Hordes of Chaos (album)
Occupation
- Vocal / Guitar: Mille Petrozza
- Guitar: Sami Yli- Sirniö
- Bass: Christian Giesler
- Drums: Jürgen Reil
Hordes of Chaos is the twelfth studio album by the German thrash metal band Kreator. It was released January 16, 2009 via SPV. The album reached number 16 on the German album charts. For the first time the band made the jump into the U.S. album charts.
Formation
Even after the release of the previous album Enemy of God, the singer and guitarist Mille Petrozza began work on a new album. The first completed song was the title track " Hordes of Chaos ". After Petrozza had completed the first four songs, he took in Wuppertal together with Tim Schuldt, the Petrozza had met during the production of an album of the band The Spook, a demo. Schuldt produced the demo and it programmed the drum machine. The song writing process took place over a longer period, as the band embarked on numerous tours and festival appearances. "At the Pulse of surrender - Live in East Berlin 1990 " In addition, the work on the published in 2008 DVD took longer than planned to complete.
After Petrozzas statement, the new songs for the album in construction are relatively atypical for Kreator, because the music in the text -oriented and not vice versa. All lyrics and music were written by Mille Petrozza. The second guitarist Sami Yli- Sirniö took some arrangements and wrote the vocal line of the song " Run Amok ". The first rehearsals for the new material took place until the spring of 2008. A total of twelve songs were written, of which only ten were recorded for the album. This was due to the lyrics of the songs, the " total nonsense " were loud Petrozza. Among the ten songs of the album is with " Corpses of Liberty " an instrumental.
As producers, selected the band Moses Schneider, as Tocotronic and Beatsteaks made itself as a producer of alternative rock bands a name. According Petrozza Schneider is currently " the best man there is currently for analog recordings". For Schneider, it was the first collaboration with a metal band. To impartially address the production Schneider was not aware of previously made familiar with the music of Kreator. The recordings took place in the Berlin tritone studios. Schneider built before the recording microphone is the largest in the world, which he "Smoke Head " (English: Rauchkopf ) called.
"Normally, you simply put microphones directly to the amplifier or to the drum. But we also wanted to record what takes place one meter behind it. That is why we have the band set up in a circle, so that there is as it were a focal point. In the middle there is the loudest, and since the Smokehead had to stand. "
For the first time since the album " Pleasure to Kill " (published in 1986), the band re- recorded an album under live conditions. In this case, each song was played up to ten times and recorded with an analog tape machine. Finally, the best takes for the album were used. On modern recording techniques such as Pro Tools has been deliberately omitted. Only the vocals and the solos were added later.
In addition to the ten songs of the album, the band took another cover versions of the songs "You Are (The Government) " by Bad Religion and " All Against All " from the band Slime on. In the latter song Kreator were supported by the musicians Thorsten Schmidt nail of Muff Potter, and of Thees Uhlmann ( Tomte ). During the recording of a "making -of " video was filmed under the direction of the Berlin filmmaker Stephanie von Beauvais.
For the title track, the band turned in Berlin on November 2, 2008, a music video. It was directed by Joern Heitmann here. For the two video versions were cut. Hordes of Chaos was mixed by Colin Richardson in London Miloco Studios. Mastering done by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound Studio in New York City. The album cover designed Joachim Luetke, who has created the artwork for Enemy of God and has worked for bands like Dimmu Borgir, Arch Enemy and Rage.
Background
The album title Hordes of Chaos loud Petrozza describes the state of the world in 2008, in which the album was written.
" Hordes of Chaos is a realistic reflection of our times, in which there is no longer the old blocs in the East and West. Today is fighting politically considered against each. It is chaos. Our album is a warning to future generations. Do not be kidding by the lies of your governments, but seeks his own path in life. That is the basic message. "
In "Amok Run " is about an American who first leaves a farewell letter to YouTube and then runs amok. The text for this song includes some sentences of the gunman. The song " Destroy What Destroys You" refers to the clay -stone shards song " Destroy what destroys you ." At times, was "Destroy What Destroys You" as an album title in conversation. The lyrics to " Absolute Misanthropy " is influenced by Gaspar Noé - movie " Misanthrope ". "To the After- Born" is inspired by the " Threepenny Opera" by Bertolt Brecht, while " Radical Resistance " is about the riots in the Parisian suburbs. Further included in the lyrics quotes from artists such as REM, Rio Reiser and Tocotronic.
Versions
In addition to the regular CD, there is a limited version, which is accompanied by a DVD. The DVD includes a making-of video, live recordings of the songs "Awakening of the Gods " and " Coma of Souls " (both recorded during the Summer Breeze Festival 2006) and the music video for the title song. Due to a technical error, the two recorded at the Summer Breeze videos are not playable. Kreators record company SPV presented two videos then available for free download on their homepage.
Reception
Hordes of Chaos was rated by the press with excellent reviews, although there were also some negative votes.
The German magazine Rock Hard and Metal Hammer voted Hordes of Chaos "Album of the Month". The Rock-Hard -author Andreas Sky Stone praised the album as " near-perfect blend of playful claim with waiver of exaggerated self-presentation " and awarded 9.5 out of 10 possible points. According Anzo Sadoni from Metal Hammer brings the album " all the trademarks that distinguish the troops and make them so popular with the fans in Germany and around the world." Sadoni gave the album six out of seven possible points. In Powermetal.de the album received 9 out of 10 points, editor Peter Kubasch justified his judgment "Metal in its purest form ", etc. with the guitar work of Sami Yli- Sirniö as well as the fact that the album " equally a return to the old virtues, as a step into the future " is. The Kreator for traditionally typical message " anger, resistance, rousing " 've found through the largest experiment of the genre foreign producers a sound that is " transported perfect " this.
In contrast, Hordes of Chaos, according Metal.de Leaders Eckart a " flawless thrash metal album, which is advised but somewhat obscure in some moment and not in the same league of the previous albums ." He gave the album seven out of ten possible points. Even Mark Grunow from the online magazine Metalnews.de was less thrilled with 4.5 out of seven points. He complained in his review that the album " was recorded to good ", no catchy and includes general would be too short.
The album reached number 16 and number 33 of the German Austrian album charts. In the U.S., the album sold in the first week, about 2,800 times and was ranked 165 in the local album charts.