Violent Revolution

Violent Revolution was recorded between February and April 2001 at Area 51 and Backstage Studios, produced by Andy Sneap. It reached Japan on 21 September, Germany on the 24th, and some sources give the 25th. After a decade of industrial and gothic colouring, the band went back to the way they had written in the 1980s, setting speed and melody in the same place. That is why the record is usually named as the starting point of the thrash metal revival of the early 2000s. The line-up changed with it. Ventor, who had left in 1994, was back for good, and the Finnish guitarist Sami Yli-Sirniö joined on lead guitar — he has played on every album since. Christian Giesler remained on bass. It reached number twenty-one in Germany. AllMusic gave it four stars out of five and Rock Hard 9.5 out of ten, and the magazine's 2005 book placed it 436th among the greatest rock and metal albums. Twelve songs; the running order here is the original's as printed.