band's eighth studio effort called "outcast" from 1997. again the record is marked by another few line up changes within the band. guitarist frank blackfire left the band after three full lengths and ex-coroner guitarist tommy vetterli stepped in. also did founding member jürgen ventor reil take over drumming duties again. this change was important especially for the chemistry among the band members.

for the first time since "terrible certainty" from 1987 the band recorded an album in germany again instead of in the united states. after "cause for conflict" was a thrash throwback, with "outcast" kreator tread more progressive paths again. there is a significant portion of midtempo songs on the record and many industrial-ish sound samples. i would call "outcast" a genuine crossover record, which has a lot to offer if one is willed to get into it.

there are fantastic songs like "phobia", "stronger than before" or "whatever it may take" which transport a great dark atmosphere. the whole thing breathes the nineties. although i think that the record is a bit too slow at times. a bit thrash ferocity would have done it good. therefore i can see why "outcast" isn't a fan favourite. like its predecessor, the album also appeared on gun records and because the late nineties were already a dark time for vinyl there was never a proper vinyl release (apart from a shitty picture disc).

a few unoffical pressings were the only way to get this baby on vinyl until fairly recently. noise records re-issued "outcast" in this nice edition with tons of liner notes and first-hand informations. additionally they threw in a bonus disc with the complete set of their dynamo open air gig from 1998. nice clear highlighter orange vinyl to round out the package. noise records. 2018.

kreator - cause for conflict (noise re-master series)

number three out of four. kreator's seventh full length appeared in 1995 and is marked by a time of change. after "renewal" the band quit most parts of their collaboration with noise records and found a new label in gun (great unlimited noise) records also from germany. gun records, which was shut down in 2009, was a sub label of sony music. noise records still took care of the international distribution of the album.

the band's personnel did also change. two of the three founding members called it a day. bassist rob fioretti and drummer jürgen "ventor" reil had to be replaced due to personal problems within the band. kreator toured extensively in support of "renewal", this took its toll on the members. a new rhythm section was found in drummer joe cangelosi and bassist speesy geisler. latter one has been a member ever since.

musically the band went back to more familiar spheres. with "cause for conflict" kreator went back to their thrash roots. of course there are still many progressive industrial elements, we're still knee deep in the nineties here, but this is almost a traditional thrash record in comparison to "renewal". nevertheless one can feel the upheaval that surrounded the band and thus i feel that "cause for conflict" lacks a bit the energy of previous records.

still, full length number seven is no fuck up at all and belongs in every self-respecting kreator collection. the presentation of this re-issue is, as you probably have guessed if you read the previous two posts, fantastic. shitloads of insight information provided by mille petrozza and photos, flyers and tickets from the archives. the records come on lovely opaque blue vinyl, although three bonus tracks on a bonus 12" seem a bit like a waste of resources. noise records. 2018.

kreator - renewal (noise re-master series)

the second installment of the recent wave of classic kreator album re-issues. "renewal" is kreator's sixth studio full length and the album title was quite the hint as to what awaits the listener when playing the record. the band's main goal before they started writing material for the album was not to think in stereotypes. they wanted to create something fresh and unique regardless of fan and press expectations.

well, no doubt they achieved this goal. "renewal" is as far away from classic thrash metal as can be. after randy burns, the producer of the preceding album "coma of souls", said goodbye to music productions, kreator searched for a new studio and producer to record with. they found the infamous morrisound studios and producer tom morris. unlike the most productions at morrisound they didn't head towards the death metal direction but towards hardcore and industrial instead.

the outcome generated very mixed opinions among fans and media. the overall sound (especially the drum sound) and the progressive song writing were hard to swallow for die-hards. i really can see why but when i dropped the needle on this re-issue, listening to the album for the first time, i was blown away. the artistic change in style may be dramatic but the songs are so fresh and so full of creative energy that "renewal" became one of my favourite kreator records in an instant.

especially "reflection" is my go to song here. fantastic. the presentation is great again. love the matte finish of the gatefold and of course the informative liner notes to album and lyrics by mille petrozza. the matching clear green vinyl is another well thought component of this re-issue. only the second disc is pretty unnecessary. two useless songs (a rare version and a re-mix of songs already on the album) and one new song seem too little for a bonus 12". anyway, good work all around. noise records. 1992/2018.

kreator - coma of souls (noise re-master series)

to be in keeping with the noise records theme of the last post, i start a little series on kreator and the aforementioned noise records. noise was a german independent metal label with its heyday in the late eighties and early nineties. after two takeovers by other music groups, noise is now a division of the bmg music group since 2016. bmg was clever enough to recognise what makes the money roll in on the vinyl market nowadays - the name is re-issues.

the first four kreator records already got re-issued and re-mastered and were all pretty nice fanboy editions (i call the first two, "endless pain" and "pleasure to kill", my own). whereas first pressings of those are pretty much steadily available through second hand market places for reasonable prices, most pressings for the nineties albums of kreator are rare and highly sought after. therefore i was all in for those four re-releases.

i start chronological with "coma of souls" from 1990. it is the band's fifth studio album and the first one with frank blackfire of sodom fame as new guitarist. kreator still played that full-on thrash which is distinctive for this ruhrpott combo. new to the sound were the slower parts here and there and the more complex riffing of petrozza and blackfire. an all around great record of kreator and one of their best selling.

"coma of souls" also enabled them to their first u.s. headlining tour together with suicidal tendencies. but now to this lovely re-issue here. noise/bmg came up with a lovely triple lp release with loads of added value. great liner-notes by petrozza in the inner gatefold, lyrics explanations on the printed dust sleeves, a vivid live gig in fürth, germany from 1990 spread over two bonus discs and all vinyl on a nice clear red. top notch! noise records. 1990/2018.

helloween - keeper of the seven keys pt. I

before i bought this record of helloween i heard zero music of the band. the name was prominent of course, because helloween is a big name in the power metal scene but to be honest, that kind of metal was never my favourite. i mean, i do enjoy my regular dosage of iron maiden but in my perspective this something different. maiden plays in their very own league above the rest.

so what made me buy this record in the first place? well, it was a mixture of eighties colour vinyl and the cheap availability. i came across this auction on ebay and thought if i could get this for a steal, why the hell not? in the end i won this for something like fifteen bucks. this was approximately a tenner under the usual discogs going rate. so it is not that rare or sought after but i am happy with the purchase nevertheless.

originally the blue copies came with a poster of the "pumpkins fly free" tour in 1988. mine is missing that poster which probably explains the low price. anyway, i am not too keen on getting the poster. the nice blue vinyl will do. musically i think this is pretty entertaining power metal. i like the record from start to finish and i see why this was one of their best selling records and gave way to the band's first u.s. tour.

"keeper of the seven keys" was actually planned as a double album. unfortunately the label thought this would lead to the diminishing in sales and that is why helloween split up the album in part one and part two. i really like the artwork, adds a mystical touch to the record. the album was actually released in 1987 and my copy is part of a re-press from a year later. noise records. 1987/1988.

kreator - pleasure to kill re-mastered

the second album i got from the re-mastered series of the classic kreator records was "pleasure to kill". the young band released their second full length in 1986, just one year after "endless pain". after thirty two years of its initial release, the resurrected noise records gave the album a worthy re-press. among the four re-issued first full lengths of kreator, original copies of "pleasure to kill" seem to sell for higher prices than the other three. maybe because of the impact the record had on the german thrash scene. therefore i am happy to call this new edition my own.

i mean, i didn't pay for it because it was a present but a lot of thought and care went into this edition. the best thing are the extended liner notes by vocalist and guitarist mille petrozza. the interested reader learns about the recording process, the realtion ship to the label boss karl walterbach, how the album title came to be or how the cover artwork was chosen. love these extra informations, a great way to dive headfirst into the complexity of the record.

the gatefold sleeve and the printed dust sleeves are graced with loads of old photos, concert tickets, old reviews, merchandise from back in the day and vinyl centre labels. another great gimmick is the second disc which comes with the u.s. version of the "flag of hate" e.p. (got that already, though). so all in all this a fantastic fanboy release. again i could have done without the "re-mastered" logo on the cover, though. anyway, i am really looking forward to the continuation of the series with kreator's nineties records. noise records. 2017.

kreator - endless pain re-mastered

universal music is one of the three major music labels worldwide. of course, those billion dollar companies participate on trends when there is business to make. nowadays vinyl is a business again. independent labels started the hype when digital music peaked. they offered something physical and collectible, something with more soul than a click with your right finger. now the big labels cash in on the rising demand. so does universal.

noise records, a label with a rich history in european and especially german heavy music, became part of sanctuary records (the british label that first signed iron maiden) in 2001 which itself became part of universal in 2007. noise records was already shut down at some point along the way but now with fans craving for re-issues of long sold out gems, universal revived noise records and started to give the masses what they want.

i wasn't sure if i wanted those re-issues of the first kreator records recently released by noise. i am not too much a fan of kreator's early stuff and the originals are still readily available for reasonable prices on a second hand basis. when i was searching for some stuff to put on the christmas wishlist, i stumbled upon these new re-issues and thought, why the hell not. when i unwrapped "endless pain", which was originally released in 1985, i felt some excitement creeping up because of the lovely presentation.

musically "endless pain" still won't enter high ranks in my personal kreator charts but it is very cool to hear where the guys came from. the gatefold is printed on matte cardboard and comes with fantastic liner notes by singer mille petrozza. i love to read along the early history of the band while listening to the record. the second disc comes with the full demos "blitzkrieg" and "end of the world". great package. the only little downer is the "re-mastered" logo on the front cover. otherwise a real little treasure. noise records. 2017.

kreator - flag of hate (u.s. edition)

three weeks ago i visited one of the nicest flea markets in my area. it took place in three old warehouses in a village a thirty minutes drive away. my mother in law told me about it and that there was a seller with over a few hundred used records. sounded good and when i was entering the hall and saw the stall with the vinyl, i rubbed my hands in gleeful anticipation. i waved kid and wife goodbye for the next hour and began flicking through the racks. next to some nice electric light orchestra and simon and garfunkel records, i came across a familiar looking band logo.

at such flea markets i usually pursue my passion for seventies and eighties pop and prog rock vinyl so i wasn't expecting any metal records here. the more i was surprised to find an early kreator record. as i am not familiar with the band's early stuff, i didn't really know what i was holding in hands here. i bought six records all together for twenty five bucks, so four euros and something per record. good deal. back home i searched discogs for some pressing information.

the e.p. was released in 1986 after their second full length "pleasure to kill" of the same year. it was actually produced to promote their tour with destruction and rage. the german version on noise records comes with the re-recorded song "flag of hate", which was already on the debut "endless pain", and two exclusive songs. i have the u.s. version on combat which is expanded by three additional track also taken from the first full length. the vinyl is in pristine condition, whereas the cover sleeve had seen better days. but for this price i won't complain. noise records. combat records. 1986.