Pleasure to Kill

Pleasure to Kill is the second studio album by German thrash metal band Kreator, released in May 1986 by Noise Records. Pleasure to Kill is widely considered a thrash metal classic,[1][2][3][4] as well as a landmark album in the history of thrash metal along with Master of Puppets by Metallica, Peace Sells... but Who's Buying? by Megadeth, Reign in Blood by Slayer, Eternal Devastation by Destruction and Darkness Descends by Dark Angel, all released in 1986.[5] The album played a considerable role in the development of many extreme metal subgenres, and death metal bands such as Cannibal Corpse cite the album as an influence.[6][5][7] The lyrical themes follow those found on their first album Endless Pain, containing descriptions of macabre scenes of death and horror. Just like that album and Terrible Certainty, Kreator were a three-piece band during the recording of Pleasure to Kill; on some early pressings, guitarist Michael Wulf, who was briefly a member of Kreator, was erroneously credited as a band member in the liner notes.[1]

Pleasure to Kill
Studio album by
Kreator
ReleasedMay 1986 (1986-05)
Recorded1986
StudioMusiclab, Berlin, Germany
GenreThrash metal
Length38:42
LabelNoise
ProducerHarris Johns, Ralf Hubert
Kreator chronology
Flag of Hate
(1986)		 Pleasure to Kill
(1986)		 Terrible Certainty
(1987)

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[8]

Reception

AllMusic writer Jason Anderson gave the album a rating of four stars out of five, and wrote, "Many in the underground metal scene were already paying special attention to the German outfit's proto-death sound, but the cult status was shed after this critically and commercially successful second effort hit record-store shelves. As fierce and unyielding as the group's debut, Endless Pain, was, Pleasure to Kill provides double the sonic carnage and superior material."[8]

Commercial performance

Coinciding with the 2017 remastered issue, Pleasure to Kill charted for the first time 31 years after its release, and peaked at number 99 on the German Charts. The remastered edition of the band's 1989 album Extreme Aggression charted on the same day.[9]

Legacy and awards

Pleasure to Kill was ranked at number four on Loudwire's top ten list of "Thrash Albums NOT Released by the Big 4".[10]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Mille Petrozza, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)VocalsLength
1."Choir of the Damned" Instrumental1:39
2."Ripping Corpse" Petrozza3:36
3."Death is Your Saviour"Jürgen Reil, Petrozza, Roberto FiorettiReil3:58
4."Pleasure to Kill" Petrozza4:11
5."Riot of Violence"Reil, PetrozzaReil4:56
6."The Pestilence" Petrozza6:58
7."Carrion"Reil, Petrozza, FiorettiPetrozza4:48
8."Command of the Blade"Reil, PetrozzaReil3:57
9."Under the Guillotine" Petrozza4:38
2017 Rerelease: Flag of Hate EP bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
10."Flag of Hate"Reil, Petrozza, Fioretti3:56
11."Take Their Lives" 6:26
12."Awakening of the Gods" 7:32
After the Attack - 1987 vinyl edition
No.TitleLength
1."Choir of the Damned"1:39
2."Ripping Corpse"3:36
3."Death is Your Saviour"3:58
4."Pleasure to Kill"4:11
5."Riot of Violence"4:56
6."After the Attack" (bonus track)3:43
7."The Pestilence"6:58
8."Carrion"4:48
9."Command of the Blade"3:57
10."Under the Guillotine"4:38
Total length:42:24
1991 Japanese reissue edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
11."Flag of Hate" (taken from Flag of Hate EP)3:55
12."Take Their Lives" (taken from Flag of Hate EP)6:27
13."Awakening of the Gods" (taken from Flag of Hate EP)7:30
14."Endless Pain" (taken from Endless Pain)3:22
15."Tormentor" (taken from Endless Pain)2:52
16."Total Death" (taken from Endless Pain)3:26
Total length:66:13

Personnel

Kreator

Technical personnel
  • Fred Baumgart – photography
  • Ralf Hubert – producer
  • Harris Johns – producer, engineer
  • Kreator – photography
  • Phil Lawvere – cover artwork
  • Maren Layout – design
  • Mille Petrozza – remastering
  • Karl-Ulrich Walterbach – executive producer

2017 Rerelease
  • Thomas Ewerhard – art, design
  • Jan Meininghaus – art, design
  • Andy Pearce – mastering
  • Matt Wortham – mastering
  • Malcolm Dome – sleeve notes

Charts
Chart (2017) Peak
position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[11] 99

Trivia
  • Varg Vikernes of Burzum was wearing a shirt of the album after the killing of Øystein Aarseth because his clothes were bloody.[12]
  • In the German Netflix series Dark the song Pleasure to Kill is listened to by the character Ulrich Nielsen and cited multiple times by Egon Tiedemann.

References
  1. "32 Years Ago: Kreator Push Limits With 'Pleasure To Kill'". www.loudwire.com. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  2. Blackmore, Ken. "Review of Pleasure to Kill". Sorted Magazine. Retrieved March 26, 2007.
  3. "HailMetal.com's Top 50 Thrash Albums of All Time". HailMetal.com. 2006. Retrieved March 26, 2007.
  4. Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Kreator Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved March 26, 2007.
  5. "The History of Thrash Metal". Metal and Horror Movies. Archived from the original on April 28, 2007. Retrieved December 7, 2011.
  6. "CD Gallery - Kreator". No Life 'til Metal. Retrieved December 7, 2011.
  7. "Interview with Cannibal Corpse". Invisible Oranges. Archived from the original on July 3, 2007. Retrieved December 7, 2011.
  8. Anderson, Jason. "Pleasure to Kill - Kreator". Allmusic. Retrieved December 14, 2010.
  9. "Kreator > Longplay-Chartverfolgung" (in German). PhonoNet. Archived from the original on March 27, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  10. "Top 10 Thrash Albums NOT Released by the Big 4". Loudwire.com. October 8, 2015. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  11. "Offiziellecharts.de – Kreator – Pleasure to Kill" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  12. A Burzum Story: Part II - Euronymous Retrieved 8 April 2010.
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