Artist: Destruction
Label: Nuclear Blast
Release Date: 9/18/01
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Title: The Antichrist Artist: Destruction Label: Nuclear Blast Release Date: 9/18/01 |
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Abyss's Review:
Germany’s Destruction was an 80s thrash band that I never got into much. I heard them a few times, and I liked them, but in my cash strapped teenage years I never felt inspired enough to track down their stuff. Well a lot of time has gone by, and really nothing has changed.
"A solid album that would be a welcome addition to anyone’s CD collection, but only a necessity for the thrash addicted." Now I know a bit more about the band, as their influence becomes more and more lauded by the young neo -thrashers (Of course, every band from the eighties seems to have some sect that worship them as innovators). Their new album is pretty damn good, if not remarkable. The die-hard thrash fan should be on cloud nine, as interesting riffs and a cool vocal styling at once take you back to the golden days of the genre, but also avoid sounding in anyway stale. They seem to have hit on the same success that Americans Deceased have, even if their lyrical stylings are less interesting. As the title suggests, these guys aren’t the biggest Bible pushers out there. The lyrics hit me as cheesy, though. “Nailed to the cross, Nailed to the cross…Nailed to the fucking cross” just doesn’t do it for me, and I find myself wishing it wasn’t so easy to understand everything these guys scream. Of course, I care very little about lyrics, so these little gripes don’t come anywhere near ruining this for me.
If there is any weakness to the album it’s that many of the songs utilize the same rhythms or cadences, so they all sound relatively similar. This fact is hedged, however, by their command over the genre, and their ability to create well-crafted songs. This results in a solid album that would be a welcome addition to anyone’s CD collection, but only a necessity for the thrash addicted.
Death's Review:
"Destruction! Strikes back! Devastating, thrash attack!" Oops, wrong record. That was the last one. For this one, the opening rallying cry feels similar: "Thrash 'Till Death!" That just about sums it up right there. With lyrics which reference a "Bestial Invasion," Bonded By Blood, Pleasure to Kill and "In Union We Stand," The Antichrist is more than just a killer 1980's style German thrash record: it is a tribute to the genre.
And forget all that nonsense about the artwork on 666 copies of this getting messed up or whatever. I'm surprised they aren't telling us that Nostrodamus predicted this shit too. By the way, that Internet rumor about Nostrodamus predicting the WTC disaster is totally, 100% false. Anyway, there are many more important aspects of this new Destruction release to focus on, so you can feel comfortable in disregarding the manufactured hype (although I'm sure that the record did feel cursed to the band and label executives, what with the tracking getting messed up and all these other problems).
"The Antichrist is more than just a killer 1980's style German thrash record: it is a tribute to the genre." Songwriting wise, this is a better overall record than All Hell Breaks Loose. Much closer to the Infernal Overkill meets the Mad Butcher EP kinda style that many of the legions out there were hoping for last time around. Lots of thrash beats, a fairly raw sound, some very raw vocals from Schmier. Lots of melodic guitar fills/runs. Everything pretty is pretty much 4/4 and the guitar sound is pretty much total standard-issue trad-thrash crunch. I've actually read people post on the Internet about this record, complaining that Destruction has adopted a "nu-metal guitar sound," saying it sounded like Fear Factory. Let me now quell that line of inquiry right away. It just ain't so. If aspects of the guitar sound remind you of Fear Factory or say, Strapping Young Lad, it is due to the intensity of the right hand picking and the tightness of the guitars with the drumming. Mike fucking shreds, and does so in a totally old-school metal type of way, end of story. Cool leads too (e.g., "Creations of the Underworld").
Overall, this is a return to the sound of Destruction's most vital years. Personally, I loved the tripped-out, overproduced, progressive Destruction heard on Release From Agony, but I understand.that I am in the minority here. Thus, Schmier's vocals are more sick and aggressive on The Antichrist and he's minimized the random high-pitched falsetto notes, etc. The music is definitely more "classic thrash" than "dark and strangely adventurous."
"The Antichrist is a headbanging record, a necksnapping delight." The Antichrist is a headbanging record, a necksnapping delight. It is a good album for Destruction, a band I have always liked a lot and whom deserve a more respect from the global metal community. Once again, they debuted in the top 100 of the German album charts, and they will open the German dates on the Tattoo the Planet Tour with Slayer. So things are looking cool in the Destruction camp, and that's good news to these ears. Let's hope the rumors of a Kreator/Destruction/Sodom U.S. tour are not completely in the realm of fantasy. If they are, then let's hope Destruction can catch on with another U.S. run. How cool would it be if Slayer took them out as openers on a U.S. headlining tour? Heck, they could even throw a nu-metal band on the bill too, just to balance things out. Strike that-the nu-metal band would go on in between the two bands and then I'd have to sit through them! Still, it'll never happen 'cause Destruction won't sell enough copies of this record in the U.S. Hopefully, you'll do what you can to change that. If you're still looking for a thrashing good time in 2001 without all of the bullshit trappings, pick up The Antichrist. Then you too can run around yelling "Nailed to the fucking cross!"
Hel's Review:
Favorite tracks: "Bullets from Hell" and "Thrash Till Death"Destruction returned to the metal scene just last year after an eleven-year split with vocalist Schmier. To judge by the speed with which this album follows, I think it is fair to say that they're not just back, they're back in full force.
Regardless of how much you know about the band's history, ask yourself this: how could an album containing a track entitled "Thrash Till Death" not be good? And that's exactly what this album is: good, old-school thrash.
"How could an album containing a track entitled 'Thrash Till Death' not be good?" The musicianship is the true strength of this album. If you've been longing for the king of pure, rapid guitar riffing and drumming of a similar pace which characterizes classic thrash, then you need The Antichrist in your cd player right now. Destruction - keeping thrash metal standards both high and alive.
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