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Album Reviews : Destruction – Born To Perish

By on August 7, 2019

In my opinion, Destruction is close to metal in its purest form (or at least most honest). The band have been churning out thrash metal albums since their formation in 1982 and despite being widely regarded as being one of the “Big Four” of the German thrash metal scene (along with Kreator, Sodom and Tankard),  they spent the majority of the 1990s as an unsigned band releasing albums independently. Persistence and quality are generally rewarded, and as a consequence, they’ve been on major labels since the 2000s and are a mainstay on the European festival scene. Their latest album Born to Perish sees the band rejuvenated as a four-piece after spending the last 20 years as a trio.  On this album long-standing members, Schmier (bass & vocals) and Mike (guitars) are joined by Randy Black (drums) Damir Eskic (guitars).

I’ll cut to the chase – this album is rock solid and will hit the spot for any fan of Thrash metal. Sure, the album sounds like a Destruction album and contains plenty of riffs and moods which will be reminiscent of other riffs and moods which you might find on other metal albums, however, I’m presently surprised by the energy of this release. The tracks have a palpable feeling – almost like the album was played by enthusiastic 20-year-olds trying to make their mark, rather than a collection of seasoned veterans arguably in the twilight of their career.  Randy Black’s drumming is particularly energetic; the band have done well to enlist his services.

Born To Perish,  Betrayal, Rotten & Tyrants Of The Netherworld are the tracks which I find to be particularly strong, but generally, it’s the sort of album where you don’t need to worry about the skip button.   Every track has a ‘money riff’ which will send a pit into a frenzy, and in some respects, it’s probably the live setting where these songs will really make their mark.

Born To Perish is a really enjoyable album and is more than worthy of its place in the Destruction discography. It’s ‘meat and 2 veg’ thrash metal, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with that!

Band: Destruction
Album: Born To Perish
Year: 2019
Genre: Teutonic Thrash Metal
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Origin: Germany
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About

Chris is a long time metal enthusiast and advocate for Australian heavy music scene. Chris grew up in Perth, Western Australia and is a past member of modern melodeath act Let's Kill Uncle. Currently residing in London, UK.