In a recent chat with Matt Mills on the Heavy Stories podcast, Mille Petrozza opened up about an almost-career-defining moment: being invited to join Swiss extreme metal innovators Celtic Frost back in 1986.
"I was blown away, because I really respected them and I thought they were one of the best bands in the world. And I still do think that they were definitely one of the innovators," Mille said.
Though flattered, Petrozza explained that his loyalty to his own fledgling band was a major factor in his decision.
"I knew that I had my own band, but I still wanted to go and see how they work, because they're great people, and we're still friends to this day. I have to be honest… I wanted to jam with [then-Celtic Frost drummer] Reed St. Mark – and, of course, with Martin [Ain] and Tom [Gabriel Fischer], but Reed St. Mark, for me, was the best drummer in the world."
Mille spent a week rehearsing with Celtic Frost in an old World War II bunker in Zurich, describing the experience as both awe-inspiring and formative.
"I went there for a week. I wish there was still recordings from that session, because I thought they were just amazing, amazingly professional. And Reed St. Mark was a killer drummer. They were playing in a bunker, an old World War II bunker in Zurich.
"And they were amazing people — very, very smart, very avant-garde. And I was this little 18- or 19-year-old metal kid. But then when I went back and I came back [home to Germany], I knew that I'm not gonna do it. I knew that I'm gonna do my own thing."
Ultimately, age and logistics tipped the scales in favor of his own band. "Switzerland, it's a cool place to be, but I was too young for that… I had my own band. If I wouldn't have had my own band, I would definitely have joined them."
Looking back, Petrozza clearly respects the Swiss trailblazers but remains proud of forging his own path with Kreator, a decision that would cement his place in thrash metal history. "I knew that I'm not gonna do it. I knew that I'm gonna do my own thing."
