Kreator is a German thrash metal band from Essen, formed in 1982. The group’s current lineup includes lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Miland "Mille" Petrozza, drummer Jürgen "Ventor" Reil, lead guitarist Sami Yli-Sirniö, and bassist Frédéric Leclercq. Over the band’s more than four-decade career, its lineup has changed several times, particularly in the positions of bassist and lead guitarist. Petrozza and Reil remain the only original members, with Reil having briefly left the band in 1994 before rejoining in 1996. Yli-Sirniö became the band’s lead guitarist in 2001, while Leclercq joined in 2019, replacing Christian "Speesy" Giesler, who had been a member since 1994. Kreator has released fifteen studio albums, two EPs, two live albums, and three compilation albums. Their second studio album, "Pleasure to Kill" (1986), is regarded as one of the most influential releases in thrash metal. Subsequent albums such as "Terrible Certainty" (1987), "Extreme Aggression" (1989), and "Coma of Souls" (1990) also received critical acclaim. Although Kreator was among the earliest European thrash metal bands to sign with a major label, joining Epic Records in 1988, they did not achieve significant mainstream success until later in their career with albums such as "Phantom Antichrist" (2012) and "Gods of Violence" (2017). The latter reached number one on the German charts. Their sixteenth studio album, "Krushers of the World," is scheduled for release on January 16, 2026. With more than two million albums sold worldwide, Kreator ranks among the best-selling German thrash metal bands. Along with Destruction, Sodom, and Tankard, they are considered one of the "Big Four" of Teutonic thrash metal and are credited with helping to define and popularize the German thrash metal scene while influencing the early development of death and black metal in the mid-1980s. Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kreator Studio albums Endless Pain (1985) Pleasure to Kill (1986) Terrible Certainty (1987) Extreme Aggression (1989) Coma of Souls (1990) Renewal (1992) Cause for Conflict (1995) Outcast (1997) Endorama (1999) Violent Revolution (2001) Enemy of God (2005) Hordes of Chaos (2009) Phantom Antichrist (2012) Gods of Violence (2017) Hate Über Alles (2022) Krushers of the World (2026)