APRIL 24th 2026
KREATOR
Review by:Dmitry Sukhinin
Photos By: Polina Kulikovskikh
Full Gallery:
http://www.metaltitans.com/concertpics/kreator/
Year 2000, I’m preparing for my university studies. Some dude gives me a tape to check out. It has a cool name “Carcass”. It is a bootleg of “Wake up and smell the Carcass”. Edge of Darkness starts, and from that moment I am their fan. Unfortunately, the band has split up, and seems like I will never see them..
But then something - you know what - happens.
When Carcass comes to your town, you drop everything to be there. This is my third time - they warmed up for Amon Amarth in Oslo, then it was 2024 Brutal Assault and today they are part of the Kreator world tour.
Never, never take it for granted that the band you like is alive and active.
It is a cool and a bit strange package, with four very good bands on the list.
Nails start with a very strange hardcore intro playback. HM2 and a Darkglass bass clanks - very cool, but the guitar is completely inaudible in the mix. There are very few who have managed to win the HM2 sound (one of them is Hypocrisy who use it gently as a blend. Never set it on full if you want people to hear the notes).
Nails is a very pleasant blast groove - with grindcore dominating the setlist. I really enjoyed it.
I thought that Exodus would be the biggest band, but here they are. We Will Rock You intro is a nice choice. Exodus start with very fast songs, and I note that it is not too tight. The changeover was quite fast, so the sound that is not perfect is also understandable. It is a setlist that won’t make you a fan if you haven’t been their fan from before, but definitely not bad either.
The vocals resemble Destruction and it is nice that they are not too high in the mix.
Gary Holt and Lee Altus have very cool solos, and I personally prefer Lee Altus’s sound. Today Holt rushes the rhythm parts and the band plays way ahead of the drums, sorry for nitpicking. I am recalling some latest interviews, and sorry, but Metallica are tighter, Exodus play past each other.
The second part of the show has slower songs and they sound better, it is still very energetic. Jack Gibson has a very cool bass sound and Tom Hunting sounds very big.
It is the vocals that have always prevented me from getting into the band. Rob Dukes entertains the audience with vocal notes and they do not sound firm.. A Lesson in Violence, the very end, and Lee gives his guitar to some dude who jumped onstage. Every band member is having a great time. Sentrum Scene has some sound jump on the last song for half a second. Holt quotes Slayer and then the last song - Lee summons some kid from the audience to give his guitar again. Exodus are great guys and I need to see them again in a less stressful environment when they have more time.
Carcass, the mighty, the one and the only. They have their biggest setting to date. 5150 amps, real tube, not the modellers. Carcass have a much better sound, though, initially the vocals are a bit down, and traditionally there is almost no bass due heavy use of distortion. It is once again Waltteri Väyrynen from Opeth filling in on drums, and he absolutely kills it. Incarnated Solvent Abuse starts, and, damn, it is the best band on the planet.
There are 0 breaks between the songs. No blah-blah. This is what I really love. No Love Lost, then intro to Tomorrow Belongs to Nobody turning into Death Certificate.
Walker turning bass amp louder? Nah, just taking a sip mid-song. Dance of Ixtab - there is some cowbell guy helping with the percussion. Exhume to Consume with Bill Steer on vocals - Bill should do MORE vocals live.
The guitar sound is wonderful, just 10 songs, but such a great set. 4 songs from Heartwork, I wish more Symphonies and Necroticism.
We need more.
Epson next. Wait, no. It is Kreator, but the curtain is currently showing the Epson logo.
Kreator have made a lot of golden records, but to me there have been way too many fillers. What is good for them, they have found a formula - largely inspired by Iron Maiden. Good riff, then strangely glued melodic part and a big chorus. Mascots on stage to please their 5 year old Iron Maiden fans.
Run To The Hills intro engages everyone to sing before the projectors from the stage insights show shadows of the three string musicians, and then falling curtain reveals a big stage with a drum kit tower.
Kreator have made a good bet on the show, and I give them kudos for that. I figured out in 2017 they are bigger than one may think. So it is always a show with fires, steam, smoke, confetti and lights!
Serpent Songs has a strange abrupt end, then comes Hail to Hordes and the third one is finally not a filler, Enemy of God. Retro 80th smoke machine big stage like from posh music videos from the 70th and 80th, and confetti!
I am very happy they made it so big!
The sound is a bit more polished with far less prominent guitars and bass, but big drum toms. Somehow it feels a bit routine. 2 mascots appear with torches and the look is quite stupid, but it is better than just silence.
A lot of signature parts with triplet kicks and the Waltari guitar player Sami Yli-Sirniö is soloing, but due to the huge amount of songs to choose from, the audience does not seem to be too hooked or engaged. People Of The Lie is a show highlight for me. What I appreciate a lot though is that Kreator do not live in their past. They do play new stuff unlike the big bands that only play back catalogue.
All the Oslo music scene is here in the audience as it seems - half of the people are familiar faces from Cadaver, Dimmu Borgir, Beaten to Death, Trollfest, Mayhem, Borknagar, you name it, even Eicca from Apocalyptica is here.
Best bass sound: Nails, best guitar sound - Carcass, best drums - I would also say Carcass, best stage - clearly Kreator.
A precious combo of bands today. Feels like a very good small festival.