KREATOR Releases 'The Crow'-Inspired Music Video For 'Loyal To The Grave'

German/Finnish/French thrash metal veterans KREATOR have released the official music video for the song "Loyal To The Grave". The track is taken from the band's sixteenth studio album, "Krushers Of The World", which was made available in January via Nuclear Blast Records. The LP was recorded at Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden with producer Jens Bogren. Bogren previously helmed KREATOR's "Phantom Antichrist" (2012) and "Gods Of Violence" (2017) LPs. The "Krushers Of The World" cover artwork was created by Polish genius Zbigniew Bielak (GHOST).

Showcasing a different side of the band’s signature intensity, "Loyal To The Grave" stands out as one of the album’s most memorable moments. Driven by a highly melodic approach and elevated by a soaring, anthemic chorus, the track captures both the aggression and emotional depth that have defined KREATOR's enduring legacy. The accompanying video visually amplifies this spirit, blending striking performance footage with cinematic storytelling that underscores themes of loyalty, unity, and resilience.

KREATOR guitarist/vocalist Mille Petrozza commented: "The video was inspired by the movie 'The Crow' this time. I hope you enjoy our little journey into obscurity as much as we do."

In an interview with Sweden's "Rockpodden" podcast, Mille stated about "Krushers Of The World": " 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. Hopefully people appreciate it."

When the interviewer noted that "Krushers Of The World" sounds sonically "amazing", Mille responded: "Oh, thank you. Yeah, that's the band being very, very prepared. And the chemistry in the band, within the band is very positive. And also we worked with one of the best producers in the world, Jens. He really put his heart and soul into this production this time, and once we got into the studio, he got so involved in everything."

Mille confirmed that all of "Krushers Of The World" was recorded in Sweden. He said: "I think on 'Gods Of Violence', we went also to Örebro to record guitars, vocals and mix. And this time we did everything in [Jens's] studio because he has a nice setup now. He has a drum room, so it wasn't necessary to move studios for the drums. So, we were there for six weeks or seven weeks, and then he would go on a little vacation, and then he came back and took another three or four weeks to mix the album. [He did] really, really nice work this time."

Mille continued: "The way it's set up [at Fascination Street], you have everything under one roof. You have the mastering, the mixing, the recording, and then you have all these people working there all day. They're all metalheads. So it's almost like Disneyland for metalheads. We stayed there the whole time. We all had our rooms there. So it's very convenient, because you get up in the morning. Jens is already there. We start very early. And 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."

Regarding how he and the rest of KREATOR manage to always come up with material that doesn't sound like a rehash of what they have done in the past, Mille said: "What a lot of bands tend to forget is once it turns into a routine and you just record albums in order to go back on tour or to stay relevant or other reasons, it's not natural. You have to question yourself all the time. You have to be very self-critical with your own art. You have to live with the music for a while."

Mille continued: "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. And it was a process where I had time to have — me and my friend Andy [Posdziech] from the band ANY GIVEN DAY, we would do demos that have a great quality already that people, if they would've listened to the demos, they would've already had heard a very good production. So the demos were very nice to listen to and 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. And that process really gave the album time to grow. And when I played it to the band, for me it was already old, but I was confident that these songs are great. And then the band came with their ideas and then Jens came with his ideas. So it's a very, very nice pot-pourri of creativity and passion for the music. And everybody involved gave their 150 percent."

Asked how open he is to new ideas, particularly from an outsider like Jens, Mille said: "It depends. Sometimes [Jens] makes suggestions and they're great. Sometimes we don't like his suggestions. Everything we question is for the better. Nobody that's involved wants the songs to suffer or push their ego. Like, 'This is my idea, so it needs to be on the song.' That sometimes can be a problem with producers or musicians that are thinking, 'Oh, no. I need to put this song part in there. Otherwise the song is not good.' And we were very open. And we discussed a lot. We talked a lot. And this is the third album that we did with Jens, so we kind of know each other well enough to know how we can actually take criticism or joke around if an idea's not good. So we don't get butthurt about things where we will go, like, 'Yeah, but I want my idea there.'"

Asked if he is "a hundred percent sure" that there will be another KREATOR album after "Krushers Of The World", Mille said: "Yeah. I think yes. But it's a nice trick. We could also do like this whole, 'Okay, it might be our last album.' THE CURE's done it for many years, and now I think MEGADETH is putting out their last album. It's a nice — how do I put this? — if they really feel that way, then it's cool.

"I think that I have at least five more albums in me," Mille explained. "I mean, the end is coming eventually. The physical body will disappear. Seriously, I don't really think in these categories. I think once you get on this journey, it ends when it ends. But I wouldn't be surprised if there's even more than five albums in me still, if I live long enough. Now that I'm getting to a certain age, of course, it's not like when you're 20 years old, you're, like, 'I have, a hundred percent, five more albums in me.' But I do — I think I do. But let's see — let's see what the future brings. You never know. But I'm open for whatever happens. But we'll see."

Petrozza added: "Those cryptic thoughts never come to me. 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, even though it has dark stuff on it, and it has like very heavy stuff on it, but it's a very positive energy that we're spreading."

KREATOR is promoting "Krushers Of The World" with a monumental European tour across 20 countries, joining forces with fellow metal powerhouses CARCASS, EXODUS and NAILS. The trek kicked off on March 20 in Lisbon, Portugal, at MEO Arena and will wrap up on April 25 in Copenhagen, Denmark, at Poolen. Highlights include shows in London, Manchester, Glasgow, Paris, Milan, Berlin, Stockholm, and more.

KREATOR will also embark on a U.S. tour this spring. The band, which last conquered American audiences and venues in 2024, will make stops at key festivals, including Welcome To Rockville, Sonic Temple and Maryland Deathfest. The tour kicks off on May 7 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and runs through May 23 in Huntington, New York.

The official KREATOR documentary, "Hate & Hope", was shown in July 2025 at the 42nd Munich International Film Festival and received a theatrical premiere in September 2025. The 110-minute film was directed by Cordula Kablitz-Post.

Mille's official German-language autobiography, which he wrote with journalist, author and presenter Torsten Groß, "Your Heaven, My Hell - Mein Leben, Heavy Metal Und Wie Das Alles Passieren Konnte", was published in August 2025 via Ullstein Verlag.