Outcast (album)

Outcast
Studio album by Kreator
Publication (s)	June 23, 1997
Label (s)	Gun Records
Format (s)	CD
Genre (s)	Thrash metal , heavy metal
Title (number)	13 (14 Japan version)
running time	47:18
occupation	Singing / guitar : Mille Petrozza Guitar: Tommy Vetterli Bass : Christian "Speedy" Giesler Drums : Jürgen "Ventor" Reil
production	Vincent Wojno, creator
Studio (s)	Principal Studios, Ottmarsbocholt , Münsterland
chronology Cause for Conflict (1995) Outcast Endorama (1999)

Outcast is the eighth studio album by the German thrash metal band Kreator . It was released on Gun Records in June 1997 . The returning drummer Jürgen “Ventor” Reil can be heard on it as well as the new guitarist Tommy Vetterli ( Coroner ). In parts it is much quieter than its predecessor and contains some mid-tempo pieces. In addition to positive reviews, the album also generated criticism.

Origin and style of music

After separating from guitarist Frank Blackfire , frontman Mille Petrozza brought Tommy Vetterli into the band, whom he had known for years from touring with Coroner. According to Petrozza, the collaboration with him went very well, as he had meticulously prepared with the recordings he had sent him to Switzerland and worked out his guitar parts in detail. In the end, it was no longer possible to work with Blackfire, and there was no longer any talk. In addition to Vetterli, drummer Ventor was brought back, who was also important for the band beyond playing the drums because he took care of the light show and other visual effects. The album was then recorded with producer Vincent Wojno in the Principal Studios in Münsterland. Although there were minor problems with the production team, Petrozza said he was satisfied with the recordings. The 72 available tracks were often exhausted and sometimes six or seven guitar tracks were superimposed.

Regarding the slower, more experimental approach to the album, Petrozza said:

“This time we tried to create a connection between the old material and more progressive things, maybe to take a more contemporary direction. Admittedly, the style change at Renewal was very, very stark. But it is like this: You can experiment a lot more at a reduced pace and develop a completely different dynamic within the songs than if you play fast all the time. "

- Mille Petrozza

reception

When the album was released in the summer of 1997, the chairman of the Kreator fan club was very critical of the album and, to the annoyance of Petrozza, called it the "worst in the band's history" in a metal magazine. Petrozza said he only heard a rough pre-mix. Although there were also skeptical voices from the critics - Eduardo Rivadavia of Allmusic, for example, described Outcast as "neither groundbreaking" "nor exciting" and awarded two and a half stars out of five - the album also received a number of positive reviews. Carsten Kleine from Rock Hard, for example, rated it nine out of ten points and wrote that Kreator had "hammered in one of the best albums of their career, if not the best." Vetterli's "first-class licks " received special mention. On the metal-observer.com site it is stated that tracks like the slow Black Sunrise are “no longer Thrash”. All in all a “super strong, varied, catchy and unusually dark album”. Here too, nine out of ten points were given. Alex Straka from Powermetal.de makes a recommendation and emphasizes the special mood of the record: "The music on Outcast seems to be painted gray, so little light is reflected in it." But the "old creators of the first hour" are not listening.

Track list

Chart positions Explanation of the data

Albums

Outcast   DE 91 07/07/1997 (1 week)

1. Leave This World Behind - 3:31
2. Phobia - 3:22
3. Forever - 2:51
4. Black Sunrise - 4:31
5. Nonconformist - 3:16
6. Enemy Unseen - 3:19
7. Outcast - 4:54
8. Stronger than Before - 3:17
9. Ruin of Life - 3:53
10. Whatever It May Take - 3:47
11. Alive Again - 3:47
12. Against the Rest - 2:38
13. A Better Tomorrow - 4:12
14. As We Watch the West ( Japan bonus piece)

All songs were written by Mille Petrozza and Kreator.

Individual evidence

1. ^ ^{A b} www.metal-observer.com: Outcast review by Patrick
2. ↑ ^{a b} www.allmusic.de: Review Outcast by Eduardo Rivadavia
3. ↑ ^{a b c} Carsten Kleine: Controlled Offensive , in: Rock Hard, No. 123
4. ↑ ^{a b} Matthias Breusch: The eighth dimension , in: Rock Hard, No. 121
5. ↑ rockhard.de: Outcast review by Carsten Kleine
6. ^ Powermetal.de: Outcast review by Alex Straka
7. ↑ Charts DE

Web links

• Outcast at Allmusic (English)
• Outcast at MusicBrainz