Kreator’s Mille Petrozza Isn’t Slowing Down: ‘I Have At Least Five More Albums In Me’

Kreator frontman Mille Petrozza has pulled back the curtain on the band’s forthcoming 16th studio album, Krushers Of The World, revealing a meticulous and “self-critical” writing process that spanned three years. The album, set for a January 16, 2026 release via Nuclear Blast, is the band’s first since 2022’s Hate Über Alles.

In a new, extensive interview with Sweden’s “Rockpodden” podcast, Petrozza explained that the long gap was essential for the quality of the record, which he believes captures a “very positive energy.”

“I’m happy. I’m happy with the way it came out. It took me a while to write it, but I think we have a nice variety of interesting music and nice poetry and lyrics,” Petrozza said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth).

He emphasized that to avoid repetition, a band must “live with the music for a while” and avoid falling into a routine.

“You have to question yourself all the time. You have to be very self-critical with your own art… This time I went into pre-production on a very early stage. I did pre-production for over a year, and I wrote the songs for another year. I mean, I started writing in ’22 and up to ’25.”

Petrozza detailed this highly involved demo process, which he undertook with his friend Andy Posdziech (of Any Given Day).

“We would do demos that have a great quality already… [This] gave me the opportunity to live with the songs for a while and rewrite stuff that I thought was weak or add stuff when I thought there was something missing,” he explained. “And when I played it to the band, for me it was already old, but I was confident that these songs are great.”

Once the songs were ready, Kreator reunited with producer Jens Bogren (Phantom Antichrist, Gods Of Violence) at his Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden. Petrozza described the all-in-one recording facility as “almost like Disneyland for metalheads.”

“We stayed there the whole time. We all had our rooms there. So it’s very convenient…” he said. “Overall, it was a very, very focused experience, but also a very fun experience. We had a lot of laughs and really enjoyed the process of doing the album, and I think that really shows on the record. It sounds fresh.”

That freshness was also a result of the band’s strong chemistry with Bogren. “We worked with one of the best producers in the world, Jens. He really put his heart and soul into this production this time,” Petrozza said.

He also noted that their long relationship (this is their third album together) allows for honest collaboration without ego. “Nobody that’s involved wants the songs to suffer or push their ego… We don’t get butthurt about things where we will go, like, ‘Yeah, but I want my idea there.'”

While some of Kreator‘s peers, like Megadeth, are announcing their final albums, Petrozza made it clear that he has no plans to stop.

“I think that I have at least five more albums in me,” he declared. “The end is coming eventually. The physical body will disappear… but I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s even more than five albums in me still, if I live long enough… I always think that, and also I think on Krushers Of The World, you can hear that I think music can be empowering and should be joyful. And this album… it’s a very positive energy that we’re spreading.”

The album’s cover art was created by Zbigniew Bielak (Ghost). Fans have already heard two singles, “Seven Serpents” and “Tränenpalast.” The latter track is a direct homage to Dario Argento‘s 1977 horror classic “Suspiria“, referencing the film’s “three mothers” and featuring a melody inspired by the original Goblin score.

“Krushers Of The World” tracklist:

• “Seven Serpents”
• “Satanic Anarchy”
• “Krushers Of The World”
• “Tränenpalast”
• “Barbarian”
• “Blood Of Our Blood”
• “Combatants”
• “Psychotic Imperator”
• “Deathscream”
• “Loyal To The Grave”