German thrash metal giants Kreator are excited to welcome Frédéric Leclercq as their new bass player.

Before joining Kreator, Leclercq rose to fame with UK based extreme power metallers DragonForce for whom he handled bass duties from 2005 until recently.

Commented Leclercq: "Joining Kreator is an honour as well as a huge step up in my musical journey. I’ve been friends with Mille for over 15 years and a lifelong Kreator fan; I have to pinch myself every day to believe that I’m now a part of one of the best and most influential bands in the genre. I look forward to the many adventures ahead and getting well acquainted with the legendary Kreator Hordes!"

Added Kreator frontman Mille Petrozza: "Firstly, we would like to say thank you to Speesy for his time in Kreator over the last 25 years – we have accomplished so much, and I sincerely wish him the best in his future! A new chapter for Kreator beckons; Bienvenu Frédéric Leclercq! Fred represents a new focus and hunger within Kreator and we’re extremely excited to have him a part of the Kreator family – not only is he an exceptional musician but a great human being which made the decision to have him join the band very easy! We begin in Chile and continue on to some explosive years ahead!"

Two giants of extreme metal have teamed up to lay waste to European shores in 2020. Grammy nominated Richmond, VA metallers Lamb Of God and German thrash pioneers Kreator will bring a State Of Unrest across the continent in March and April. Support from the Dallas, TX wrecking crew Power Trip.

Randy Blythe (Lamb Of God): "It’s always a blast when you tour with someone for the first time, so we’re looking forward to hitting the road with Keator, as well as getting some more hang time with our maniac pals in Power Trip. See ya in March and April!"

Mille Petrozza (Kreator): "Hordes of Europe! It is my pleasure to introduce the State Of Unrest tour; for too long European and American metal has been divided and now it is time for unity! We are excited to be playing our only European shows of 2020 with the mighty Lamb Of God and support from one of my favourite new thrash bands, Power Trip. It’s going to be a wild night of metal celebration – DO NOT MISS OUT!"

Tour dates are as follows:

March
27 – Stockholm, Sweden - Fryshuset Arenan
28 – Copenhagen, Denmark - Forum Black Box
30 – Oulu, Finland - Teatria
31 – Helsinki, Finland - Ice Hall Black Box

April
2 – Kraków, Poland - Tauron Arena
3 – Berlin, Germany - Columbiahalle
4 – Oberhausen, Germany - Turbinenhalle
5 – Wiesbaden, Germany - Schlachthof
7 – Zurich, Switzerland - Samsung Hall
8 – Munich, Germany - Zenith
9 – Ludwigsburg, Germany - MHP Arena        
11 – Hamburg, Germany - Sporthalle
14 – Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz
15 – Madrid, Spain - La Riviera
17 – Paris, France - L’Olympia
18 – Saarbrücken, Germany - Saarlandhalle
19 – Brussels, Belgium - Ancienne Belgique
21 – Bristol, UK - O2 Academy Bristol
22 – Manchester, UK - Manchester Academy
23 – Glasgow, UK - O2 Academy Glasgow
24 – Birmingham, UK - O2 Academy Birmingham
25 – London, UK - O2 Academy Brixton

(Photo - Celeye Kopp)