There's little doubt that the 1980's were the Golden Age of Heavy Metal. Since that era, many newer bands having been trying to reach the standard of excellence the forefathers of the 80's did. And for the most part, they have failed. But to be fair, many of those classic bands have also fallen far from their glory years (Metallica, anyone?).

That's what makes Kreator's "Violent Revolution" such an inspiring release. For on this record, one of the legendary 80's thrash bands not only recaptures the fires of their heyday, they actually managed to improve on their winning formula. This is an awesome release full of high speed aggression but also superb musicianship and clever musical ideas. It recalls almost all aspects of Kreator's past (excluding the muddy mayhem of their debut "Endless Pain") and merges them into a seamless whole. Mille Petrozza's vocals have returned to the raspy shouting of old (with rare exceptions) and the lead guitar work of both he and Sami Yli-Sirnio is faultless, conjuring up memorable melodies even in the midst of a raging thrash attack. Some tracks like "Replicas of Life" and "All of the Same Blood" are more musically advanced than anything Kreator has done before. They have not abandoned the experimental nature of their more recent releases, but they've sure combined it with the power and energy of classic efforts like "Coma of Souls" and "Extreme Aggression". The record starts strong and actually manages to pick up steam as it rolls along.

Metallica, Megadeth and even Slayer itself can learn a lot from this record. It's the best "comeback" album I've heard by an 80's stalwart and one of 2001's most powerful metal releases.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2001 Year Book Volume 2 at  garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2001-and-2002.