KREATOR frontman Mille Petrozza made a guest appearance with ARCH ENEMY on Saturday, July 19, at Berlin's Bi Nuu venue, joining the band for a cover of British punk act GBH's 1982 track "City Baby Attacked By Rats" during the European leg of ARCH ENEMY's summer tour with new singer Lauren Hart.
The Berlin show came as ARCH ENEMY continues introducing Hart, formerly of ONCE HUMAN, to European audiences following her arrival as Alissa White-Gluz's replacement late last year. Drummer Daniel Erlandsson has been vocal about the fan reaction to the transition, calling it "overwhelming" in recent interviews and describing the atmosphere at the band's new shows as "electric." He has also been careful to frame White-Gluz's exit as an amicable parting rather than a rupture, telling fans, "You can still be a fan of both" ARCH ENEMY and its former singer, who has since gone on to start her own project.
Erlandsson has said Hart specifically cited ARCH ENEMY's 2001 album "Wages Of Sin" as a formative influence on her decision to become a vocalist in the first place — a detail that has added extra resonance to her run of debut shows across Europe this summer. "She told us that 'Wages Of Sin' was a very important album for her, and that's the album that made her want to become a vocalist," Erlandsson said.
Petrozza's cameo added a notable crossover moment to the tour, pairing two of German-rooted extreme metal's most recognizable frontmen — Petrozza having led thrash institution KREATOR since 1982 — on a shared stage for a song outside either band's usual catalog. The one-off cover underscored the kind of goodwill ARCH ENEMY's new era has generated among its peers as Hart settles into the band's lineup, alongside guitarists Michael Amott and Joey Concepcion and bassist Sharlee D'Angelo.
Looking ahead, Erlandsson said ARCH ENEMY is already turning its attention to new material, with the band hoping to begin work on its next studio album as soon as next year. "The priority is gonna be working on more music and release an album definitely at some point, hopefully even next year," he said, positioning the ongoing European tour dates as both a live introduction for Hart and a bridge toward ARCH ENEMY's next full-length chapter.