“This year will see new releases from two of the Big Three of German thrash. Destruction are up first with fourteenth album Diabolical, with Kreator to answer in June. Though Destruction was my favorite of the Big Three during much of the 80s due to the cooly quirky, borderline black metal style of albums like Infernal Overkill, Eternal Devastation and Release From Agony, their later-era releases have been very hit or miss.” Over or underkill?
“As a rowdy teen thrashard, Destruction was my favorite part of the 80s Germanic thrash wave, for a while anyhow. On seminal early albums like Infernal Overkill and Eternal Devastation, their oddball sound and penchant for quirky but biting riffs set them apart from and above fellow countrymen Sodom and Kreator. After 1987s Release From Agony however, things went off the rails for the band and they weren’t able to get their heads straight until 2000. Their second act has been solid if inconsistent, with some albums feeling rushed and half-baked. That brings us to their 14th thrash platter, Born to Perish.” Thrash never dies.
