Yes, everything you've heard about this album is 110% true ladies and losers. But like my title says, this is probably one of the most extreme and brutal thrash albums ever made that you could make an argument that it's borderline death metal. I mean it was very influential for the up and coming DM scene in the late 80s (Morbid Angel definitely comes to mind as someone influenced by these guys) but maybe the only things that make it more thrash are the vocals which are actually pretty intense for a thrash album. The only other thrash vocalist that is as crazy as Mille is maybe Don Doty of Dark Angel or Max Cavalera. Unfortunately this band would not match their brutality and violence they served up with this release. I even hear the newer stuff from this decade is great and I plan on getting them.

Ok for the music itself, it's effin mindblowing. I personally love the melodic intro, even though it's nothing like the rest of the album it sets the mood for it painting a image of a open battlefield that's about to be 'littered with corpses'. Then it has godly tracks like Ripping Corpse and the title track which are some of the most ferocious metal songs I've ever heard. The violent lyrics here are actually SCARY and INTIMIDATING unlike bands like Cannibal Corpse where it's borderline amusing (that's not a diss, I really like CC plus who doesn't like to laugh?). I mean the title track is f*cking extreme metal anthem for christ's sake. The last couple songs are killer too, like Command of the Blade with it's crazy riffs and the closer with Mille yelling out UNDA THE GUILLOTINE! Speaking of Mille, the man can solo like a mofo. I'm going to use the two B words to describe them, blistering and blazing. Seriously though, all the songs are great, the only one that's slightly under par with the rest is Pestilence. What's also amazing about this album is that THE BONUS TRACKS DONT SUCK! Don't you notice that bonus tracks, well, usually blow? Note here folks, the pulled the 3 tracks from the 'Flag of Hate' EP and yes they have a rawer production but they are some of thrash's best. You get a juiced up version of the Flag of Hate song (it was originally on their debut), Take Their Lives (another ever-so-violent anthemic song) and their most complex song Awakening of the Gods which is quite god-like as well. This definitely gets the award for "best bonus tracks ever". Oh and the bass? ACTUALLY AUDIBLE! Wow, can this album do any wrong?

Let me also take some time to confirm by other metalheads comments. Best band from Germany? DEFINITELY. In fact I don't even like the Scorpions, I think their singer is wimpy and they're just all around boring. The other two bands from the German thrash movement (Sodom and Destruction) are really awesome too but not quite as good and consistent and these boys. THIS is the album that 'rocks you like a hurricane'. Yes, the drummer is indeed like a German version of the universally loved Dave Lombaardo, he can do insane double bass and basically everything else metal fans crave in their percussion, it has a really thick and meaty sound to them which I love. Best album of '86? See that's a really tough question to answer seeing as how I gave all 3 albums of the 'Unholy Trinity' a 97% rating...so it's really up to you. This is the more brutal one, DD is more about speed, and RIB has both.

In conclustion, it's ESSENTIAL. However, if you're new to metal I'm not sure if I'd recommend this it might be a little too much for you. I bow down to this and so should you.

P.S. If I ever decide to go on a mass murdering rampage I'm making this my soundtrack.

Or I guess Sepultura sound like Kreator, since this album came out before "Schizophrenia" and "Beneath the Remains." I read a review of "Beneath the Remains" that said that album and "Reign in Blood" were the only albums that successfully encompassed both thrash and death metal, but I would have to add this album to the list as well. Many of the same elements that characterized other early thrash-death classics from Slayer and Sepultura are here: the lightning-fast riffs, the interplay between lead and rhythm guitars, the fast and thunderous drumming, and rumbling bass lines. Their lead singer spits out vocals with Tom Arayaesque speed, with some hints of the death growl mixed in. The musicians do an excellent job, nothing fancy, but they work well together in creating some very fast and brutal music. In conclusion, if you think metal reached its peak with albums like "Master of Puppets," "Beneath the Remains," and "Reign in Blood," I highly recommend this album.

Its been 20 years since this album was released and it still remains one of the best thrash/speed/whateveryouwantocallit albums ever. The album starts off with the intro, Chior of the Damnded and then RIPS right into Ripping Corpse. Right away you get the feeling that this is as intense as it gets. There is not one bad song on this album. Please note that the drummer, Ventor, is the vocalists on 3 tracks: Death is your Saviour, Riot of Violence and Command of the Blade. The version I own contains the EP Flag of Hate, which adds to the enjoyment of this CD.

If you listen to metal (slipcrap, korn, and disturbed are not metal) and dont own this... YOU MUST GET IT.

While Kreator's 'Pleasure to Kill' isn't as purely deathly as Possessed or Death's debuts, it is still quite ahead of it's time, and is even more representative of what death metal would eventually become, in some ways. It lacks a true growl, though Mille's not too far off, but the extensive emphasis on ultra-fast, trem-picked riffs and the less thick and crunchy guitar tone and the common use of genuine blast-beats are surprisingly reminiscent of the instrumentation you'd find on prime, early 90's death metal. Unfortunately, this means the album also has some of DM's flaws. Most notably, it's more monotonous than your average thrash album, and not as catchy, either. It's a typical problem- everything sounds good, but not all that much really stands out.

The lead guitar is passable, but not anything really worth mentioning. It provides a good contrast and counterpoint, which is usually what the lead guitar is really about in this sorta material, anyway. The drumming is very, very fast. Not the most complex stuff in the world, but it is more than sufficiently propulsive. 'Ripping Corpse' has some particularly nice, and even melodic, at times, rhythm work and a reasonably catchy chorus. The title track has a great, ultra-fast main riff, contrasted well with a relatively slow, middle break. 'Riot of Violence' has one of the slower, groovier main riffs, which helps make it one of the more dynamic tracks on the album. It's followed by the seven minute, and vaguely epic 'The Pestilence', which a nice, extensive middle break with a number of great riffs, and one of Mille's stronger, eerier vocal performance. (It also the best line on the album, which would be, 'YOU WILL DIE IN HEEEEELLLLLLLLL!!!!!!! All the lyrics on this album are pretty great, actually) But that's really about all I've got to say specifically, unless I just wanted to say the exact same thing again and again. (As I often do) Still, it is all good material, and definitely worth owning, and certainly the sort of thing that all thrash or death metal fans ought to hear.

This release also comes with the 'Flag of Hate' ep. The song 'Flag of Hate' is a re-recording of a song from 'Endless Pain'. It's better than the average track on 'Pleasure to Kill' and probably has the catchiest chorus of anything on this cd. (Time to raise the flag of hate!) 'Take Their Lives' is a bit slower and more subdued than the 'Pleasure to Kill' material and has a great, atmospheric and melodic middle break. `Awakening of the Gods' is a great track, probably the best one on this cd. Kinda reminiscent of `The Pestilence' but longer, and more dynamic, to go along with impeccable riffwriting from beginning to end, and another reasonably catchy chorus.

Yeah, get it.

I have listened to all kinds of speed/thrash metal albums, including Slayer's Reign In Blood, and Metallica's Master Of Puppets, but Kreator's 1986 masterpiece Pleasure To Kill is by far one of the best speed/thrash metal album I've listened to. The album kicks off with the friendly instrumental Choir Of The Damned, and then kicks into high energy with the lightning fast Ripping Corpse which is so heavy it tears the listener to pieces. Next up are two more awesome tracks, Death Is Your Savior, and Pleasure To Kill that have some heart pounding drum blasts from Ventor and excellent guitarwork from vocalist/guitarist Mille Petrozza since the fact that he plays all the guitars on this album. I also like Riot Of Violence and Command Of The Blade which continue the lightning fast brutallity. So if you want some of the best speed/thrash metal ever, get Kreator's Pleasure To Kill. Happy Headbanging!