kreator_2009_02

» Kreator 2009 02 28

Reviewed by Thomas
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Special guest: Caliban, Eluveitie, Emergency Gate
City: Gothenburg, Sweden
Venue: Brew House
Date: 28 Feb. 2009
Kreator setlength: 95 min.
Caliban setlength: 45 min.
eluvitie setlength: 40 min.

Eluveitie

Unfortunately, I arrived a bit late so therefore I missed out on Emergency Gate so the Swiss band Eluveitie became my start for the evening. Sometimes you feel that you are in need of a concert, it doesn't matter what band just as long as it is metal. That was how I felt entering the Brew House so the start was of course awesome and I got in a good mood by their Celtic death metal.

As the performance went on my good mood decreased, as I found things to get disturbed by, mainly it was the fact that their guitarist was absent, I didn't manage to hear the reason, though. However, Eluveitie got help from Caliban and their guitar-tech to fill the spot, but despite that it didn't turn out too well as the original guitar was dearly missed and it became a band performing very far from tight this evening.

They do bring along some very cool instruments with them for playing death metal with flute, violin and "hurdy-gurdy"!? Cool elements to enrich their metal, but it came out badly as it was drenched in the sound of the other instruments and the otherwise fuzzy sound. Eluveitie was a decent start of the evening, but in a better environment under better circumstances I am certain they can perform much better and make a bigger impact than what they did this time.

3 chalices of 10

(sorry, no setlist)

Caliban

These Germans named their band after the wild and deformed slave in Shakespeare's The Tempest, and somehow I see the name fit rather well. I am not so fond of the kind of metal-core that Caliban produces and at times I find it to be unbearable since it is far too much of stop and start and aggressive screaming for vocals. I for one enjoy a harsh growler, but pitbull-screaming demands its music, and metal-core isn't it.

One has to be fair and say that even if Caliban doesn't fall under the category of bands that I like, they do have qualities and they are good at what they do. When they create a flow in the music every now and then it actually turns out good and this is something that I would like to see them develop further. Moreover, in the parts sung with clean vocals, Caliban takes another step in a healthy direction.

Safe to say, Caliban is not for me but nevertheless they did a far better job than Eluveitie warming up the crowd, so in that department I lift my hat to the mosh-pits created.

2 chalices of 10

(sorry, no setlist)

Kreator

Kreator is on tour in support of what might very well become the absolute best album of the year when it is time to sum up 2009. So this test of the new songs in a live-environment felt to be exciting when I was about to see if they were going to hold up live as well as they do on the album. After the opening title track of the new album, Hordes Of Chaos, I felt that this was going to be good, and when the next new track Warcurse followed, everything was all right so far.

A band like Kreator, that has so many years behind them, and also with so many great albums to chose songs from, would need something like a three-hour set to somewhat satisfy the expectations that is laid on them. They could probably make a proper and great set based on their three latest releases only. And also, even though they played four new songs, I did want more, and of course, some more older songs as well. Just about twenty more minutes in total would have done the trick for me.

All in all, Kreator put me in good mood this evening, and even if their performance wasn't perfect in any way, it didn't disappoint me. However, my expectations were actually set a bit higher than this. Songs like Enemy Of God and Extreme Aggression were expected highlights but they weren't the discharge I expected them to be. Better then, that the first song of the encore, Run Amok Run, one of my favourites of the new album, turned out awesome live.

Flag Of Hate, this is where you can judge how Kreator have experienced the evening and how pleased Mille is. He has an agitating speech to introduce the song, and depending on how fired up he is and for how long he does agitate the audience, the more happy you can assume he feels with the performance and also with the crowd. It appears to have been a pleasant evening for the band as well as for the audience that night. At least it was for me.

6 chalices of 10

SETLIST: (might be slightly inaccurate)

Hordes Of Chaos
Warcurse
Phobia
Voices Of The Dead
Extreme Aggression
Enemy Of God
Destroy What Destroys You
People Of The Lie
Coma Of Souls
Violent Revolution
Terrible Certainty
Pleasure To Kill
Betrayer
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Amok Run
Flag Of Hate/Tormentor