Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Genre: Thrash Metal
Release Date: August 9th, 2019
Line-up:
Schmier: Bass/Vocals
Mike: Guitar
Damir: Guitar
Randy: Drums
Tracklist:
1. Born to Perish
2. Inspired By Death
3. Betrayal
4. Rotten
5. Filthy Wealth
6. Butchered For Life
7. Tyrants of the Netherworld
8. We Breed Evil
9. Fatal Flight 17
10. Ratcatcher
The ones of you that doesn’t know Destruction yet (are there any?) better fasten your seatbelt before pressing the ‘Start-button and all the other, go wild with this album. German Metal pioneers Destruction belong, together with Kreator and Sodom, to the spearhead of German Thrash Metal.
Starting in 1982 as Knight Of Demon a renaming happened rather quickly. The first three albums were and still are genre-defining and it’s the famous ‘Mad Butcher’ that’s THE Destruction anthem to date.
Things cooled down after the forth release was revealed with the band members parting ways, focusing on various projects that couldn’t get close to the original. Ten years later the two founding members Marcel ‘Schmier’ Schirmer and Michael ‘Mike’ Sifringer regrouped the band and after having inked a deal with Nuclear Blast it was ‘All Hell Breaks Loose’ that ended the hiatus. The album was a strong statement that Destruction is back. More albums have been released and it’s ‘Born to Perish’, being the newest strike of the German Metal veterans.
The new album includes a new drummer. Randy Black joined the band a year ago, replacing Vaaver. And since a few months it’s Damir Eskic that adds some extra guitar power to Destruction’s sound. These changes definitely benefited the work on the new album that includes with twin guitars a new aspect of Destruction’s sound and extra firepower. ‘Born to Perish’ showcases a Metal band that goes strong with an album that picks up the energy of the ‘80s and the experience out of more than three decades on Metal.
Destruction doesn’t take any prisoners when it comes to the new record. Ten musical blasts made it on the album, all belonging to the best Thrash Metal can offer these days. Things start with some powerful drums and evolves to a cornerstone of the album. The name giver of the album is well placed at the beginning of this release and paves way for the rest to come.
‘Inspired by Death’ doesn’t slow down. The song fires on all cylinder and it’s the same merciless approach that comes with ‘Betrayal’. The intro to this song resonates a non-cookie-cutter approach, which comes back inn each of the tunes. No doubt, Destruction includes all their trademarks on the new album but it’s the passion for details that makes the difference.
‘Filthy Wealth’ is another songs that stands for the variety of the new album. Again rooted in Thrash Metal the track comes with a punk vibe and a Motörhead-ish rock spirit before ‘Butchered for Life’ takes over. The five minutes musical inferno is a highlight on the album and it’s the calmer sections in the beginning and along way, adding extra excitement to the mix.
Next to the enormous riff power the album spreads it’s the lyrics that are more than just a necessary thing to do. Songs like ‘Fatal Flight 17’ addresses current topics like, in this case, the shoot-down of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 a few years ago and it was personal situation that triggered these lyrics. Also ‘Ratcatcher’ is a statement. It’s about the current populism that grew over the last years with certain politicians catching the ones with existential angst for achieving their own egoistic aims.
A thing not to forget is the brilliant sound, again with VO Pulver being the guy at the helm. He gave Destruction the powerful and razorblade sharp sound this kind of music demands. ‘Born to Perish’ is the expected next bold step of a band that wrote and still writes Metal history. It’s the anticipated great next record that Schmier and band adds to the book. Great album, great band – horns up.
Written by: Markus Wiedenmann
Ratings: (9/10)
About Author
