Kreator w/Nails, Exodus & Carcass @ O2 Academy Brixton, London – 27/03/26

Kreator’s “Pleasure to Kill” brings thrash masterclass levels to Brixton

It takes a very strong and intense crowd to make the O2 Academy at Brixton open up the smoking area outside, you know that you have something big going on inside – and on the Friday night, that is a thrash band that is larger than life. This tour matters because each band on the bill represents a different branch of extreme metal, but Kreator is one of the ‘big four’ of Teutonic thrash. Alongside bands like Sodom and Destruction, they defined European thrash metal over decades, evolving in the extreme sounds without losing their bite.

Bit let’s start with the openers, Nails. The band emerged in the 2010s and have got hardcore, grind and power violence worked down to the nail. Compressing different genres into one form, they approached their set like the system override; it was short, deliberate and violent. There was nothing subtle about their opening set, and even though you’d expect a nice warm-up, Nails gave it their absolute everything to go out with a bang. The pit ignited almost instantly, if you blinked you’d miss entire songs and necks were at breaking point. They were brutal, efficient and over before your brain had even caught up with them.

Exodus were on next and they were one of the bands that helped invent thrash metal alongside Metallica in the US. Their debut album was a genre cornerstone for thrash, and despite lineup changes they have maintained their reputation for delivering great shows. Brixton was no exception, as their set was fast, aggressive and relentlessly fun, with crowdsources making their first appearance over the barricade. Songs like “Bonded By Blood” and “Toxic Waltz” (with the intro from Raining Blood) triggered immediate mayhem in the venue, whilst the room fully tipped by the time the third song hit. Did I also mention they played a live debut of “Goliath”? Well, that was a highlight too.

Having been primed on heaviness and with knees almost destroyed, the crowd was now ready for surgical precision. Given that Carcass’ logo is a circle of surgery tools, there is no better way to describe the band that has pioneered and ruled an array of genres since the mid-80s. Starting off as grindcore provocateurs and launching into melodic death metal, Carcass did not just refine their sound, they influenced an entire generation of bands into the extreme genre-blending. Their album Heartwork still remains one of my favourite records to date, so I was ecstatic that they played songs from it live. Their setlist was long but it felt like it was flowing seamlessly, with songs such as “Buried Dreams” and “No Love Lost” blending into each other without a single break. When “Death Certificate” came on, half the venue had already crowdsurfed across the barricade, and the technical, sharp and precise sound they are known for really shone through. Carcass are a band that never miss live – they are confident in their ability to outplay most of the genre, and the crowd can sense it. And of course, pay them off as they deserve.

And finally, we had Kreator. To be completely frank, the miscommunication and venue system meant that I actually missed most of their set. Nevertheless, Kreator are a band that everyone knows what to expect from. They are initiators of chaos, lords of pyro and most importantly, they have the authority of a band that has spent decades perfecting their sound for this exact moment. As a wildcard, I will add here that I had a poster of Mille Petrozza in my room growing up, mostly because he didn’t look as scary as some of the people from Rotting Christ (another poster I had in my room growing up). So seeing him up close was definitely a big highlight.

Kreator’s setlist was a masterclass in thrash curation. Starting off with “Seven Serpents”, into “Hail to the Hordes” and “Enemy of God” meant that the floodgates had been opened since the first three, hitting the crowd like a synchronised storm of riffs and blasts and vocals. However, it was songs such as “Hordes of Chaos”, “Loyal to the Grave”, “666-World Divided”, “Violent Revolution” and finally “Pleasure to Kill” that were less music and more historical reenactment of why thrash still matters. Kreator understand pacing at a high level, ensuring that the crowd never plateaus; if anything, they never left room for a breather. Even newer material slotted seamlessly alongside their all-time classics, reinforcing the band’s continued relevance rather than relying purely on nostalgia.

There are two important things to note here. First, production. Without sacrificing the spectacle, the pyro bursts punctuated key moments in the set, making every riff land when it needed. For a room of the size of the O2, it is difficult to control, yet Kreator managed to keep the crowd on its toes (and on top of each other’s shoulders). Second, the audience itself operated like a living organism, with circle pits, surfers, and moshing operating with alarming efficiency. And every chorus became a chant, because the people there knew what they were talking about.

Judging by the state of Brixton by the end of the night, the bill worked perfectly.