DESTRUCTION
The Antichrist
(Nuclear Blast Records)
42:08min

Together with bands like SODOM and KREATOR, DESTRUCTION was the band in the mid-eighties which placed Germany on the worldmap of Metal. I guess almost everybody out there will be familiar with their Thrash Metal classics (“Infernal Overkill”, “Eternal Devastation”, “Live Without Sense”…) and will probably also know that DESTRUCTION got back together about two years ago and astonished the worldwide Metal scene with their comeback-album “All Hell Breaks Loose”. Despite all the intensive touring, they even found the time to write songs for a new album called “The Antichrist” (what a lovely title…) which will be released at the end of August. Already from the opener ‘Thrash Til’ Death’ (… we have the pleasure to kill, we are bonded by blood…), you can hear that with this album DESTRUCTION took it even a step further and sound more old-school than ever before! The strange thing is that “The Antichrist” got once again recorded at the Abyss studio, but it doesn’t sound like that at all!!! The production sounds very old-fashioned and is not as cold and clinical as “All Hell Breaks Loose” sometimes did which is meant in a very positive way! “The Antichrist” sounds 100% like DESTRUCTION, you can easily distinguish the guitar-style and the riffs of Mike out of hundreds of other guitarists. Most of the songs are rather speedy (‘Dictators Of Cruelty’, ‘Bullets From Hell’, ‘Creations Of The Underworld’…) and are actually all on a very high level without any real outstanding highlights this time to my opinion (like you had with ‘The Butcher Strikes Back’ on the “All Hell…” album), although ‘Trash Til’ Death’ is a really cool track. To make it short: DESTRUCTION delivered once again a very well-written and executed Thrash Metal album which shows to my opinion all those wannabe modern Thrash bands like THE HAUNTED, CARNAL FORGE and others how real Thrash should be played! Great artwork by the way!!! Read the interview for more info…

Steven Willems

Steven Willems

DESTRUCTION
The Antichrist
(Nuclear Blast Records)
42:08min

When it comes to DESTRUCTION everyone seems to be deaf these days, so I simply had to come up with an alternative opinion here this time. I totally agree with Steven that the new album comes up with a way better, more old school production. That’s definitely a big plus of the new album as the modern Abyss sound really turned me off of “All Hell Breaks Loose”. But in terms of the riffing and the vocal delivery I still don’t really recognize good old DESTRUCTION that much anymore nowaydays. “The Antichrist” is indeed a great old school Thrash album, but I seriously doubt that someone would easily be able to recognize this as an DESTRUCTION effort if the songs would be played just instrumental, without vocals. Mike’s an awesome guitarist and he used to have a very unique guitar style back in the 80s. But that uniqueness somehow got lost over the years and was replaced by a more perfect playing ability, which is truely a shame. Same goes for Schmier’s vocals. Ok, unlike Mike he’s still easily recognizable, as there’s no other vocalist around sounding like him. But in my opinion he’s trying to sound a little too angry these days and is therefore screaming a little bit too much instead of just going back to his charismatic aggression delivery of DESTRUCTION’s glorious past. Compare each new track to an old classic and you’ll certainly agree with me. On the other hand, it’s great to have DESTRUCTION back in this form, as they still come up with way better material than many other established names in this fucked up business these days. And yeah – the artwork really kills!!!!

Frank Stöver

Frank Stöver

Related reviews / interviews:
DESTRUCTION - The Butcher Strikes Back (Anders Peter Jørgensen)
DESTRUCTION - Bestial Invasion Of Hell (Julián "Total Desaster" Núñez)
DESTRUCTION - Bestial Invasion Of Hell (Frank Stöver)
DESTRUCTION - Sentence Of Death (David Simonton)
DESTRUCTION - Infernal Overkill (Thomas Meyer)
DESTRUCTION - Eternal Devastation (Thomas Meyer)
DESTRUCTION - Release From Agony (Jaime Pérez)
DESTRUCTION - Mad Butcher (Julián “Mad Butcher” Núñez)
DESTRUCTION - Cracked Brain (Julián “Frustrated” Núñez)
DESTRUCTION - Live Without Sense (Thomas Reitmayer)
DESTRUCTION - Thrash Anthems II (David Simonton)
DESTRUCTION - The Curse Of The Antichrist - Live In... (Julián Núñez)
DESTRUCTION - Inventor Of Evil (Frank Stöver)
DESTRUCTION - Metal Discharge (Timothy Dovgy)
DESTRUCTION - Interview (Frank Stöver)
DESTRUCTION - Interview (Steven Willems)
DESTRUCTION - Interview (Steven Willems)

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