Throughout the year, I've been looking back at some of the best thrash metal albums of 1986 -- the year thrash hit its zenith in popularity and creativity. When possible, I've tried to interview band members, producers and others associated with the original albums. I've also tried to time the blog posts to coincide with the 25th anniversary of each album's release, although accurate release dates from 25 years ago can be hard to come by.
For the final installment in this series, I'll be looking back at a pair of releases by the seminal German thrash band Kreator. The band's sophomore full-length, Pleasure to Kill, was released in November 1986 and the three-song EP, Flag of Hate, followed in December. I was unable to nail down an interview with a band member, but I didn't want to post the last part of this series without an interview, so I reached out to author/publisher/radio host/metal expert Ian Christe, who was kind enough to agree to a Q&A about Kreator and the 1986 thrash explosion in general.
At the time of its release, Pleasure to Kill represented a monumental step forward for Kreator as a band and the German thrash scene as a whole. The band's 1985 debut, Endless Pain, was a comparatively forgettable effort and did little to foreshadow Kreator's eventual rise to the top of the German thrash scene. Pleasure to Kill immediately established Kreator as a force to be reckoned with. Songs like "Riot of Violence" and the title track created a template for Kreator's run of excellence over the next few years and remain staples in the band's live set to this day.
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