Kreator is a German thrash metal band from Essen, Germany, formed in 1982. The band started their career under the name Tormentor. They originally performed their type of thrash metal style with Venom influences. The band is also influenced by Slayer, Metallica, Mercyful Fate, and Bathory. Their style of music is similar to their compatriots Destruction and Sodom, the other two big German thrash metal bands. All three of these bands are often credited with helping pioneer death metal, by containing several elements of what was to become the genre.

Kreator's work has been consistently in the vein of pure thrash metal, with the exception of four albums (Renewal, Cause for Conflict, Outcast, and Endorama) released in the 1990s when they experimented with other genres, incorporating industrial, gothic, and avant-garde elements into their sound.

In March 2008, the At the Pulse of Kapitulation DVD was released, featuring Live in East Berlin and Hallucinative Comas on one disc. Both had previously been available on VHS only and were long out of print. The band had also began working on their 12th full length album in late 2007/early 2008 and began recording in July 2008. Recording for the album, dubbed Hordes of Chaos, was wrapped up in late August, with the album being released in January 2009. On January 23, 2009, the band began their "Chaos Over Europe" tour in Tilburg (the netherlands) with Caliban, Eluveitie and Emergency Gate as other acts. In April 2009, the band embarked on a North American headlining tour, co-headlined by Exodus, and featuring Belphegor, Warbringer, and Epicurean.