I described 2022’s Hate Űber Alles as a Kreator album for its time. For those who hanker for the days of Pleasure To Kill and Coma Of Souls, the current sound of the Germans is probably not going to be much to get excited about. But in terms of celebration, a 16th album by the band whose journey started in Essen in 1982 is, I think, somewhat deserving.
Kreator – Krushers Of The World
Release Date: 16 January 2026
Words: Paul Hutchings
Hate Űber Alles followed a Thrash blueprint that Kreator have stuck to for the past two decades. There are some stomping neck breakers, some less impressive songs, and several solid, if unspectacular, tracks. And in the follow-up to that album, Kreator has once again delivered in an anthemic style that is likely to appeal to a more mainstream audience than they may once have targeted.
Let us get the title out of the way first. Thankfully, it is not an ode to the potty-mouthed legend Steve ‘Krusher’ Joule. For let’s be fair, this planet only has room for one Krusher.
No, as much as I would love the album to come at you “nearly live from between your steaming naked thighs,” this is a statement by the kings of Teutonic Thrash Metal. Described as “an expression of pride and self-awareness,” a reflection on their long and sometimes gruelling journey.
If you have seen Kreator live in recent times, you will know that the band still really pack a punch. They put Anthrax to shame with their performance on November 2024’s co-headline tour, as well as recent festival performances. They are not holding back when playing live, and on Krushers Of The World, they certainly remind us of their status as seminal founders of the entire Thrash movement.
Yes, there are some standards that they follow. Anthemic sing-alongs such as the opener, Seven Serpents, that bristles with aggression. It is followed immediately by another rabid thrasher in Satanic Anarchy. The titles are not subtle in any way, but this is Kreator, grandfathers of Thrash Metal, still able to flex muscle and stretch sinew.
The title track is a slower beast, one to punch the air rather than spin around the circle pit. With its repetitive chorus, it fits the Kreator formula of recent times. But even here, there are visceral bursts of peeling guitar that slash and cut.
In fact, the whole album has that slashing feel, thanks to the explosive lead axe of Sami Yli-Sirniö. And of course, Millie Petrozza’s snarling delivery never gets any older. At times, he truly bristles with the anger that is demanded.
If you want thrashing aggression, look no further than the dynamism of Barbarian, Deathscream or Psychotic Imperator. Hysterically cliched titles, perhaps, but very much focused on the current Kreator sound.
Memorable choruses linger long after the tracks have finished, and the speed, which has always been an underpinning element of the band, is certainly still present in spades.
And let’s not underestimate the playing, which is impressive, from Sami Yli-Sirniö’s guitar work to the punishing drumming of Ventor and the thunderous accompaniment of Frédéric Leclercq’s low-end rumblings.
Tränenpalast features Hiraes singer Britta Görtz, who brings her own guttural piece to the party as befits someone who also delivers Extreme Metal vocal coaching.
Produced by Jens Bogren at Fascination Studios, Krushers Of The World is a flesh-peeling album that combines the old school with the modern. Add in a captivating piece of album art by Zbigniew Bielak, and you have a solid album that nestles comfortably alongside releases of the past 15 years.
If you want your New Year to start with a blast, you will do worse than to get this ready on the turntable. And with a powerful headline tour screaming into Europe in the Spring, Kreator are intent on reminding us that they can still throw out some razor-sharp music.
Kreator release On Krushers Of The World on 16 January 2026 via Nuclear Blast Records. Pre-orders are available from kreator.bfan.link/krushers-of-the-world.
