06/02/2026

FRIDAY | FEB 6, 2026

25

LYFE

New album Kiss All the Time Disco, Occasionally will be available globally March 6.

Harry Styles returns with Aperture

On March 21, the Korean juggernaut will perform live for the first time after its hiatus. – NETFLIXPIC

o Netflix to livestream pop group’s comeback concert in K-pop mega event Come back home to BTS

FORTY years of thrashing later, Kreator has more or less stopped pretending it is here to shock, with its latest album Krushers of the World . The album demonstrates a clarity over what the band wants to do and who it is doing it for, with controlled, melodic-leaning thrash metal that values weight over raw speed. For anyone that has followed Kreator since Violent Revolution, nothing on Krushers of the World will feel out of character, as the album sits comfortably alongside Phantom Antichrist , Gods of Violence and Hate Uber Alles . The difference here is emphasis, a bigger role for melody and tempo shifts. Opener Seven Serpents sets the tone with atmosphere before snapping into tight, muscular riffs. It is fast but not reckless, as Kreator does not rush into the song to prove aggression, allowing riffs to breathe. The same can be heard on Barbarian and Blood Of Our Blood , where classic thrash structures get subtle melodic lifts. However, the record’s title track is the clearest signal of GRAMMY Award-winning English superstar Harry Styles has premiered the music video for Aperture , the lead single from his new album Kiss All the Time Disco, Occasionally , set to be released worldwide on March 6. The music video for Aperture finds Styles once again collaborating with acclaimed director Aube Perrie ( Satellite , Music for a Sushi Restaurant ). Kiss All the Time Disco, Occasionally is the fourth studio album from Styles and first music release since 2022’s record breaking album Harry’s House , which took home the top prize for Album of the Year at the 2023 Grammy Awards. The new 12-track album was written by Styles and executive produced by Kid Harpoon. Styles will make his long-awaited return to the international stage with a seven city residency in 2026. Together, Together, his third concert tour, will include 50 stops in Amsterdam, London, Sao Paulo, Mexico City, New York, Melbourne and Sydney from May through December. Styles will perform exclusively in these cities in 2026. ALBUM REVIEW Ű BY MARK MATHEN VICTOR

S TREAMING giant Netflix said earlier this week that it will livestream BTS’s comeback concert to around 190 countries in what could be the largest live K-pop event to date as the megastars return from military service. The global stars and South Korea’s biggest music act have been on a hiatus since 2022 while members completed mandatory military service. All seven members were discharged last year and the band have confirmed it will release a new album Arirang on March 20 and stage a free comeback concert in central Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square the following day

Anarchy’s balance of groove and hook without softening the thrash edge. As mid-tempo tracks dominate the first half, the faster cuts of the second half deliver more impact, with Combatants benefiting from the production choice. Opening with tension and descending into driving rhythm, the song feels designed for live crowds. Lyrically, Kreator continues its move away from cartoon evil towards reflection and consequence with lines such as Satanic Anarchy’s “Rise up, confront the enemy. Create a new reality. And bring down tyranny” or “Tearing down the beauty of diversity. Planting dread inside the heart. Dissidents come forth, ascending from suburbia. Toxicity will never be the end nor the start” off Combatants . The lyricism’s maturity fits the music, with Petrozza sounding less interested in slogans and more concerned with actions. That said, the clean and modern production on Krusher of the World, along with the choirs and layered effects may not appeal to fans of thrash with raw edges or just more abrasively raw metal as a whole. Krushers of the World is not here to change thrash or the minds of fans, neither does it try to. The album simply refines the Kreator formula. Is it safe? Certainly. Weak? Not at all. documentary featuring the band’s return, titled BTS: The Return will be launched on March 27. The band’s world tour, kicking off in April, will span 34 cities with 79 shows – the largest single tour by a K-pop group by total performances and the widest regional reach for a South Korean artiste, according to its label Hybe. BTS is big business in South Korea. Before the members’ military service, the band generated more than 5.5 trillion won (RM14.8 billion) for the country a year, according to Seoul’s Korea Culture and Tourism Institute. The figure is equivalent to 0.2% of South Korea’s total GDP. –AFP

before heading on tour. “BTS The Comeback Live | Arirang will stream live exclusively on Netflix March 21,” the streaming giant said. It said the performance would be broadcast live to viewers in more than 190 countries. The band’s new album Arirang, named after a Korean folk song about longing and separation often seen as an unofficial national anthem, will be its first since the anthology Proof , which became South Korea’s bestselling record of 2022. The new album “contains a deep reflection on the team’s origins and identity”, Netflix said, adding a new

Kreator stays relentless as band refines melody-heavy thrash metal without losing bite

Kreator’s intent. Krushers of the World moves at a measured pace built on punchy drums and layered guitars. Vocalist Mille Petrozza does most of the work on the track, sounding weathered and Petrozza (second from left) leads the band through another tightly controlled, melody-forward thrash release. – PICS FROM BANDCAMP

direct, with the anger focused and not flailing. There are also tinges of melodic death metal, especially on Tranenpalast, which features Hiraes’ Britta Gortz. The dual vocals and sweeping guitar lines are reminiscent of Gothenburg metal. This also applies to Satanic Kreator continue its modern-era run, blending mid-tempo weight and melodic grit without abandoning its core sound.