Kreator - O2 Academy 29/03/2026

4 hours of total carnage

German thrash metal band Kreator played a sell out show at the O2 Academy Glasgow, and yes, it was exactly the kind of chaos you’d hope for — maybe even more.

From the second you got near the venue, you could tell it was going to be a big one, loads of people hanging around outside despite the cold. O2 Academy filled up fast, it was sweaty, loud and the place was bouncing even for the nights support acts… Carcus, Exodus and Nails, the 3 gave Glasgow the perfect warm up for what was to follow.


Photo by Stewart Fullerton

Run To The Hills by Iron Maiden played as the lights dimmed, and no messing about — Kreator came out swinging. Straight into it, flames going off, lights everywhere, and Mille Petrozza looking like he hasn’t aged a day in terms of energy. The whole stage setup was kind of over-the-top in the best way: fire, creepy props, the lot, this was a proper metal show.

But the biggest thing? They sounded tight, like ridiculously tight.

Sometimes with these older bands you half-expect them to coast on nostalgia a bit — but not on this occasion. The riffs were sharp, drums pounding, vocals still raw as heck, it didn’t feel like a legacy act at all.


Photo by Stewart Fullerton

O2 Academy was wild, when it kicked off, it really kicked off, you got the waves of crowd surfers surging forward, then a bit of breathing space, then straight back into the chaos again when the next song came on.

It felt less like just a gig and more like a full-on event. Big production, big sound, big energy, pretty much what the band are known for. Not every newer song hit as hard as the classics, but nothing dragged, the whole set kept moving and never got boring, everyone was always engaged.


Photo by Stewart Fullerton

And when the night ended with “Pleasure to Kill”… yeah, that was it, total explosion. Everyone who had anything left just threw it into that last track.

The crowd left sweaty, with ringing ears probably and of course satisfied — so basically exactly what you want and expect.

Kreator are still bringing it live with that sucker punch. Not just surviving this long, but still going for it.

It was 4 hours of total carnage.

Review and photography by Stewart Fullerton

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