Destruction "Thrash Anthems" (Candlelight)
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Tuesday. Feb 13, 12:39 AM
Classic Teutonic thrash gets the treatment.

Thrashing since before extreme metal got obscenely extreme, German militia trio Destruction deserve a prize for perseverance. And then another for not letting their quality drop like a hammer. That’s an accomplishment all by itself, as other contemporaries are in this day and age wearing fedora hats and spawning subpar metal the likes of which do nothing but tarnish their very own past and make me want to pour muriatic acid on their balding heads. Lorrach’s favorite bastard sons broke into the scene early on: it was 1984 when their debut Sentence of Death first appeared in the pages of Kerrang! magazine, and it would only take one more album, the absolutely necessary Infernal Overkill (and its companion piece Eternal Devastation), to cement their legacy as authentic purveyors of quality thrash metal. Along with Sodom and Kreator, Destruction form part of this Teutonic triumvirate of metal. Up until now, all three remain tight units, and – despite constant line up changes (Sodom) and dubious style shifting (Kreator) – it seems like finally the stars are aligning correctly.

With Thrash Anthems, their overall 14th release (not counting neo-Destruction, which happened to be the same band minus lead man Schmier), the band drop some lighting fast thrash/speed metal. And if it sounds like they haven’t lost any of their former enthusiasm, then that may just be because Thrash Anthems features a whopping 13 re-recorded (plus two brand new tracks) classics given the updated make up treatment in the form of new found sonic power. Fans of the classics have here plenty to rejoice, ageless metal anthems such as the awesome “Curse the Gods,” “Mad Butcher,” “Bestial Invasion,” and “Tormentor” among many others sounding totally revitalized. Plus, the band sound tighter than ever, the guitar possessing a more modern sound and the double bass drum work utterly relentless. On the downside, classics like “Tormentor” and the genre defining “Curse the Gods” were perhaps always supposed to sound cheap and sloppy, and in their new “clear sheen” form have certainly lost some of their rudimentary charm.

By the way Thrash Anthems runs, you’ll be surprised these fellas are well into their 40s. For all the speed and relentless energy that this record delivers, one can only stand in awe at the dedication of these people. And for all the thrash classics they have given us, this release serves as nothing more than a remainder that those who made their mark early on still have the chops and, if given the opportunity, the talent to drop classics again. Which is not the same thing as saying that Thrash Anthems proudly stands alongside, say, Eternal Devastation or Infernal Overkill. No sir, times have changed, and with them our expectations, level of musicianship, and the leverage of styles. A record like this displays its chops and its ageless nature; the problem is that only six songs into it and things get a bit repetitive, taking a breakdown like the one found on sixth track “Death Trap” to remind us that, if willing, these old fuckers can run circles around any math metal band.
www.destruction.de
www.candlelightrecordsusa.com

Hansel Merchor

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