FROM THE CRYPTS - CELEBRATING PAST ALBUM RELEASES in the HISTORY of HARD ROCK & HEAVY METAL…
32 years ago today, Kreator released one of my favorite albums from their catalog… oh, and f*ck the critics! - E.N. Wells
On November 6, 1990, Kreator released their fifth full-length studio album Coma of Souls via Noise/Epic Records.
It was reissued in 2002, with the lyrics for the last four songs missing from the booklet. Coma of Souls was Kreator's first release with guitarist Frank "Blackfire" Gosdzik (then-formerly of Sodom), and would be the last album before the band began experimenting with influences from other musical genres. It also would be the last record issued in the United States by Epic Records.
Background:
As already stated, in 1990, with new guitarist Frank "Blackfire" Gosdzik, the band released their fifth studio album Coma of Souls, again produced by famed producer Randy Burns (who had produced the bands previous release, Extreme Aggression). The album was not quite as praised as the band's previous few albums (many felt the album was "rushed" and repetitive), but still managed to sell and maintain popularity quite well, with the singles When the Sun Burns Red and People of the Lie becoming hits.
Coma of Souls was also released in the United States as a limited edition in purple vinyl.
Although the album's lyrics contain no profanity, original copies of Coma of Souls had a Parental Advisory label on the cover. Subsequent pressings of the album do not carry the Parental Advisory label.
In March 2018, German record label Noise released a remastered edition of the album and made it available on CD and vinyl. The release contains a live performance of Kreator at Stadthalle Fürth, Germany on December 6, 1990, and liner notes.
Critical Reception:
Billboard in their favorable review compared the songwriting of Kreator with that of Metallica and Nuclear Assault and noted lyrical topics:
"Songs targeting environmental crisis, war-mongering, and renascent Nazism in band's native land... Ecodisaster number When The Sun Burns Red is excellent first course."
In a review for AllMusic, Loudwire’s Eduardo Rivadavia wrote;
“Although they remained largely without peer when it came to pure Germanic thrash metal, by the time of 1990's Coma of Souls, Kreator's very successful formula had begun to grow a little tired. The fact that they were coming off perhaps their biggest album yet in 1989's Extreme Aggression didn't help matters, and despite its overwhelmingly solid songwriting, Coma of Souls still sounded somewhat repetitive to all but the most unquestioning of fans. Still, better too much of a good thing than nothing at all, and with their head-spinning musicianship and well-chosen stabs at melody, complex moshers like When the Sun Burns Red, Angels of Brutality,"and the title song are guaranteed to thrill lovers of technically proficient thrash. Two tracks in particular stand out of the pack, namely the outstanding People of the Lie, whose chorus is almost too groovy and memorable to be called thrash metal, and the expertly executed Terror Zone, with its unnaturally measured pace and a melodic intro to die for. Also of note, the band hardly skips a beat with the arrival of former Sodom guitarist Frank "Blackfire" Gosdzik, who establishes an instant chemistry with vocalist and fellow six-stringer Mille Petrozza from the start, as they proceed to exchange lead after stinging lead like machine-gun fire.”
Note: The reviews shared here are for historical reference. The views and opinions expressed within are not always supported (in full or in part) by Into the Wells. — E.N. Wells
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