Terrible Certainty was also Kreator first album as a four-piece, with Jörg “Tritze” Trzebiatowski joining on guitar.
But there’s a strange story behind his contribution.
According to stories and interviews from the band over the years, Tritze hadn’t fully mastered the increasingly technical material in time for the recording. As a result, Mille reportedly handled most of the rhythm and lead guitar work in the studio.
So while the four-piece lineup was becoming part of Kreator identity, much of the guitar heavy lifting still came from Mille.
There’s another little studio oddity hiding at the end of “Behind the Mirror”.
The acoustic guitar outro sounds slightly warped and out of tune. Apparently, it wasn’t some carefully planned progressive experiment the guitar simply slipped out of tune during the take.
But the band and producer Roy Rowland liked the eerie result enough to keep it.
Sometimes the mistake stays because the mistake works.
And Then There Was “Toxic Trace”
The “Toxic Trace” video is pure 1980s thrash-metal camp.
Low-budget green-screen effects, dystopian imagery and a guy in a gas mask aggressively pointing at random things while the band plays around him.
By today’s standards, it’s gloriously cheesy. And honestly? That’s part of the charm.
A Turning Point in Kreator’s Story
Terrible Certainty may not have the same instant reputation as Pleasure to Kill but its importance is hard to miss.
This was Kreator learning how to combine speed, precision, technical guitar work and stronger songwriting without sacrificing the violent energy that made them one of thrash metal most dangerous bands.
The classic lineup featured Mille Petrozza on vocals and guitar, Jörg “Tritze” Trzebiatowski on lead guitar, Roberto “Rob” Fioretti on bass and Jürgen “Ventor” Reil on drums and co-lead vocals on “As the World Burns”.
For a band already capable of chaos Kreator discovered something even more dangerous in 1987:
control.
And Terrible Certainty was the record that proved it.
So where does it rank for you? Underrated Kreator classic or still living in the shadow of Pleasure to Kill?
By
