Q. and A: Mille Petrozza (Kreator)

By BRENDAN CRABB
IN what promises to one of the metal double bills of the year, German thrash legends Kreator and Swedish melodic death progenitors In Flames are set to embark on a colossal Klash of the Titans co-headline tour across Australia in 2024.
Kreator vocalist/guitarist Mille Petrozza talked to Hot Metal about the tour, their nineties career lull, the “Big Four” of German thrash performing together, and more.
Hot Metal: You’re headed back to Australia after several years’ absence, and this time it’s even better value for the fans with In Flames in tow.
Mille Petroza: “Playing with bands like this… In Flames is a fucking amazing band. And of course, it motivates you to give even more, give 150 per cent, when you have a band of that calibre playing with you. We did a tour over here in the beginning of the year with Lamb of God and then we went out with Testament, Sepultura, and now In Flames. I mean, these are amazing bands. And of course, it’s value for money for the fans, yes. And it’s giving the fans something that they will always remember because it’s two bands playing headlining sets in one night. It’s amazing.”
HM: It seems like Kreator is willing to tour with peers like Testament and Sepultura, and preach to the converted in some respects. But you’ll also go on the road with acts like Lamb of God. Does it help keep your fan-base fresh by cross-pollinating with younger acts’ audiences?
MP: “We don’t really think of it like that, to be honest. I mean, to us it’s like, do we like the band? Do we really think that we are playing with somebody that’s really cool? On a
personal level, on a musical level? It’s not so much about generations, it’s more about the quality of the music and it’s about the fact that, are we really into this band? And most of
the bands that you mentioned, all of the bands you mentioned are bands that we’re also fans of. Of course, on the other hand, if you can gain new fans, that’s a plus. And it’s also a challenge
because we’ve been around since the eighties and some of those bands haven’t been around for so long, at least not in this kind of line-up or whatever, the name of the band or
whatever. It’s a challenge for them to win over our fans, and vice-versa. So, it’s a win-win situation.
HM: I suppose one of the things too that strikes me about Kreator is you will play plenty of new material live and it works alongside the classics. It’s not a million miles away stylistically or quality wise, and it still sounds fresh and natural. That must make it exciting for the band – to be able to play new material and have fans embrace it?
MP: “Yeah, we always have that in mind … When you’ve been around as a band for that long and as long as we have, of course, some people kind of always mention the music that they
discovered the band with. In their case it’s like (1989’s) Extreme Aggression, (1986’s) Pleasure To Kill and Coma Of Souls (1990). Which are for some of our fans, iconic albums. But (for some fans) so are albums like (2001’s) Violent Revolution or (2012’s) Phantom
Antichrist, and even the new album (Hate Über Alles). Because we definitely don’ t think in these categories. We always try to come up with a new version of the band and a fresh version, without denying our legacy. We’re very aware of our past but we’re also very aware of the present and I think that’s why you won’t tell the difference whether or not we’re playing a classic song or a new song, because we’re playing those songs with the same attitude.”
HM: It seemed like the era of Violent Revolution and (2005’s) Enemy of God really sparked this resurgence of interest in the band after a drop-off in the nineties. Was that attributable to the quality of the albums? Or good timing with heavier music making a return?
MP: “That’s a good question. I think the nineties were, for us, more of a very experimental era. And because we started so young that we never got to experience or explore music that we
would have loved to explore. When we recorded our first album, I was still a teenager. I was only 17 years old. In the nineties I was in my early twenties or mid-twenties and I was like,
now I want to do something new and something fresh. And maybe that didn’t respond to some of our audience. And also, metal was a bad word at the time. And I think all things combined, the nineties not being the best era for metal, us being into experimenting with new elements and being inspired by a lot of different genres, maybe that was almost like… From a nowadays point of view, I can see, we had line-up problems and there were so many things combined. But we kept the band going. I was the only member that has always been in Kreator and I always kept the band going. And of course, bringing in new musicians, bringing in new influences, bringing in new people into the band and whatever, listening to all kinds of
genres of music made these albums a little special, a little different from, say, the eighties material. And I think when we kick-started the 2000s with Violent Revolution we combined all these influences on one album. Violent Revolution is not like, I wouldn’t say it picks up where Coma of Souls left off. But I would say that it’s a combination; it has the influences from the nineties, but also has a very strong eighties vibe to it, and put into modern production, and made it a kick-starting album for the new millennium. I guess being there, having never quit the band, we never broke up. We always constantly put out albums, and every band that has been around for so long, it would be boring if we would always play the same style, the same music, and the same… If we would have never made these experiments, I would have been bored, and it would not have been honest. So, it is what it nowadays, and I’m happy with how things turned out at the end of the day.”
HM: Do you feel that in the age of streaming, albums like 1992’s Renewal and 1999’s Endorama could be due for reappraisal? Or do some fans just pretend those records don’t exist?
MP: “You wouldn’t believe but a lot of fans nowadays are going like, ‘oh man, I didn’t know’. When Endorama came out, a lot of people… It was a different time. Back then, a lot of fans
were influenced by whatever the media said about these records. Nowadays, it’s one click away, you can check it out, and you come up with your own opinion. When we re-released Endorama not too long ago, about two years ago, the response was amazing. It charted at number five in Germany. So, for people to rediscover these albums, they can now rediscover it, and the music is very honest and very Kreator. It’s just with a different twist to it.
HM: Do you envision yourselves playing any of those songs live again?
MP: “We’re thinking about doing it for the show that we’re doing with Sodom, Destruction and Tankard. We have the show scheduled for next year.”
HM: Could that German thrash “big four” concept expand beyond that show?
MP: “At this point, no. But we’ll see what the future brings. It’s very hard to organise these bands to be in one spot at the same time (laughs). We made it happen, and the show takes
place in Gelsenkirchen, which is in Germany, so everybody can travel there and it’s a one-off show. But it’s hard to organise a tour with these four bands, to be honest.”
HM: Could it be a difficult conversation about who will play last?
MP: “We’re playing last. It’s not a difficult conversation. I know the legacy of those bands and this is something that the fans asked for, for a long time. There was so much discussion
about this, that we were like, ‘okay, let’s try to organise it’. We approached the other three bands, and we’re all friends – we go back a long time. But on the other band, each individual band on that line-up has their own unique style, a unique legacy and a unique history. So, this is going to be a great celebration of all four bands, with a lot of love and respect for their legacies.
I think the fans will be very happy – the response was overwhelming when we announced the show. It was sold out in a couple of days. It’s a one-off, a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
I’m so happy that we’re all still alive, healthy, and able to give this to the fans because they have been requesting it for a long time.”
HM: Any famous last words?
MP: “This Australian tour, it’s going to the best of both worlds – a nice mix of a lot of the eighties stuff, and we’re going to play a lot of 2000s stuff and even some nineties stuff. It’s
going to be a great mix. There’s going to be two full headlining shows with the mighty In Flames and Kreator. I hope everybody will go home with a smile on their face (laughs). I’m really excited about it.”