Kreator
Copenhell - 2025
Text: Tobias Nilsson Photo: Lunah Lauridsen
The Kreator has returned, for the third time, no less! Yes, German thrash masters Kreator was back at Copenhell for their Demonic Summer tour, and we were happy to receive them.
By the sound of it, they liked it as well!
“It’s amazing to be back, and it’s great to see all of you here tonight!”
- Miland ‘Mille’ Petrozza (vocals/guitar)
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. You see, in the beginning, there was the curtain. A big old curtain covering the front of Helvíti. Out of the speakers came Run To The Hills by Iron Maiden. A perfect track to get the old school fans riled up. After this, a more personal touch with The Patriarch, which of course led to curtain drop and Violent Revolution. That’s a power move from the band right there, setting the stage perfectly for what was to come.
While we’re at it, the stage was set in more ways than one, one definitely being the striking and macabre decorations the band brought along with flayed, impaled, and hung bodies wherever you turned your eyes. No one was escaping the brutality that was dished out, no one was even allowed to entertain the idea that it was possible!
The band played on though, and through a short Coma Of Souls intro, we were thrust right into another one of the big hits of the band’s second coming in the thrash genre - I’m of course speaking of 2005’s Enemy Of God. Through a long set, we were treated to one hit after the other with an impressive spread through the band’s career. Well, except for their 90ies of course, which still only see Phobia, and now a very short snippet of Coma Of Souls. Then again, there was time for 13 songs, and the band’s released 15 full-length albums to date, with a new one around the corner, so something had to go, I suppose.
What we did get was a storm of tried and true thrash anthems, most of which have a highly sing-along inviting chorus for the hordes of chaos in front of the stage. A perfect festival set, in other words.
And the hordes did like the show, no doubt about that! The evening’s first wall of death broke out already in the aforementioned Coma Of Souls intro to Enemy Of God, and from there it only kept building. The air was thick with the dust kicked up by the wild mosh, cut through by the many crowdsurfers going by all the time. For Phantom Antichrist, jumping was asked for, and jumping was exactly what the crowd did. An even bigger wall of death was set in motion for Hordes Of Chaos (A Necrologue For The Elite), after which the crowdsurfers returned with renewed strength! There was even a person who threw their shirt up on stage, to which Petrozza answered smilingly; “Oh, Pantera! Thank you! I can always use more shirts!”
Flag Of Hate had a huge shout along of course, and when we reached the end of the gig with Pleasure To Kill, the band didn’t even need to ask for a wall of death - it just happened anyway!
Besides the violent music and the strong performance by the band, Kreator was delivering all they could for a well rounded show. Thus they filled the air with smoke, fire, confetti, more fire, and even more confetti! Nothing was left to chance, and nothing was lost on the audience - this was sensory overload in the best of ways!
Setlist:
Run To The Hills (Iron Maiden song)
The Patriarch
Violent Revolution
Enemy Of God (w. Coma Of Souls snippet)
Hail To The Hordes
Betrayer
People Of The Lie
Sergio Corbucci Is Dead
Hate Über Alles
666 - World Divided
Hordes Of Chaos (A Necrologue For The Elite)
Phobia
Mars Mantra
Phantom Antichrist
Satan Is Real
Flag Of Hate
Pleasure To Kill
By the sound of it, they liked it as well!
“It’s amazing to be back, and it’s great to see all of you here tonight!”
- Miland ‘Mille’ Petrozza (vocals/guitar)
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. You see, in the beginning, there was the curtain. A big old curtain covering the front of Helvíti. Out of the speakers came Run To The Hills by Iron Maiden. A perfect track to get the old school fans riled up. After this, a more personal touch with The Patriarch, which of course led to curtain drop and Violent Revolution. That’s a power move from the band right there, setting the stage perfectly for what was to come.
While we’re at it, the stage was set in more ways than one, one definitely being the striking and macabre decorations the band brought along with flayed, impaled, and hung bodies wherever you turned your eyes. No one was escaping the brutality that was dished out, no one was even allowed to entertain the idea that it was possible!
The band played on though, and through a short Coma Of Souls intro, we were thrust right into another one of the big hits of the band’s second coming in the thrash genre - I’m of course speaking of 2005’s Enemy Of God. Through a long set, we were treated to one hit after the other with an impressive spread through the band’s career. Well, except for their 90ies of course, which still only see Phobia, and now a very short snippet of Coma Of Souls. Then again, there was time for 13 songs, and the band’s released 15 full-length albums to date, with a new one around the corner, so something had to go, I suppose.
What we did get was a storm of tried and true thrash anthems, most of which have a highly sing-along inviting chorus for the hordes of chaos in front of the stage. A perfect festival set, in other words.
And the hordes did like the show, no doubt about that! The evening’s first wall of death broke out already in the aforementioned Coma Of Souls intro to Enemy Of God, and from there it only kept building. The air was thick with the dust kicked up by the wild mosh, cut through by the many crowdsurfers going by all the time. For Phantom Antichrist, jumping was asked for, and jumping was exactly what the crowd did. An even bigger wall of death was set in motion for Hordes Of Chaos (A Necrologue For The Elite), after which the crowdsurfers returned with renewed strength! There was even a person who threw their shirt up on stage, to which Petrozza answered smilingly; “Oh, Pantera! Thank you! I can always use more shirts!”
Flag Of Hate had a huge shout along of course, and when we reached the end of the gig with Pleasure To Kill, the band didn’t even need to ask for a wall of death - it just happened anyway!
Besides the violent music and the strong performance by the band, Kreator was delivering all they could for a well rounded show. Thus they filled the air with smoke, fire, confetti, more fire, and even more confetti! Nothing was left to chance, and nothing was lost on the audience - this was sensory overload in the best of ways!
Setlist:
Run To The Hills (Iron Maiden song)
The Patriarch
Violent Revolution
Enemy Of God (w. Coma Of Souls snippet)
Hail To The Hordes
Betrayer
People Of The Lie
Sergio Corbucci Is Dead
Hate Über Alles
666 - World Divided
Hordes Of Chaos (A Necrologue For The Elite)
Phobia
Mars Mantra
Phantom Antichrist
Satan Is Real
Flag Of Hate
Pleasure To Kill
Kreator
