KREATOR's MILLE PETROZZA On War In Ukraine: 'I Can't Believe That Something Like This Is Happening In Europe'

Mille Petrozza of German thrash metal veterans KREATOR weighed in on the war in Ukraine in a new interview with Australia's "Scars And Guitars" podcast. The 54-year-old singer and guitarist said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We're very close to the Ukraine. Actually, the first concert that we were supposed to play after the pandemic was in Kyiv, and then we would have gone to Moscow and Saint Petersburg. That's all postponed, canceled, whatever. But this is not important. The important issue is that there's people getting killed every day in this war now. And it already became yesterday's news in the media, but it's still happening and it's still going on and it's still a disaster.

"When I heard about that war, I was totally speechless," he continued. "I couldn't believe that something like this is happening in Europe, and I still can't believe it. Which doesn't really mean that the wars that they were doing before that and that are still going on in Syria and all the Middle Eastern countries are not… [They] are just as horrible, but you get a different vibe [when it's so much closer to you].

"I've been on a train with refugees from Ukraine when the war started, going from Berlin to Essen, and these people had, like, a plastic bag with all their belongings. So it's real — it's fucking real. And the world is watching, and there's nothing you can do. It's, like, how can you stop this tyrant?

"I'm not an expert on these things, but I think on a human level, it's fucking horrible," Petrozza added.

Five years ago, Petrozza was asked in an interview with Hot Metal about then-German chancellor Angela Merkel, who was under scrutiny due to domestic security concerns and the surge in support for populist parties.

"I'm not an expert on politics, really, and I think that she probably does what every politician would do in her position," Mille said at the time. "She's trying to represent the county in the way that she thinks is helping the country or getting the country to more wealth, less unemployment. But, on the other hand, she is only human, and I think the real leaders are the ones that are working in the background. She's only like the one representing the country, but in the background, that is where the real deals are being made, if you know what I mean."

Mille also commented on Merkel's controversial refugee policy, which was blamed by some for a spike in terrorist attacks.

"She actually did the right thing helping the people that were fleeing from countries where there is war," Mille said.

In 2017, Petrozza told Noisey that he wasn't completely surprised by underdog Donald Trump's upset of Hillary Clinton in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, explaining: "I was confused that somebody like Trump could become the USA's president, but I wasn't shocked; a lot of my American friends were shocked."

Mille also addressed the fact that Trump had famously called climate change a "hoax," though his Cabinet had attempted to strike a more moderate tone in confirmation hearings. In addition, Trump withdrew from the Paris Agreement — signed by his predecessor Barack Obama — which was the world's first comprehensive treaty to tackle greenhouse gases.

"People are dying from global warming; there's scientific proof," Petrozza said. "It's another of those strange things Trump [said], one of those things that doesn't make any sense in the real world. Maybe it makes sense in Trump world, but in the actual world, yeah, it's a massive problem."

KREATOR's fifteenth studio album, "Hate Über Alles", was released on June 10. The follow-up to 2017's "Gods Of Violence" was recorded at Hansa Tonstudio in Berlin, Germany. Helming the sessions was Arthur Rizk, who has previously worked with CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, CODE ORANGE, POWER TRIP and SOULFLY, among others.

The "Hate Über Alles" cover artwork was created by Eliran Kantor, who has previously worked with HATEBREED, SOULFLY, TESTAMENT, ICED EARTH and SODOM, among others.

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

In March 2020, KREATOR surprise-released a new single, "666 - World Divided". The song was produced by Andy Sneap and Markus Ganter and was recorded at Hansa Tonstudios.

The music video for "666 - World Divided" was created under the direction of Jörn Heitmann, who was responsible for the music videos for "Radio" and "Ausländer" by RAMMSTEIN.

KREATOR played its first show with Leclercq in October 2019 in Santiago, Chile.

Before joining KREATOR, Leclercq rose to fame with U.K.-based extreme power metallers DRAGONFORCE for whom he handled bass duties from 2005 until August 2019.

KREATOR's previously announced "State Of Unrest" European tour with LAMB OF GOD has been rescheduled for November/December 2022 in the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.