5 months after Destruction released the Mad Butcher ep, Release From Agony was dropped on the world with one of the most disturbing cover paintings of any metal album.  It’s thought provoking and gross. The title track picks up after the “Beyond Eternity” opening instrumental.  Nice beefy rhythm section.  I always thought the drums still sounded a bit off on the album, as if they needed a deeper bass sound.  But the production pretty much picks up where the Mad Butcher ep left off.  Killer riffs, fast song and the guitars were pretty damn dirty and heavy sounding.  Excellent chorus for the title track.  The 3.20 mark has a killer guitar solo, with some sloppy drumming over the fast section.  Hey Oliver Kaiser was not known for his drum skills-but he was serviceable.  “Dissatisfied Existence” has some monster riffing during the middle part of this track, after the faster parts slow down and more amazing guitar solos over the fast sections.  The solos are really a standout on the entire record.  “Unconscious Ruins” even throwing some polyrhythms in the mix, which was really not being done a lot back then.  Excellent bass guitar  strumming and excellent vocals by Schmier, as usual-he was always on point as a thrash metal vocalist.  Release From Agony, was and still is one of the finest thrash metal albums, not just ever released from Germany, but ever released!

I do not know the reason why Schmier left Destruction, but in 1990 Cracked Brain was released with all of the band intact, Harry and Mike still on guitar but also contributing bass to the album, since Schmier was no longer playing bass or singing for them.  Destruction brought on Andre Grieder, who was singing for the German thrash metal band Poltergeist.  Again after this album I stopped listening to Destruction and initially approached this album with caution, since Schmier was not on it and seeing the band had a cover on the album of “My Sharona”.  But the album cover drew me in and the opening title track is one of the best tracks Destruction ever recorded.  Super heavy, fast and Andre showing he had some good pipes which fit excellently with Destruction’s sound.  I can listen to this track over and over all day long.  In my top 5 of fave Destruction songs.  “Frustrated”, another great mid-paced song mixed with fast thrash riffs and excellent guitar melodies.   The tongue-in-cheek “My Sharona” is a goof of a cover, but I guess it shows Destruction’s lighter side, which they exhibited a few fun parts like this on the Release from Agony album.  “Die A Day Before You’re Born” is super catchy and another great song. Overall Cracked Brain is an excellent Destruction album.

High Roller Records did a great job with these reissues.  V.O. Pulver, at Little Creek Studios, is responsible for the remastering and the sound is spot-on, stellar.   The loudness is cranked up and as I said before these remasters sound like they are from original DAT tapes.  Very clear sounding and trull stellar work.  Each cd is housed in a beautiful slipcase.  The booklets contain pictures, vintage flyers, a poster and lyrics.  All incredible and well put together.  Just like the Part I series of the Destruction reissue reviews, these 3 albums contain no bonus songs.   I think High Roller could have added some live songs on each reissue.  If you like upgraded sound, then yes pick these reissue up-they are worth it, but go in knowing no bonus content.  There is another High Roller Destruction reissue-though; the Live Without Sense live album.  When all the slipcases are placed next to each other, it spells out Destruction and has the Destruction skull, from Infernal Overkill.  Super cool.

In 1984 I picked up the vinyl debut ep Sentence of Death, by Destruction at my local record store, which I lived at, pretty much every few days, lol.  By this time I was already into all the American thrash metal acts and had started venturing out a lot more to the overseas bands.  This 6 track ep was some pretty straightforward thrash with a lot of Slayer influence, but still containing some musical arrangements I had never heard.  I was just looking for something fast and heavy and Destruction had a dark edge, early on in their career, and that is why I was so drawn to their sound, as well as all the other German thrash acts, during that time period.  I was taken back at first with the cover of the 3 gents wearing their bullet belts, but was drawn to them wearing inverted cross necklaces and I thought-this is going to kick some serious ass.  Because years ago, folks, unless your friend had the release, you bought, basically on a few recommendations, but mainly on what the album cover looked like and the song titles.  So song titles like:  “Total Desaster” and “Satan’s Vengeance” were right up my alley.  After the corny intro that opening of “Total Desaster” was just brutal.  Still impressed how clear Schmier’s raspy vocals were.  The guitar solos were pretty decent and the drumming, by and large was really no frills-nothing to knock you down with, but the music was fast and heavy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWy64Go3boY

The following year, Infernal Overkill, their debut album, was unleashed and to this day is my favorite release by Destruction.  I had this in every format and eventually the cassette wore out and I picked it up on vinyl.  Production and musicianship was better and Destruction found their sound with Infernal Overkill, the release which shook the underground and garnered them a lot of zine interviews.  From the brutal opening of “Invincible Force’s” drums and then Schmier laying waste with a killer scream-the song was pure thrash metal fury.  “The Ritual” is still my favorite Destruction song, to this day.  My dark lord, not a fast song, but a slow and meaty, heavy number.  Destruction really increased their guitar melodies with this album and on this particular song-one of the best songs from 1985-by and large.  I was drawn to the creepy album cover with the exploding skull and a hand reaching towards it.  It’s really a classic cover.  8 songs in 40”, just one of the most perfect thrash metal albums, ever.

1 year later Destruction released Eternal Devastation-this is the album which cemented Destruction as one of the best thrash metal bands, of that time period.  Many would say this is the best Destruction album and it really is a fantastic album.  However, the band, went for a bit of a cleaner sound and the darker edge of Infernal Overkill, I missed on this record.  However all the songs on Eternal Devastation do show a maturation of what one would expect with a band trying to really break-out.  The opening song, “Curse the Gods” is still one of the best opening thrash metal songs, ever, even if it and the rest of the album had a very strong Slayer–Hell Awaits inspired sound.  And hell you cannot deny the album cover, of the band members drawn into a tornado circling a city does not look cool as shit.  Very striking cover.  “United By Hatred”-also a terrific song with the monstrous opening with the guitar melodies.  At this point you can also hear some progressive, even polyrhythms, to throw your pathetic body for a loop.

High Roller Records did a real nice job with these reissues.  V.O. Pulver, at Little Creek Studios, is responsible for the remastering and the sound is spot-on, stellar.  I always thought Eternal Devastation sounded a bit thin.  It definitely is more punchy this go around and the remastering on all 3 of these are louder and clearer.  I would venture to say these may be from the original reels, that’s how great they sound.  Each cd is housed in a beautiful slipcase.  The booklets contain pictures, vintage flyers, a poster and lyrics.  All incredible and well put together.  As a stickler for reissues, I was perplexed there was no bonus material.  Huh??  Yep, each reissue has the original songs and nothing more.  I think maybe some live material, on a second disc would have been awesome, but that always costs extra $$.  At the end of the day, these reissues are all amazing.  Pick these shits up!

Destruction are definitely old and they’re certainly classic, yet their recent albums are the furthest thing from mandatory. Yeah, there’s plenty of vitriol and zippy riffs to be found on 2011’s Day of Reckoning, but it’s not like anyone is beating down the doors to hear those jams over cuts like “Release from Agony” or “Mad Butcher.” The same applies for Spiritual Genocide, which was released in late 2012, and is seeing domestic release this February by way of Nuclear Blast.

For a band on its 13^th album, Destruction doesn’t seem to be clawing for ideas. In fact, some of these numbers rumble like it was 1988, most notably the title track, which unfurls one of guitarist Mike Sifringer’s patented labyrinthine riff patterns. The mid-tempo lurch of “City of Doom” should get some nods in the neck-snapping area; same for “No Signs of Repentence,” a song that pushes the band’s technical threshold to the max. And naturally, vocalist/bassist Schimer is all over this thing, pushing his hate-on-hate agenda, while sounding as Schimer-like as ever. (Those who have waded through the band’s previous output can surely understand the meaning of that last comment.)

Circa 2013, Destruction doesn’t have much of a shot of matching Kreator’s firepower and momentum. Spiritual Genocide won’t change that, even if the band has hopped aboard the same label as Mille and crew. They should take solace in being second in the Tuetonic thrash race…and being at the forefront of old, but cool thrash.

Growing up in a rural area long before the Internet showed up in every household giving people access to music from around the world, I was a latecomer to Destruction. I was already familiar with their fellow countrymen Kreator and Sodom when I discovered them, but for some reason Destruction spoke to me more than those other two bands. I’ll admit I’m still not the biggest fan of the German thrash scene, but when the mood strikes me, I’ll probably be reaching for Destruction. And their latest, Day of Reckoning, is just as good an option as any from their catalog.

The first thing you’ll notice about this record is that it sounds really, really good. The production is as sharp as a scalpel, and the songs themselves are like the crazy, wild-eyed guy in the doctor’s scrubs staggering toward you waving it.

Despite the immediate speed and aggression of “The Price,” it’s the second track, “Hate is My Fuel” that makes the first impact with a huge, memorable chorus. That plays nicely into “Armagedoonizer,” which takes a slightly different approach in the guitar riff, calling on just a little traditional metal. That’s reinforced in the chorus with its harmonized vocals that are reminiscent of Judas Priest. It’s a little strange at first, but grows on you after a few listens.

There are some pretty standard German thrash numbers scattered throughout the record that are perhaps a little too familiar, but most of the songs bring at least a little something different and recognizable to the table.

One of the most interesting and one of my favorites is “Devil’s Advocate,” which brings just a little bit of swing with the guitars of Mike Sifringer and new drummer Vaaver. “Sorceror of Black Magic” gives vocalist Schmier’s bass a little bit of a spotlight and features a more traditional metal feel early on the verses. When it moves into thrash territory, it becomes less interesting, though Sifringer does deliver some nice licks on the chorus. The harmonic guitar riffing on “The Demon is God” is cool and something a little different, and “Church of Disgust,” which features more great riffing, is one of the more memorable numbers despite it’s predictable religious themes.

Lyrically, the album is perhaps a bit lacking in places, but given the conviction and aggression it’s delivered with, I can overlook that. Day of Reckoning is relentless from beginning to end, and while most fans will probably argue Destruction’s earlier work was better, this is one hell of a thrash record.

However, Mike asserts himself a lot more on this album than I recall previously. He does this by cranking out solos all over the album that feel like they will never end. There is no problem with the solos themselves but he is clearly overdoing it to the point where it almost feels like they were trying to pad the album out more than anything. They also brought in Vinnie Moore, Gary Holt and Jeff Waters to do some guest solos in the songs “D.evolution” and “U.rge”. When they stop oversoloing they do just fine but after awhile this seems like a guitar based wankfest and I simply cannot abide a good song being ruined by a band member playing as if to say, “Look what I can do!” It’s largely the same record they’ve been making since All Hell Breaks Loose and that doesn’t bother me in the least, Mike just needs to lay off the guitar for a bit and let the album breathe on its own.