Kreator Krushers Of The World Review
Kreator
Krushers Of The World
Nuclear Blast Records
2026
Thrash has seen many mutations, successes, hardships, resurgences, and legacy bands either reforming or still going strong in its nearly 50-year history. The genre is forever the underdog yet forever evolving. Chances are, though, you’d be hard pressed to find a more fanatical and fervent fanbase in metal. Without fail, every year, bands old and new alike are lighting up stages and inducing headbanging-related comas or injury on stages big, small, and everywhere in between. Thrash is worldwide and happens to be one of my favorite types of metal. One band that has never rested on their laurels and always tried new things is exactly who we are discussing today. They, along with Sodom and Destruction, make up the holy trinity of Teutonic thrash. That band is none other than Essen, Germany’s Kreator, with their new full-length, Krushers of the World.
Kreator are one of a handful of bands from the old guard that have been releasing quality material in their later years and not just rehashing the ’80s or ’90s. The album is bolstered by the excellent production of Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios, who previously worked with the group on Phantom Antichrist (2012) and Gods of Violence (2017). It’s modern in its presentation, but I have never heard Kreator sound this good, brutal, and vital. Every instrument is crystal clear and sharp enough to cut through bone, and Mille Petrozza’s acerbic vocals contain an extra bit of venom and anger here. Speaking of Mille, he and drummer Jürgen “Ventor” Reil are the only remaining original members, a further testament to their commitment and never-say-die approach.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about this album is that it comes off the heels of two lofty achievements for the band in 2025. One being Mille’s book, Your Heaven, My Hell, with co-writer Torsten Gross, and then hitting German cinemas with Hate & Hope, the first proper movie about a really loud - to this very day - “really extreme metal band not only melting your face with firestorms of pyrotechnics but also music equivalent to searing bursts of hellfire.”
That brings us to the SIXTEENTH (yes, you read that right) album we are currently bludgeoning our eardrums with. You’ll get all the Kreatorisms you’ve come to know and love (breakneck tempos, mammoth riffs, hook-oriented songs, and an aggressive vocal approach), as well as their latter-day penchant for NWOBHM-inspired melodic guitar lines, sound effects/keyboards, lower tunings on some songs, and a keen desire to make things memorable while maintaining their trademark heaviness and edge. Key moments are the absolutely shred-tastic leads of Sami Yli-Sirniö, who sprinkles these songs (10 in all) with impressive dexterity and melodious intent throughout from his fleet-fingered style (“Barbarian” specifically as a major standout). Kreator are not shy about including sing-along choruses behind their thunder either, as “Blood of Our Blood” and its damn-near power metal chorus will get stuck in your head for days. For ramming speed and phasers set to kill, the lead-off ferocity of “Seven Serpents” had me mean-mugging after 20 seconds, as did “Psychotic Imperator.” Kreator are still as fast as a pack of cheetahs and as hungry as starving wolves. It’s invigorating to hear a band this long in the tooth sound so fresh and so intense.
Mille’s love for horror movies makes an appearance here too, the mid-tempo wrecking ball that is “Tränenpalast.” The song is a nod to Dario Argento’s Suspiria, with a guest appearance from extreme vocal coach Britta Görtz (Hiraes), adding her own vicious throat to the proceedings. My absolute favorite moment, however, occurs in the down-tuned stomp and drag of the title track, with its four-on-the-floor bottom end and its undeniable chorus. This approach also closes out the album with “Loyal to the Grave,” which just grooves and crushes with syncopated guitars and that infectious chorus. Then it’s over, right at 42 minutes and some change.
After catching my breath, I can safely deduce the following: Kreator set out to not only prove they still had plenty of guts, stamina, and pissed-off energy to fuel a new album, they have also brought some exciting new elements to their sonic tapestry that makes it their most enjoyable album since Enemy of God to my ears. Here’s hoping that they keep churning out this kind of quality for many years to come, and that their pleasure to kill never wanes. This bad boy just made my top 20 list of 2026…
~TB