Kreator

Endorama (Pavement)
by Scott Hefflon

As much as I use Kreator as a reference point, I’m always surprised by how little I like any of their records released in the ’90s. While my crusty cronies insist anything after ’86’s Pleasure to Kill is melodic sell-out (I think it’s cuz the drummer actually learned how to stay with the rest of the band), I’ll easily name Terrible Certainty as one of my faves of all time, right up there with Slayer’s Reign in Blood. Some’d include the major label debut, Extreme Aggression, but I think that’s mostly because Epic sent a bigger boat back to pick up the stragglers. But no one in their right mind’d consider Endorama (which I originally read as Endure-A-Rama, which is quite fitting) anything other than a mistake.

Perhaps that’s why they’re on Pavement, a label who hasn’t hit it right since, um… Jeez, they even lost Jag Panzer; what’s that tell you? Kreator’s made the same mistake Megadeth did, but without someone like Capitol’s money behind them, Kreator isn’t likely to do ignorable soundtrack ditties any time soon. Megadeth wishes they were Soundgarden (who broke up, so maybe I’ll agree), and Kreator wishes they were, um, I dunno, some rock band. Look, here’s a tip: if yer vocals always gravitate toward the snarl, get over it, yer metal. And unless you’re Metallica, crossing over to the mainstream just ain’t gonna happen for you. Metallica’s best song in years is a cover of Thin Lizzy’s cover of an old traditional drinking song. They finally get back to rock and really hit their stride, and it’s a fuckin’ cover. Seeing as I’ve heard some great covers of Kreator tunes (not by anyone very important, come to think of it), it’s really a shame to hear Kreator trying to write melodic, mid-tempo rock tunes, fail horribly, and continue to draw attention away from the fact that they were the German thrash pioneers. Hands down, they were the shit. And as much as I dislike telling bands they shouldn’t stretch their artistic little wings or whatever, at least they were good at thrash. I can go to any new band showcase or high school talent show and hear better shit than Endorama.
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