We started off with a look at The Least Worst Of, released during Type-O Negative’s darkest hour. It was a jumbled record, but at the same time it captured the essence of their time in the 90s. Today’s compilation presents another look at the land known as Germany, and a delicious offering of metal from one of the most thrashiest bands to have ever come from the Teutonic land. I speak of course, Kreator!
Yes, Kreator. I briefly touched on this member of the Teutonic 4 of Thrash Metal when I mentioned Endorama in my 5 Thrash Albums You Should Own post, and now I’m actually devoting some time to this band. However, since this is Compilation Month, I couldn’t start with something from their main discography. That would be a cheap move, and I do the best I can to not be cheap here on the Heavy Metal Otaku blog. Luckily, Kreator put out some compilation records, and the first one I came across became a candidate for this month’s theme. So sit back, relax, and enjoy my look at Voices of Transgression: A 90s Retrospective. Let the review begin!
Background
I had a difficult time searching for information about this compilation. Apart from some snipits on wikipedia & other sites, I really can’t tell you anything about this album. This is one of the few times that the music will tell you what’s going on more than any website. Hell, even Kreator’s own site doesn’t have a sliver of info!
Basic Description
Fun but flawed.
Let me make one thing perfectly clear: Voices of Transgression is not a full view of Kreator’s career in the 90s. Due to certain issues (More on this later), the band were unable to select a wide berth of their 90s material, creating a slanted album in the process. However, what was able to get on here is damn good! The band was at their most experimental in the 90s, and while some didn’t like what they were doing, there are plenty of people (Including myself) that like what they did. I’ve always been a fan of Gothic & Industrial Metal, and while I was surprised when I first heard Kreator performing these styles, like I said in my 5 Thrash Albums You Should Own post I put up last year when talking about Endorama, I thought it was a welcoming change.
Best Track
Best Track? Bit of a tie between the opener of their cover of the Sisters of Mercy’s classic hit Lucretia (My Reflection), and their original piece As We Watch the West. The cover is a damn fine complement to the original song, only Kreator really vamps up the industrial side of things, and makes the gothic component more supplementary. The band has a driving beat just as good as what the Sisters of Mercy did, and Mille Petrozza’s vocals is similar to Andrew Eldritch’s. As We Watch the West might be familiar to those that live in the land of the rising sun, or who are collectors of rarer albums, as it was the Japanese bonus track for Outlast. The song is actually rather subdued, as the instrumentation goes for a slower pace (Even when the guitars & drums ramp up about halfway through for a short time), and the vocal work from Mille comes across as whisper-like for the most part. It might come across as weak to some, but it’s actually one of Kreator’s most emotional tracks in their entire library of songs.
Lucretia (My Reflection)
As We Watch the West
Worst Track
Like I said earlier, Voices of Transgression is only a partial look at Kreator’s career in the 90s. To be more specific, this compilation only covers Cause for Conflict, Outcast, and Endorama. There is absolutely nothing from their starting 90s album (Coma Of Souls), and there’s only the title track from their 1992 record (Renewal). As to why Voices of Transgression has a more limited view, I was barely able to find anything, apart from a brief mention of licensing restrictions on a quick review over on allmusic (I’ll put a link to the review below).
The 2nd fault with Voices of Transgression is the organization. Like my review for The Least Worst Of 2 weeks ago, I cited the fact that the songs were organized in a haphazard manner, and things are no different here. In this compilation’s defense, the tracks are organized a little more accurately than the previously mentioned, and thus the 90s timeline is portrayed more solidly than The Least Worst Of.
The final fault of Voices of Transgression is availability. Tracking down a copy of this can be rather tricky, especially if you’re looking for a new CD. I was able to acquire my copy of Voices of Transgression on Amazon, but it was a used record. Pricing for new copies is a bit on the outrageous side, but (for the most part) used CDs have relatively decent starting prices. If I’m remembering right, mine was only about 6 to 7 something dollars excluding tax. Pretty good, if you ask me!
Other
If you’re curious about this compilation, check out the link below:
Voices of Transgression: A 90s Retrospective (Full Album)
Overall Impression & Rating
Voices of Transgression is not perfect. Not by a long shot. It’s limited selection makes the “90s Retrospective” part of the compilation seem like a partial lie. That being said, what is on here is fantastic, and at least partially captures the spirit of Kreator’s run in the 90s. The songs that weren’t from prior albums add a little extra flavor to what’s already offered, and thus makes for a fun listening experience.
Voices of Transgression gets a 7.5 out of 10.
So that was part 2 of Compilation Month, covering material from another of the Teutonic 4 of Thrash.....when they weren’t necessarily Thrash. Still, if you like Kreator more on the goth & industrial side of things, this might be the compilation for you. So, I got an Easter themed overview in the works, and I’ll be picking out the last compilation album to conclude the month. See you soon!
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Here’s a link to the allmusic review:
Voices of Transgression (Allmusic Review)
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