KREATOR's MILLE PETROZZA Explains Why His Autobiography Ends In 1993, Says 'There Might Be A Part Two'

In a new interview with Australia's Flying The Metal Flag, vocalist/guitarist Mille Petrozza of German/Finnish/French thrash metal veterans KREATOR spoke about his recently released official German-language autobiography, which he wrote with journalist, author and presenter Torsten Groß. Titled "Your Heaven, My Hell - Mein Leben, Heavy Metal Und Wie Das Alles Passieren Konnte", the book was published on August 28 via Ullstein Verlag. Mille said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I had a co-author, a friend of mine, Torsten Groß, who is a journalist for the German Rolling Stone magazine. There was this publishing company here in Germany, which is one of the bigger ones, Ullstein books, they asked me to write an autobiography. And I was, like, 'You know what? I think it could be a little bit repetitive and it could be a little boring to write like a book with 1,200 pages or something, talking about each album, and anything from 1985 to 2025.' So I asked them, 'You know what? I'm gonna do it different. I'm gonna make it more like a novel-style, coming-of-age book that ends in the year 1993. So it's from my birth to the year 1993, which is when our album 'Renewal' came out, the book ends. So there might be a part two — or maybe not. We'll see. So it keeps it really short.

"Most people, when they talk about metal, they wanna know about the '80s, because, for some people, that's the golden days of metal," he explained. "So we kept it in the '80s. We only went to the beginning of the '90s to make it more exciting, make it more of a unique autobiography.

"No disrespect, but sometimes when you read autobiographies by other artists, and I'm a big sucker for autobiographies — I read a lot of those — sometimes it gets a little boring," Mille added. "There's only so much that happens in the life of a musician. You go into a studio, you go on a tour, and if you do it like for, like, 40 years of career, then it's, like, okay, okay, more of the same. So I wanted to keep it short and sweet. And so the book ends in the year 1993… And like I said, everybody that I talk to and everybody that wants to know about the glory days and the golden age of metal, they always refer to the '80s."

Petrozza also talked about the official KREATOR documentary, "Hate & Hope", which was shown on July 2 at the 42nd Munich International Film Festival and received a theatrical premiere on September 4. The 110-minute film was directed by Cordula Kablitz-Post. Mille said:  "That came out in the summertime. It was in the movie theaters over here in Germany. And it kind of gives you like a little bit of an insight, behind-the-scenes kind of look — you can sneak and see how we work in the studio, how we write songs and life on the road. The director came to us, and she followed us around the world, really. She shot footage in Los Angeles. She followed the band to India and Japan. So, it was exciting. It was pretty cool. I mean, it's same with the book. It's very entertaining. You watch the movie and you're not bored. And to me, that's always the most important thing, that people are enjoying the stuff, that people, when they watch the movie, they go, like, 'Wow, now I wanna go see the band live.' That would be the perfect scenario."

KREATOR's sixteenth studio album, "Krushers Of The World", will arrive on January 16, 2026 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).

KREATOR has released three singles so far from "Krushers Of The World": "Seven Serpents", "Tränenpalast" and "Satanic Anarchy".

"Tränenpalast" features vocal coach Britta Görtz of extreme metal band HIRAES on guest vocals.

KREATOR will promote "Krushers Of The World" with a monumental European tour across 20 countries, joining forces with fellow metal powerhouses CARCASS, EXODUS and NAILS. The trek will kick off on March 20, 2026 in Lisbon, Portugal, at MEO Arena and wrap up on April 25, 2026 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 next spring. The band, which last conquered American audiences and venues in 2024, will embark on a headline tour in 2026, with 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 "Krushers Of The World" cover sees Zbigniew Bielak, renowned for his work for GHOST, art and design, offer an interesting twist to KREATOR's history. Transforming classic visual trademarks dedicated fans will recognize from "Coma Of Souls" (1990),"Out Of The Dark... Into The Light" (1988) and "Pleasure To Kill" (the font!) into a highly detailed tapestry garnered with occult symbolism, Bielak crafted an outstanding piece paying homage to a band he loves since his teenager days yet with a daring and unique flair. The cover of "Krushers Of The World" rewards everyone willing to analyze the grandiose sleeve design.

KREATOR's upcoming effort will be the follow-up to 2022's "Hate Über Alles", which was recorded at Hansa Tonstudio in Berlin, Germany. Helming the sessions for that LP was Arthur Rizk, who has previously worked with CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, CODE ORANGE, POWER TRIP and SOULFLY, among others.

"Hate Über Alles" marked KREATOR's first album with bassist Frédéric Leclercq, who joined the group in 2019.

Photo credit: Robert Eikelpoth