Churning puffs of smoke push their way through the darkness. A grand mane of blonde hair snaps back into place, propelling beads of sweat into the air. Stark, white strobe light flashes sever the spectacle into robotic, incremental movements. An occasional metallic ting of heavy chrome studs knocking together is barely discernible. Pungent odors of leather, perspiration, and strong beer combine and fill the air. A hand whistles over a muted set of guitar strings. A moment later, a bloodcurdling scream annihilates the silence, and is followed by the eruption of deafening guitar crunch and percussive mayhem. DESTRUCTION has returned.

For about 20 years, Germany’s technical thrash masters have been bringing bewitching metal noise to metal-hungry masses. Albums like 1984’s “Sentence of Death” and 1986’s “Eternal Devastation” have proven to be high watermarks for the genre. The buzzing, deranged guitar licks of Mike Sifringer are so distinctive, especially when set against the tumultuous, screaming vocals of Marcel “Schmier” Schirmer. Listening to classics like “Curse the Gods” and “Bestial Invasion” is like a religious experience to old thrasholics. How on earth were they able to get that dense, complex guitar sound as just a 3 piece? The consensus in 1986 was that this band was simply ahead of the rest of the pack. The next couple of albums in the late 80s saw the addition of a second guitar player, and an even more potent version of the band. By this time, DESTRUCTION had evolved into one of the most dynamic and lethal-sounding metal bands of the thrash scene. Check out tracks like “Reject Emotions” and “Sign of Fear” to get an old-school dose of guitar virtuosity, snarling intensity, and keen song structuring.

Needless to say, we were pretty pleased to see the return of Mike and Schmier in 2000. In many ways, the new, revamped 3-piece version of DESTRUCTION takes up where the band left off in the 90s. This latest effort “Metal Discharge” will not leave any fan of rocketing drums and shrieking guitars out in the cold. The opener “The Ravenous Beast” is an excellent balls-out thrash juggernaut that hints of the “Release from Agony” era. Solo-wise Mike tears it up nicely here with a speeding cyclone of lead guitar madness. “Made to be Broken” is another of the albums highlights, as I don’t know how any fan of thrash and death could resist the start-stop-start riffage that Schmier and the boys deliver in that track. For the most part, the solos on the album are pared down to quick bursts in order to deliver maximum impact. The result is a short album that blasts past you like a speeding subway. Before you know it, you’re at the end, and starting it up again for repeat listens. But the apex of Mike’s guitar insanity is the melodic, fun-house-mirror pretzel twist licks in “Desecrators of the New Age”. I had to back that one up a couple of times to truly appreciate the hairpin turns and snaking changes. Also noteworthy is the fact that this album features a new drummer in Marc Reign, but he still manages to approximate that “Destruction sound” perfectly. How is it that a band can have such a distinctive drum sound, and maintain it flawlessly with each of four different drummers? Mike and Schmier must have the secret to that one.

The bottom line is, no fan of DESTRUCTION should put off picking up a copy of “Metal Discharge”. The tracks are short, intense, and delightfully twisted. I recommend picking it up and considering it another deadly notch in the sparkling bullet belt that is your DESTRUCTION collection.

- Marchman

OFFICIAL SITE: www.destruction.de

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