Mille Petrozza successfully reoriented Kreator in 2001 after nearly a decade of drift, but Violent Revolution didn’t simply revert to the straight thrash of Extreme Aggression. Instead, tracks like “Servant in Heaven – King in Hell” mixed the aggression of old with traces of power metal, adding the latter’s clarity and focus to the former’s mayhem and fury. It wasn’t that Petrozza was suddenly wailing like a Halford wannabe, but his gargling was more Chris Boltendahl than Chuck Billy, and he paced both his vocals and riffing such that everyone could follow what was happening. No doubt Andy Sneap’s crystal production added an extra snap, but this was exactly what Kreator needed to sound like, and for the first time in a long time everyone sounded in sync, from Ventor’s charging drums to Petrozza’s newly anthemic chugging. And indeed, “Servant in Heaven – King in Hell” and the rest of Violent Revolution offered a path forward for the band, one that surprised everyone by eventually bringing them to their highest levels of popularity.