Review by Michael on January 14, 2026.

Well, Kreator don't need any further introduction, delivering the metal scene great stuff since 1985. Okay, they had their lows with "Outcast" and the almost terrible goth-like "Endorama" but since "Violent Revolution" they found way back into thrash metal and have a second spring since 1999.

Whereby thrash isn't the right term actually for their works since "Violent Revolution". They have become much more melodic, yet Iron Maiden- influenced since then what has caused many discussions if they still are true and rooted in the scene. Personally I like the old stuff like "Pleasure To Kill", "Extreme Aggression" or "Coma Of Souls" very much and in my musical evolution these albums play a major role indeed but I never felt disappointed with the newer stuff either.

To be honest, could you truly imagine Mille and co recording a new "Terrible Certainty"? I guess they missed that train for many decades now and this would be slight irritating in my humble opinion.

So what is to say about "Krushers Of The World"? First of all it fits perfect into the series of their latest releases. It is melodic yet aggressive stuff with a lot of catchy, crushing vibes. Milles vocals sound pissed off as always, nagging about the state of the world and much more. But sometimes they have taken out the speed of their songs. The title track for instance is a  good example for this. It is a mid-tempo stomper with an opulent atmosphere and some epic melodies so that you actually don't miss the lack of speed too much.

On the other hand there are some fast, ass-kicking songs that clearly show their roots in thrash metal: "Blood Of Our Blood" connects aggressive thrash metal with the already well-known melodic metal guitar riffs. "Tränenpalast" is another interesting song. Lyrically it has nothing to do with the former border crossing between West and East Germany but with the movie "Suspiria" by Dario Argento. Here we can hear some female grunted vocals by Britta Görtz (Hiraes) and this track is also very energetic and powerful. And because of the vocals it reminds a lot of Arch Enemy. "Deathscream" tends into the same direction when it comes to the chorus. Here the vocals sometimes tend to more death metal and it is again a very fast song.

Compared to its predecessor "Hate Über Alles" which I overrated a little bit when it came out, I am very glad that Kreator didn't do any strange experiments this time. A track like "Midnight Sun" that was a little bit more experimental is not to be found here and the songs seem much more homogeneous.

Production-wise Jens Borgren did a solid job with that album, here everythings sounds as it shoud. No overproduction, nothing that sounds sterile or weak. I know that a very good friend of mine will complain about the modern sound they have on "Krushers Of The World" but he doesn't like them since "Renewal". And where would we be if we haven't had any terms of discussion anymore?

So enjoy the new Kreator album, you cannot do anything wrong with it. It's just like your soul food you can always enjoy without any expectations for some new crazy shit.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10 Krusty Krushers