Kreator is a thrash metal band from Essen, Germany. Founded in 1981, they are one of the "Big Four" of the so-called German thrash metal scene, along with Destruction, Sodom, and Tankard. Kreator has released 15 studio albums since 1985, with Violent Revolution being the most recent in 2001. The band's prominent lyrical themes are warfare, dystopia, apocalypse and death. The band has toured with Megadeth, Testament, Annihilator, and many other thrash metal bands, and they have performed at several prominent music festivals such as Wacken Open Air and With Full Force. Kreator has reached cult status in the heavy metal community and has remained at the forefront of the thrash metal scene for over thirty years.