Kreator - Coma Of Souls

This, in my opinion, is Kreator’s magnum opus. An album where they were at the peak of their talents and before their period of experimentation. This album combines Kreator’s death-defying speed and aggression with progressive and melodic elements, which were hinted at in Extreme Aggression. The opener ‘When The Sun Burns Red’ begins quietly with some eerie acoustics and a melodious lick. The song then kicks you in the teeth and thrashes like Kreator usually does. The lyrics, strangely enough, are about the effects of global warming and are snarled out by vocalist/guitarist Mille Petrozza in his unique style. The album moves on with the title track which features some seriously catchy riffing and more venomous vocals. The next song ‘People Of The Lie’ is perhaps the most popular song from the album and with good reason. Even though the instruments slow to a mid-tempo thrasher, the vocals about Nazis are possibly the best and most catchiest vocals of any metal song. The next two songs ‘World Beyond’ and ‘Terror Zone’ are both great, but the next highlight of the album is ‘Agents Of Brutality’. Starting with a strange fade-in, this is a very progressive song which mixes crushingly heavy slow parts with warp-speed fast riffs and brutal vocals. It also features one of the most memorable solos I have ever heard, halfway through the song. The rest of the songs are terrific thrashers, especially ‘Hidden Dictator’ with it’s groovy bass intro, but they don’t stand up to the earlier songs on the album.

The talents of Mille Petrozza are endless it seems, with his amazing vocals and songwriting skills. The album is also boosted by the fact that Frank Gosdzik (formerly of Sodom) lends his immense skills. Jurgen Reil may not be a blast-beating beast, but he is definitely one of the best drummers in thrash. Rob Fioretti plays his bass just as fast as the guitar team and adds the heaviness to sound of the album.

The production is amazing for it’s time and the band are well ahead of their time. While Coma Of Souls can’t beat Pleasure To Kill in terms of it’s sheer violence, this album is unrivalled for the tightness and precision of the band’s music and remains unbeaten till this day.


  1. When The Surn Burns Red

  2. Coma Of Souls

  3. People Of The Lie

  4. World Beyond

  5. Terror Zone

  6. Agents Of Brutality

  7. Material World Paranoia

  8. Twisted Urges

  9. Hidden Dictator

  10. Mental Slavery

Noise Records
Reviewer: Luke Quinn
Oct 30, 2009

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